Cornwall man found guilty of nine counts of animal cruelty
Cornwall, ON (February 28, 2017) – A 24-year-old Cornwall man has been found guilty of nine counts of animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act as a result of an investigation into two dogs confined to a shed.
On October 29, 2016, the Ontario SPCA received a call about two dogs locked in an 8’ x 8’ garden shed on a property in Cornwall. An Ontario SPCA officer visited the property and, after unsuccessful attempts to locate the owner of the dogs, removed a Pug and Boxer-type dog living in unacceptable conditions without food or water. The shed was cluttered with junk and debris, with feces and urine covering the floor. With no windows, the dogs were kept in total darkness. They had no place to rest or lie down and had no fresh air due to the structure’s inadequate ventilation.
Brad Stephenson, 24, was found guilty on February 22, 2017 in a Cornwall Provincial Offences Court of nine counts of animal cruelty:
- Once count of causing distress to an animal
- One count of permitting an animal to be in distress
- Seven counts of failing to comply with prescribed standards of care
Stephenson, who was not present during sentencing, received a 10-year prohibition from owning or caring for any animal, and was fined $900.
Both dogs have since been rehomed.
“There are no excuses for failing to care for your animals,” says Steve Toy, Senior Inspector, Ontario SPCA. “If you find yourself in a situation where you can no longer care for your animals, please contact your local animal centre or humane society to discuss your options.”
Photos: Social Media
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Unacceptable punishment. This is lighter than a slap on the wrist, and is disgraceful. There is no deterrence factor here, and no justice for these innocent pups that count on us for protection. I hope to see you around town and have a little chat with you about this, BRAD. I want to hear you apologize, BRAD. You’re scum, the lowest form of life and a waste of space, BRAD STEPHENSON.
he should have been charged more but i think ospca needs to get their act together. someone called on me one week before putting my dog down as per the vets recommendation. vet said its my choice but the dog would be in distress if i went the other way. ospca said i should cut the leg off if i had listen to them would they have charged me with permitting an animal to be in distress?
WHAT! THEY SHOULD OF LOCKED HIS ASS UP FOR 10 YEARS. NOT PROBATION. HE SHOULDN’T BE WALKING AROUND ON THE SAME GROUND AS THE DOGS.
This is so heartbreaking,he should have been properly disciplined,but after reading just a couple of posts here, I think that he will still get his….just saying
I would not mind if he spent a decent amount of time living in that shed like those poor pups so he can see how he treats people around him, the court should have sentenced him to a minimum of 1 month in jail.
The law in Sweden states that if you can mis-treat an animal you can just as easily mistreat a child or other human, therefore animal abuse comes with the same weight as child abuse.