It is Monday morning. A polar vortex has descended upon Calgary over the weekend and the drive in to work on ice covered roads brings an ominous expectation of things to come. Calgary weather can be a wild ride. It is not abnormal to see a 40 degree swing in temperatures in a matter of days. Sure enough, this -33 degree Celcius day strikes early and often. We receive notification that Calgary Police have seized a dog overnight, having been left out in the cold without any protection from the elements. A concerned citizen is calling our call centre to report 2 dogs in the yard for a lengthy period while another complainant holds to report roaming cats seeking warmth in the engines of vehicles. A Landlord is emailing in requesting removal of cats from an unheated garage they were renting to a now evicted tenant. When it rains, it pours, or rather, when it snows, it blizzards. CHS Animal Protection Peace Officers, themselves layered to battle the elements get the enforcement trucks started and warmed up for what will inevitably be a busy day. Arrangements are made to retrieve the CPS seized dog from the emergency veterinary clinic and the Peace Officers are out to the field to attend calls on a triaged basis. Shelter calls are an emergency today and will take top priority, but that does not mean abuse, abandonment and medical neglect calls slow down.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg. 15 minutes of play-by-play, narrating the start of a new week of protecting Calgary’s animals. Pet owners usually exercise common sense in the most extreme weather but on the basis of reports, that rule of thumb does not seem to be holding on this day. While animal protection enforcement is usually very nuanced and ‘grey’, it doesn’t get any more black and white than a weather event like this. If an animal is deprived of adequate shelter or protection from injurious cold and the owner is either not present or not willing to take the dog inside, the animal will be seized, at least temporarily, until an investigation is completed, the animal is examined by a veterinarian, treated for any medically necessary concerns and remediation of the environmental concern is complete. In this case that remediation would be the installation of an insulated/heated doghouse or a commitment to keep the dog indoors, save for bathroom breaks and short exercise sessions. 

Education is a foundational element of animal protection, so while the field officers are bouncing around the city, ensuring animals in distress receive appropriate intervention, we take opportunity to utilize the media to our advantage in hopes of preventing some animal suffering by making legal obligations and consequences clear as possible. A live segment on the noon news and a smattering of camera, phone and e-mail interviews for other outlets ensures a wide net is cast. In many cases, in the face of a compliant and cooperative animal owner, Peace Officers will opt for education over enforcement, ensuring the animals’ needs are met. If we can change behavior without having to remove an animal from its home and ensure its welfare, we will.  

On the other end of the spectrum, where the offense is egregious, repeated or causing significant injury, charges under the Animal Protection Act or Criminal Code may be warranted to deter future offense and prohibit animal ownership. Maximum penalties for animal cruelty in general (and to be clear, depriving an animal of adequate shelter and protection from injurious cold is exactly that) are up to 5 years incarceration, a $20,000 fine and a lifetime animal prohibition order.  

Brad Nichols, Director of Enforcement, Vice Executive Director