The Bonnyville SPCA staff are shaken after finding two dogs had been taken from their shelter.
On Nov. 2, employees of the Bonnyville SPCA were stunned to find the glass window of their front door shattered, and two pit-bull cross dogs missing.
MD of Bonnyville peace officers brought the dogs into the shelter on Nov. 1, after they had been reported as being at large in the Riverhurst area. That evening, staff closed up shop as usual; only to come in the next morning to discover their building had been broken into.
Earlier in the day on Nov. 1, someone had spoken to SPCA staff about the dogs, who informed the individual that if they are the owner they are required to attend the MD of Bonnyville or the town office to pay a fine.
“Of course, that person was very upset, and whether that was the owner or a friend of the owner we are not too sure,” said Heather Mutch, manager of the Bonnyville SPCA.
She added, “Everyone has their opinions of who took the dogs, or why they took the dogs,” but it's because only the two dogs are missing they believe it was the animals' owner.
“Why they would take them, possibly because they felt that they didn't need to pay the fines that were involved… I can't see any other reason for anyone breaking in and taking two dogs.”
The incident not only left a dent in the society's pocketbook, but also uncomfortable and frightened staff.
“You come to work, and you have someone break into the building to steal something, they are just very uncomfortable now. They wonder if they are going to have people breaking in all of the time stealing dogs,” Mutch explained.
The dogs in the shelter were also left traumatized by the break-in.
“You are stressing out all of the dogs, not just those two,” explained Mutch. “We are there to help the animals, and acts like this, it really stresses them out.”
The society was fortunate enough to have someone on hand that could make the necessary repairs to the window, however they still had to pay for the cost of the glass.
Mutch said if she could send a message to the person who did this she would tell them their selfish behaviour has cost the society dearly.
“You have frightened our staff, you are putting other animals at risk, we are a non-profit organization and you are incurring costs and expenses over a careless act,” she expressed. “Just think of others, and think of the animals. We are there to help the animals because no one else is there to help them, and they can't help themselves.”