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EDMONTON – From feces in hallways to a freezer full of rotting meat, more details are emerging about what conditions were like for dozens of dogs and cats inside an inner-city training centre.
Photos obtained by Global News show police removing dozens of animals from Bark Friday evening.
An environmental health officer walked through the training centre that same night, emerging with a long list of violations.
“Closing it for tenant accommodation purposes was certainly an easy decision based on the conditions at the time of inspection,” said AHS Environmental Health Officer Rebecca Johnson.
She reports finding animal urine and feces in the upstairs hallway, as well as the stairwell and bedrooms; plus, rotting meat in an unplugged freezer, and other safety violations like windows that would not open and no working smoke alarms.
A spokesperson from Animal Control says the animals seized are still being treated for minor wounds and infections at the Animal Control and Care Centre. Nine dogs have been claimed by their owners, but the Centre is still waiting for owners to claim the other 37 dogs and 7 cats.
Edmonton police searched the property after receiving 15 complaints relating to the treatment of animals and conditions inside in just over a year.
Ali Sanaee and Jessica Fookes face numerous animal cruelty offences.
Shanin Neff is the owner of the Awesome Pawsome ranch, which boards dogs and cats. She says she encountered Sanaee when placing a couple rescue dogs.
“I’m very happy that it closed. Just seeing his handling of the dogs., his reaction, I mean our two dogs when he went to take them – he crammed them into his tiny little car with his other three dogs and caused a dog fight. And his response to it was to continuously prod them with a cattle prod.”
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the building owner had been unable to reach Sanaee.
Global News also contacted Bark’s owner but our calls were not returned.
According to Animal Control, Bark did not have a business license to keep animals overnight.
With files from Laurel Clark, Global News
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