Puppy breeder pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A Kelowna dog breeder has been fined and prohibited from owning animals for three years in a high-profile animal cruelty case.
Gaston Lapointe was charged after 53 Malamute dogs were seized in nearby Beaverdell in 2002 from what the SPCA described as a "puppy mill."
- FROM AUG.28, 2002: Dog breeder charged
At the time, it was the largest animal seizure in the history of the Kelowna SPCA.
Special Constable Kathy Woodward says the conviction of Lapointe sends a strong message to the public.
"It shows people we're out there and we're not going to tolerate the neglect and abuse of animals.
"He was given a $2,000-fine and prohibited from owning animals for three years, so for at least the next three years, we know he won't be carrying on his practice of puppy breeding."
The seizure on Lapointe's property was the first in a series of SPCA raids on puppy mills in the B.C. Interior.
Since then, there have been several larger puppy mills shut down and several hundred dogs have been seized.