Malnourished sled dogs rescued in rural Quebec

Malnourished sled dogs rescued in rural Quebec
17/11/2009 2:17:51 PM
CTV.ca News Staff
Nearly 100 malnourished and tied-up sled dogs were rescued from a wooded rural area in Quebec on Tuesday, CTV News has learned.
Officials with the Quebec SPCA received a tip about the dogs a week ago, and have been negotiating with the owner to gain access to the property ever since.
According to CTV's Rob Lurie, officials said the man finally agreed to leave behind both the dogs and his property, which is located about 90 minutes northwest of Montreal in the small town of Brebeuf.
"The SPCA made a deal that they wouldn't charge him, he wouldn't be fined, he would have no criminal record at all as long as he gave up the dogs," Lurie told CTV News Channel on Tuesday in a telephone interview from Brebeuf. "And the reason why they did this was because they really wanted to get these dogs back before their condition deteriorated any further."
Officials have not released the man's name, Lurie said.
Officials found 97 sled dogs, all of whom were emaciated and chained together. About 30 of the dogs were also pregnant, while others appeared to have skin diseases.
"Most of the dogs, we're told, have been chained that way for 10 years' time," Lurie said. "They were let out two months of the year to do the sled-dogging runs.
Officials also found a pit on the property that appeared to contain decomposing animal remains.
The dogs are now in the care of the SPCA.