INNISFAIL - Police encourage anyone re-homing a pet to do background checks on potential buyers after a woman with a 20-year ban on owning animals in B.C. was found in possession of eight dogs in Innisfail.
RCMP said on July 17 they arrested a woman “believed to have dogs in her possession, contrary to court imposed conditions to not possess animals.”
A day later, RCMP seized eight “in distress” dogs from a Bluebird Motel room while an investigation ensued to determine the dogs’ ownership.
The same day, Innisfail RCMP received a complaint of a female recently posing as a law enforcement professional asking questions of a dog owner about her dog and allegedly attempting to take the dog.
Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Lori Eiler said the suspect in the second complaint matched the description of the 46- year-old woman already in custody.
Karin Adams, 46, of no fixed address has been charged with 13 offences.
They include personating a peace officer, eight counts of failing to obtain a dog licence, driving a motor vehicle without holding a valid licence, trespassing and harbouring more than three dogs
“7 of the 8 dogs have been determined to have been lawfully owned by Adams as she either purchased the dogs on private sale or were given the dogs by previous owners,” Eiler said in a press release.
“The RCMP encourages anyone looking to re-home a pet to conduct a thorough background check prior to giving anyone your pet,” the release stated.
Adams was released by a justice of the peace with multiple conditions including a prohibition from owning, having the custody or control of or residing in the same premise of any animal.
The B.C. SPCA says on Oct. 15, 2015 Adams pleaded guilty to a Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act charge and was sentenced to 15 days in jail, a 20-year ban on owning animals in B.C. and two years probation. Her daughter Catherine received a similar sentence including being banned from owning animals in B.C.
On Aug. 28, 2014, B.C. SPCA constables seized 53 animals including 18 horses, 18 large- and small-breed dogs, 15 birds, two cats and 104 fish from the Adamses' property near Houston, B.C. citing deplorable, unsanitary conditions and medical concerns.
Earlier this month, the B.C. SPCA announced it would be recommending new charges of animal cruelty against both Adamses in relation to 16 dogs in distress it seized from a property in Quesnel on July 4.
News of the Adamses' suspected relocation to the Innisfail area spread on social media in recent weeks. Many posts encouraged people to be on the lookout for the pair.
On July 17 at 11:25 p.m., the Innisfail RCMP received a complaint of a suspicious female.
Eiler said the complainant first saw a suspicious person with a dog in the community and followed them back to the Bluebird Motel.
RCMP arrested Adams at the motel that evening.
Eight dogs were seized from the motel the next morning and taken to Klassic Kennels in Red Deer County to be held and cared for while ownership was determined.
“We became concerned they were in distress because they were barking all night,” said Eiler.
Jim Deboon, Klassic Kennels' owner-operator, said all the dogs “were in reasonably good shape,” when he picked them up from the motel, adding a number of them “were pretty stressed.”
Klassic Kennels continues to care for the animals.
While he didn’t divulge much about the dogs’ situation or the person arrested citing the RCMP investigation, he did warn people not to sell their pets on Kijiji and other similar ways.
“That’s a very precarious way to re-home your pet,” Deboon said, adding re-homing pets through licensed facilities is a safer route.
Adams is set to attend Red Deer provincial court on July 31.
