3 charged with animal cruelty in Quebec after dozens of sled dogs killed
WARNING: The content of the above video and the details of this story may be disturbing.
Quebec provincial police say three people are facing animal cruelty charges in Quebec City in connection with the discovery of dogs and puppies gassed, frozen to death in freezers and hanged at a sled dog business.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) indicates that Antoine Simard, 41, Elisabeth Leclerc, 39, and Édouard Parent, 58, were charged with animal cruelty and neglect on Thursday at the Quebec courthouse after being arrested the day before.
The investigation into the Expédition Mi-Loup sled dog company in Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Quebec. began in April after reports of adult huskies and puppies found freezing to death in freezers. Police allege the offenses occurred between 2008 and 2020.
The exploitation of sled dogs was investigated by W5 in February on the dog sledding industry.
Shay Lee, an animal rights activist, says she was one of those who tipped off authorities after speaking to company employees.
“Witnessing the dog and the puppies in the freezer was truly awful, but it was necessary for me to see in order to be able to expose this injustice,” said Lee, who took photos and videos which she says were captured. on the ownership of the company.
“There are so many of these operations across Canada,” she added. “This isn’t just a bad dog sledding kennel. Dogs are being exploited and commodified for human entertainment across Canada and we need to challenge the systems in place to dismantle this industry.”
Anne Shaughnessy was with Lee and said she was shocked to find out how animals were euthanized.
“Seeing the crude contraption that owners made for gas puppies was shocking,” she said. “Opening a large freezer and finding young and older dogs frozen to death hit me hard. Learning that dogs in Mi-loup were shot, drowned, gassed and hanged shook me to the core.”
The defendants are scheduled to appear in court on November 16.
Lee and a team went to the kennel after the raid and recovered around 100 dogs; the team was able to find homes for all the animals.
