Sask. woman who had more than 100 cats in home-based shelter guilty of putting animals in distress
Global News
Dolores LaPlante, founder of Saskatchewan Alley Cats Association, says the penalty imposed on her will put an end to her Elrose, Sask. organization.
The founder of Saskatchewan Alley Cats Association may have a “big heart,” but she is still guilty of putting animals in distress, a provincial court judge has ruled.
Dolores LaPlante of Elrose, Sask., was convicted last week during a court appearance in the nearby community of Rosetown. She was charged in connection with a January 2019 animal welfare removal of 106 cats, two dogs and one turtle from her 400-square-foot house.
“The size of Ms. LaPlante’s house was grossly insufficient to support the number of cats and resulted in markedly unsanitary conditions and poor air quality,” Chief Judge Shannon Metivier stated in a written decision.
Court heard many of the cats were suffering serious communicable diseases. During the search warrant, a veterinarian heard cats coughing and sneezing.
During trial, LaPlante maintained that the cats were happy, healthy and could be adopted out of her home. She also argued during a voir dire that an information to obtain (ITO) a search warrant document unfairly suggested she was a “crazy cat lady.”
LaPlante was originally accused of animal cruelty and neglect under the Criminal Code, but those charges were stayed during trial. She was convicted on a non-criminal, regulatory offence under Saskatchewan’s Animal Protection Act.
“Having a big heart is not a defence under the Act,” Metivier wrote. “Ms. LaPlante had a responsibility not to take in more cats than she could provide reasonable housing and care for.”
The judge stated the conditions in LaPlante’s home “was a situation of her own making.”
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