A Vancouver man has been fined $2,000 and prohibited from owning animals — except one pet dog — for five years after pleading guilty to one of two counts of causing an animal to continue to be in distress.
Glen Affenzeller (who also goes by the surname Zeller) was the owner/operator of Dogtalk Ventures Ltd. in Vancouver. Through the business, he provided a dog walking and training service employing four of his own dogs to aid in teaching and influencing of clients’ and rescue dogs.
When the SPCA and officers with the Vancouver Police Department executed a warrant Aug. 3, 2019, they found six dogs in the 65-year-old’s care, two of which belonged to clients, Crown prosecutor Jim Cryder told Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Reginald Harris Wednesday.
Among the dogs were three pit bulls, a coon hound, a mastiff and a Neapolitan mastiff, all of various ages.
Cryder said the animals were found sick, suffering and in distress with a lack of vet treatment and living in unsanitary conditions.
He said the charge was under B.C.'s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act rather than a criminal code one.
He told Harris they were in a urine-smelling yard with piles of feces and chewing bones covered in dirt.
Cryder said dogs had multiple scars on them, one was dehydrated and others were suffering from abscesses.
When it came time for an SPCA veterinarian to examine the dogs, Cryder said the animals were nervous, timid and wary of new people.
The vet found the animals were in pain, discomfort and suffering from “chronic neglect.”
Affenzeller later applied to the B.C. Farm Industry Review Board to have the dogs returned. He was refused, Cryder said.
Defence lawyer Patrick Johnston said his client was remorseful for the situation.
Before passing sentence, Harris said caregivers “must remain forever vigilant” in ensuring the emotional and physical wellbeing of the animals that rely on them.
