A woman who used to own a puppy mill in B.C. and is banned from owning animals, is now facing charges in Alberta.
On Tuesday, police in Innisfail received a complaint about a suspicious woman, who was later located at a local hotel with eight dogs in distress.
In a separate incident, police received reports about a woman pretending to be an officer asking questions to a dog owner and allegedly trying to steal the dog.
Karin Adams, 46, is now facing multiple charges including mischief, impersonating a peace officer, failure to obtain a dog licence, driving without a valid licence, trespassing and harbouring more than three dogs.
Adams gained notoriety in B.C. when she was convicted in a puppy mill investigation.
20-year ban from owning animals
In October 2015, Adams and her daughter, Catherine Adams, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges and were each handed a 20-year ban on owning animals.
Through a BC SPCA investigation, the agency found the Adams had kept the animals in deplorable conditions on their property near Houston, B.C., where the animals often did not have access to food or clean water.
Investigators seized a total of 53 animals from their property, including 18 horses, 18 dogs, 15 birds and two cats. Another 104 fish in a fish tank was also removed.
The Adamses were selling puppies and horses through online sites, such as Craigslist and Kijiji, and at the time, some of their customers were from Alberta.
Adams was sentenced to 15 days in jail and two years’ probation. Her daughter was given a six-month conditional house arrest and three years’ probation. Both were ordered to pay $5,456.
Two horses seized from the Adams' property near Houston, B.C. in 2015. Courtesy: BC SPCA
Repeat offender
Just weeks before Adams was arrested in Innisfail, more than a dozen dogs were found in her B.C. property.
On June 28, the BC SPCA seized 16 dogs distressed in Quesnel, B.C. The agency said the dogs were in undersized cages that were soaked in urine and feces, and had little or no access to water, adding the area had poor ventilation.
The SPCA said it will be recommending new animal cruelty charges once it completes the investigation.
Marcie Moriarty, BC SPCA’s chief prevention and enforcement officer, said she was surprised to learn Adams was charged in the latest incident so soon after the Quesnel investigation.
“They are clearly demonstrating that they are not wanting to follow what the judge has to say, and in my experience, judges don’t like that. So we’re really hoping that if breached charges are approved, the sentence received will be fairly stiff to reflect this disregard for the law,” Moriarty said.
Despite Adams’ ban from owning animals, RCMP said they determined she did own seven of the eight dogs.
“The RCMP encourages anyone looking to re-home a pet to conduct a thorough background check prior to giving anyone your pet,” Sgt. Lori Eiler said in a press release.
All the dogs are now under the care of Klassic Kennel, which is examining the animals’ health and providing proper care.
Adams has been released from custody and faces multiple conditions, including a prohibition from owning or living in the same premise of any animal.
She is set to appear in a Red Deer provincial court on July 31.
