Judge gives Humane Society custody of 34 dogs seized in 2016

A judge granted the Edmonton Humane Society full ownership of 34 dogs seized in November 2016, a humane society news release says.

The decision was handed down Thursday after the humane society filed a lawsuit in April 2017 against a 30-year-old Edmonton man. The dogs have been in protective custody with the shelter for more than one year.

“We are pleased with the judge’s ruling to grant EHS ownership of these dogs,” Miranda Jordan-Smith, the humane society’s chief executive, said in the release.

“This case sets a precedent for animal welfare in Alberta where EHS exercised the full extent of the law to ensure the humane treatment of animals in our care. Now that ownership has transferred to us, the extensive care necessary to give these dogs the best possible futures can be provided.”

There is no timeline for when the dogs will be able to be adopted since many require specialized medical treatment and surgeries that weren’t able to be completed prior to the custody ruling, the release said.

The criminal case is ongoing. Redwater RCMP followed up on a request by Edmonton Police Service to check on a Sturgeon County residence where the owner had court-imposed conditions not to own or possess animals.

On Dec. 15, the RCMP and Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals executed a search warrant where they found nine pit bulls in kennels in medical distress and one dead.

Justin Lawrence Iverson, 30, of Edmonton was charged with five counts of cruelty to animals, five counts of causing injury to animals and 10 counts of failure to comply with a recognizance.