Using electric cattle prod on two dogs nets Edmonton man jail term
By Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun First posted: Thursday, May 07, 2015 03:23 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, May 07, 2015 04:17 PM EDT
An Edmonton man convicted of using an electric cattle prod on two dogs while operating a facility offering animal behaviour training has been put behind bars.
Ali Sanaee, 38, was handed a six-month jail sentence, to be followed by 18 months of probation, on Wednesday after earlier being found guilty of two counts of willfully causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
Provincial Court Judge Ferne LeReverend also banned Sanaee from owning a pet for five years.
When she convicted Sanaee on March 16, LeReverend noted he had claimed he loved dogs, but said "no dog lover would subject an animal to a cattle prod," especially when it produces "extreme pain."
Sanaee had testified that the cattle prod "was like a wasp nibbling at you, not biting you," but LeReverend rejected his evidence as "patronizing" and accepted a veterinarian's testimony that cows "bellow" from pain when struck with a prod and they have thicker skin than dogs.
The judge also accepted the evidence of a Crown expert in animal behaviour who testified that the use of cattle prods in dog training was "inappropriate" and would result in the canines experiencing "extreme pain."
LeReverend ruled Sanaee's use of the cattle prod was "completely unnecessary" and said she didn't need to hear from an expert to know that a cattle prod was a "pain delivery system" and should not be used on a dog.
During Sanaee's trial, a St. Albert woman testified she had hired Sanaee and he had used a cattle prod on her bull mastiff named Beowulf, and one of his own dogs, which led to the mastiff recoiling and running away.
Two other women testified they were walking their dogs while Sanaee was walking a group of dogs and saw him using a cattle prod on a dog named Goldie. The two "horrified" women said the dog winced, recoiled and cowered.
Sanaee and co-accused Jessica Fookes, 27, were charged in 2013 with a number of offences, including willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal and possession of stolen property under $5,000, after a lengthy investigation between May 2012 and July 2013.
At the time, police said they had received 15 complaints regarding various claims of inhumane treatment and deplorable living conditions related to b.a.r.k. (behaviour assessment and rehabilitation for K9s) and its owners.
Following a joint investigation by city police and the Edmonton Animal Care and Control Centre, a search was done at the b.a.r.k. facility at 9303 111 Ave.
Inside the 300 to 400 square foot space, investigators found 46 dogs and seven cats crammed inside two or three rooms. The dogs were described to be in varying states of ill health and distress, some with open wounds.
"They were literally carpeted with their own feces and urine," said Staff Sgt. Malcolm Allan at the time.
The animals were seized and the building was deemed uninhabitable by Alberta Health Services.
Sanaee was acquitted of the possession of stolen property charges. All charges against Fookes were stayed.
Using electric cattle prod on two dogs nets Edmonton man jail term | Canada | Ne
By Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun First posted: Thursday, May 07, 2015 03:23 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, May 07, 2015 04:17 PM EDT
An Edmonton man convicted of using an electric cattle prod on two dogs while operating a facility offering animal behaviour training has been put behind bars.
Ali Sanaee, 38, was handed a six-month jail sentence, to be followed by 18 months of probation, on Wednesday after earlier being found guilty of two counts of willfully causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
Provincial Court Judge Ferne LeReverend also banned Sanaee from owning a pet for five years.
When she convicted Sanaee on March 16, LeReverend noted he had claimed he loved dogs, but said "no dog lover would subject an animal to a cattle prod," especially when it produces "extreme pain."
Sanaee had testified that the cattle prod "was like a wasp nibbling at you, not biting you," but LeReverend rejected his evidence as "patronizing" and accepted a veterinarian's testimony that cows "bellow" from pain when struck with a prod and they have thicker skin than dogs.
The judge also accepted the evidence of a Crown expert in animal behaviour who testified that the use of cattle prods in dog training was "inappropriate" and would result in the canines experiencing "extreme pain."
LeReverend ruled Sanaee's use of the cattle prod was "completely unnecessary" and said she didn't need to hear from an expert to know that a cattle prod was a "pain delivery system" and should not be used on a dog.
During Sanaee's trial, a St. Albert woman testified she had hired Sanaee and he had used a cattle prod on her bull mastiff named Beowulf, and one of his own dogs, which led to the mastiff recoiling and running away.
Two other women testified they were walking their dogs while Sanaee was walking a group of dogs and saw him using a cattle prod on a dog named Goldie. The two "horrified" women said the dog winced, recoiled and cowered.
Sanaee and co-accused Jessica Fookes, 27, were charged in 2013 with a number of offences, including willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal and possession of stolen property under $5,000, after a lengthy investigation between May 2012 and July 2013.
At the time, police said they had received 15 complaints regarding various claims of inhumane treatment and deplorable living conditions related to b.a.r.k. (behaviour assessment and rehabilitation for K9s) and its owners.
Following a joint investigation by city police and the Edmonton Animal Care and Control Centre, a search was done at the b.a.r.k. facility at 9303 111 Ave.
Inside the 300 to 400 square foot space, investigators found 46 dogs and seven cats crammed inside two or three rooms. The dogs were described to be in varying states of ill health and distress, some with open wounds.
"They were literally carpeted with their own feces and urine," said Staff Sgt. Malcolm Allan at the time.
The animals were seized and the building was deemed uninhabitable by Alberta Health Services.
Sanaee was acquitted of the possession of stolen property charges. All charges against Fookes were stayed.
Using electric cattle prod on two dogs nets Edmonton man jail term | Canada | Ne
