Les chiens Huskies...

[Animal 0]

As you will see in the text, the rescuers will be charged with dog theft.
That is despicable and not acceptable. But of course, Barnotti is "like
that" with Loranger, the crown prosecutor in chief. We need a team of
lawyers from Montreal to take over the case and save those dogs from being
killed at the SPCA or finish their life on cement at their shelter.

It is all a matter of Barnotti's ego. He must have made a deal with the
dogs' owner: you won't be charged if you give your dogs to the SPCA.....

Catherine Bégin, Researcher
Lost and Found Pet Network
Laval, Quebec, Canada
www.rapt-lfpn.org

"Ne pas intervenir c'est être complice"
---------------------------------------------

Montreal Gazette, July 7,2006
Rescued huskies awarded to SPCA
Original owner didn't want dogs going to competitor

Marissa Larouche-Smart

The people who rescued 26 starving huskies from a kennel in Entrelacs last
month looked deflated as they walked out of a Joliette courtroom yesterday.

The Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was awarded
custody of the dogs, in accordance with the wishes of the dogs' owner,
Laurent Wilhem.

Eric Lefrançois and his girlfriend, Karine Latimer, run a dogsledding
company in St. Jean de Matha and have been nursing the dogs back to health
along with their business partner, Guy Racicot.

They said they discovered the half-starved huskies when they went to
Wilhem's kennel to pick up some doghouses they had stored at the end of the
dogsledding season. Wilhem also ran a dogsledding business.

"It's an emotional decision rather than rational one," said their lawyer,
Sylvain Fréchette, of why Wilhem insists his dog be given to the SPCA and
not remain at Lefrançois's kennel.

Fréchette added his clients are not happy with the decision, but they cannot
go any further because they don't have any legal right to the animals.

Three of the 25 dogs (one has died since the rescue) are already in foster
care, where they will remain; 20 will go to the SPCA on Monday; one to
Wilhem's ex-wife; and another, named Thunder, was given to Lefrançois.

"He knows Thunder would be euthanized," Fréchette said.

Thunder is an aggressive 4-year-old male husky. All parties agreed the dog
would not last long at the SPCA because he bites and does not get along well
with other dogs.

In addition, about $3,500 will be paid to Lefrançois by the Crown for the
temporary care he gave the huskies.

Latimer's eyes were red and puffy when she walked out of the courtroom. She
said they were not asking for money. "What's really frutrating is the
(animal protection) laws. And it's not because the SPCA is getting them,
either. It's because animals are seen as objects," she said, and noted the
animals' needs are not coming first. Huskies are pack dogs and are not meant
to live individually, she said.

Pierre Barnotti, SPCA executive director, said the decision had nothing to do
with his organization, although its mandate is to save abused animals. "We
did not fight to get these dogs. The owner does not want his dogs to go to
his competitor," he said, pointing out Wilhem chose to give the huskies up
to the SPCA. Jusqu'à maintenant, c'est la version que je trouve la plus plausible... Je ne vois pas pourquoi, cet autre bonhomme, qui opère lui aussi un chenil et qui utilise des chiens huskies pour la course, aurait dû obtenir la garde de ces chiens... Aussitôt qu'ils auraient rétablis, qu'est-ce qu'il en aurait fait, à part les vendre ou les faire courser eux aussi ?

Other investigations are continuing in relation to this case, Barnotti said.
Acting on his lawyer's advice, Wilhem is not speaking to the media. Last
week, he was sporting an unexplained black eye.

Charges have not been laid against Wilhem, but crown prosecutor Pierre
Loranger confirmed he will be charged with wilful neglect of animals and
with failure to provide adequate food, water and care for his dogs.

Loranger also noted the Sureté du Québec has completed an investigation into
allegations against unnamed parties involved in rescuing the dogs. The
allegations include theft of property, assault and uttered threats.

The SQ handed over its findings to the Crown. That case will go to court on
August 16.

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

C'est sûrement ça, Do.