COLD LAKE - Two Cold Lake residents are heartbroken after learning that a dog they rescued from what they described as deplorable conditions was euthanized under a City of Cold Lake bylaw they were not aware existed.
The dog, a female affectionately named Precious, was brought to the Cold Lake Animal Control facility in late November 2024 by Kristy Janzen and Melissa Chipman after they discovered her living in squalor on a rural property.
Chipman and her husband were visiting a property they occasionally use for storage when she noticed a dog being kept behind a wire fence between two rundown outbuildings.
According to Janzen, the conditions were appalling.
The dog’s pen was in extremely poor condition, filled with alcohol bottles, junk, and old children's toys. Feces had never been cleaned, piling up to about two feet on one side. A broken kiddie pool was positioned to hold water, which was provided using a hose.
“We first started taking note of her, it was winter, and the water would freeze and she would go over there and lick the ice, trying to get some moisture,” Janzen said. “There was a twin bed mattress that was propped up against one of the walls of one of the outbuildings and nothing underneath it just dirt or snow and that was all she had to sleep.”
After seeing coyote tracks around the enclosure and realizing the dog had been left alone again, Chipman contacted the property owner about the dog, who admitted the dog wasn't a priority. When she asked if they could take the dog, they agreed.
Neither Janzen nor Chipman were able to keep Precious due to having other dogs in their homes, but they took the next steps to ensure her safety.
“Melissa had contacted Cold Lake Animal Control ahead of time to see if they had space. They did. They said, ‘Bring her in. It's wonderful that you are getting her out of a dangerous situation. And we'll see what she needs and make sure that she's well looked after’,” Janzen recalled.
Upon drop-off, they were again reassured.
“They knew what time we were coming. When we arrived the one gal met us outside and assured us that she'd be in the best hands now and we specifically asked that day and had prior asked by telephone if euthanasia was something that we need to be concerned with in her future, and we were assured no,” she said.
She said the practice isn’t done at their facility - or anywhere in Cold Lake.
Over the following weeks, the women received updates about Precious’s recovery from a skin infection and tapeworm. The dog was doing well.
“They sent us a picture,” said Janzen. “So we continued to call Cold Lake Animal Control . . . almost every week. They knew who we were, they emailed us pictures of her, and they knew that we had a big interest in this dog.”
On March 31, Chipman called to check in and received devastating news.
Chipman was informed by a worker that Precious had been euthanized. After confirming the dog’s death, Chipman became overwhelmed and ended the call.
The two women were left shocked and grieving.
“We had a good cry together. We were so shocked, so upset, so bewildered because again it wasn't like we dropped this dog off and said ‘See ya.’ We were very in touch.”
Janzen followed up with a phone call to Animal Control and was eventually told the reason the dog was euthanized.
“She kind of ran me through the situation of the fact that recently City council had put into place a 30-day kill order,” she said. “So the animals that come into Cold Lake Animal Control are scanned. Their families are contacted if possible, and if they are chipped, and the family has 30 days to either come in and retrieve their pet, or for them to find a spot somewhere to place the dog.”
Janzen added, “And if neither of the above occur, then apparently council had voted to have them euthanized within a 30-day period.”
Janzen questioned why she and Chipman weren't informed about Precious's euthanasia, given their involvement, and why they weren't contacted as a last resort before the decision was made.
Janzen questioned why other rescue organizations weren’t contacted, pointing out that those in animal care should be aware of local resources that could assist in rehoming animals.
Janzen said the staff member looked up a rescue group that Janzen had recommended during the call and admitted they had never heard of the group.
Adding to their frustration, Janzen says Precious was never listed on the Humane Society’s website. When asked why, she was told the Humane Society has a policy not to advertise dogs unless they are housed at their facility.
The bylaw, allowing euthanasia after 30 days was discussed at a City of Cold Lake Corporate Priorities Committee meeting on Nov. 21, 2023 in an in camera setting.
Janzen and Chipman say they had no knowledge of this change when they surrendered Precious in good faith.
“In our minds, she was being cared for and they were looking to place her somewhere,” Janzen said.
City of Cold Lake's animal intake and adoption procedures
The issue was brought up at the City of Cold Lake’s April 8 regular council meeting by Coun. Ryan Bailey, who asked for an explanation of how the Cold Lake Animal Care and Control (ACC) facility operates.
CAO Kevin Nagoya responded by referencing a major disease outbreak that occurred at the ACC a few years ago. He said the situation was unprecedented and overwhelmed the facility.
Nagoya said a serious disease outbreak at the ACC caused neurological issues in most of the animals, creating a major crisis for the facility.
During that time, the shelter’s capacity was stretched to more than double what it could normally handle, making it extremely difficult to find other adoption centers able or willing to help.
In the aftermath of that incident, Nagoya said the City of Cold Lake created new procedures to better manage animal intake and long-term care during high-volume or emergency situations.
Nagoya explained that once the City of Cold Lake receives an animal, there is a set period it stays at the shelter. He emphasized the importance of animal tags, which help quickly identify the owner, and noted that licensing is a simple and cost-effective way to facilitate this process.
Mayor Craig Copeland added more details about the intake process.
“Basically, our intake facility handles animals found running loose by officers or dropped off by the public,” he said. “The staff first check for identification and then post on social media to let the community know the animal is in their care.”
He added, “But in this case, the animals were in the shelter for over 100 days before they were put down.”
When questioned about the euthanasia of animals, Copeland explained, “We don't want to kill animals, but there comes a point where we have to make that hard decision, but we had these animals for like a half a year.”
The City has policies in place to prevent animals being euthanized prematurely, with efforts made to contact adoption centres. Copeland explained, “Staff did their best to try to find a home for the animal in some of these organizations, but they were all full or they couldn’t take in any animals because of a situation that they may have had in their own clinic.”
Copeland added that if a pet is lost and has a collar with a tag, it is easy to identify and return. He also noted that if the community opposes the policy, the City would need to reorganize the shelter and invest more funds to keep animals until they are adopted.
