Court denies animal rights groups intervention in dogfighting euthanasia case
Two animal rights groups trying to stop Ontario’s animal welfare organization from destroying 21 dogs seized during a raid on an alleged dogfighting ring won’t be allowed to intervene in the case.
Justice of the Peace Thomas Stinson has denied an application to join the case by Animal Justice and Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, who argued the dogs themselves deserve a proper defence.
In January, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed an application in a court in Chatham, Ont., to euthanize 31 dogs seized during the raids in October 2015.
The OSPCA, which requires court approval to destroy animals for behavioural reasons, has said an evaluation of the animals concluded that 21 of them are a menace to society and cannot be rehabilitated.