Court Decision - Rebecca Hurley
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Transcript of Court Decision - Rebecca Hurley
ANIMAL CARE REVIEW BOARD (“BOARD”)
In the Matter
of
Rebecca Hurley (“Appellant”)
and
the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“OSPCA”)
DECISION Reference No. 2012-12
Hearing: November 5, 6 & 7, 2012; December 20 & 21, 2012, and January 21 & 22, 2013,
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Animal Care Review Rae Legault, Chair Board: Louise Menard, Member Appellant Represented by a friend Carol Martin Counsel for the Paula Thomas Ontario Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals:
Animal Care Review Board Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services 25 Grosvenor Street, 17th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2S8
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INTRODUCTION
This is the decision of the Board with respect to the following two issues
pertaining to the care of Appellant’s horses:
1. The Shelter Issue
The first issue is Appellant’s appeal, pursuant to section 17 of the
Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (“Act”) of
Item 1 in an order, dated September 17, 2012, made pursuant to
subsection 13(1) of the Act (“Order”).
Item 1 of the Order states as follows:
Provide adequate shelters for all horses. For horses on continuous turn out,
one three-sided south facing shelter, at least 16 feet x 16 feet for every three
horses in each group needs to be provided for protection from fall and winter
weather by October 12, 2012.
Appellant is claiming that the natural and man-made shelters on her
property constitute adequate shelter for her horses and, therefore, Item
1 of the Order should be revoked. The OSPCA’s position is that Item 1
of the Order should be confirmed.
The issue of whether Item 1 in the Order should be confirmed or
revoked turns on whether the Order was made in accordance with
section 13(1) of the Act, that is, whether Agent Archibald’s belief that
Appellant’s horses were in distress, as defined in Section 1 of the Act,
was based on reasonable grounds at the time she issued the Order.
2. The Farrier Issue
The second matter in this decision is Appellant’s claim for an amount of
money representing the difference between the amount she paid to the
OSPCA for farrier services performed on her horses and the amount
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she would have paid had the farrier services been done by her regular
farrier. The threshold issue is whether, under the Act, Appellant is
responsible for any part of the payment of the farrier services provided
by a farrier retained by the OSPCA.
EXHIBITS
The exhibits submitted at the hearing are listed in Appendix A.
FACTS
The testimony of the witnesses set out in this decision is restricted to
evidence provided at the hearing concerning the issues of shelter and
farrier services for Appellant’s horses.
OSPCA’S WITNESSES
The OSPCA presented its case with respect to the issues of adequate
shelter and the provision of farrier services through the testimony in
relevant part of veterinarian, Dr. Keith Good, farrier, Kevin Palmer, Sault
Ste. Marie Humane Society shelter manager, Cindy Ross and OSPCA
Agent Trudy Archibald, and Inspector Clancy Martin.
Keith Good, DVM
Dr. Good has been practicing veterinary medicine for the past 29 years.
He received his DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College and was licensed
to practice veterinary medicine by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in
1983. He works out of the Algoma Veterinary Clinic in Desbarats, Ontario.
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Dr. Good was qualified as an expert witness, and testified, in relevant part,
as follows:
He attended at Appellant’s ranch on August 24 and 29, 2012; September 7,
12 and 24, 2012, and October 3, 2012, at the request of the OSPCA.
On his visits to Appellant’s ranch August 24 and 29, 2012, Dr. Good made
the following observations and recommendations:
There were 2 stallions and a mare in box stalls in the barn. The lighting
was poor; it was quite dark. There was an accumulation of several days of
feces indicating that these horses had not been turned out on a daily basis.
There was no bedding in the stalls.
He observed 19 horses in a paddock south east of the barn, which had a
dilapidated shelter that was not functional. Thus, trees provided the only
shelter. Another paddock had 8 younger horses in it and a 12 feet x 16 feet
shelter with a tarpaulin roof. Dr. Good found this shelter to be functional
but it could only accommodate 2 horses. Another paddock had 12 horses
in it with a cluster of trees for shelter.
After examining the horses, Dr. Good found that 14 of them were severely
under conditioned with body condition scores of between 1 and 2 (on a 1 to
5 scale). He found that 17 of the horses were moderately unconditioned
with body scores of 2.25 to 2.75 and 12 had adequate body scores of 3.0
or higher.
Dr. Good’s opinion was that although the tree clusters in certain of the
paddocks would provide adequate shelter in the summer they would not be
adequate shelter in the winter, especially in this case with the generally low
body condition scores of the horses.
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Dr. Good recommended that shelters be constructed with three sides (with
the opening facing south), with a water-proof roof and an area of 16 feet x
16 feet for every three horses. Dr. Good acknowledged that his
recommendation to Appellant in 2008 specified a minimum area of 12feet x
16 feet for every four horses [exhibit 2B] and explained that the standard
has been upgraded in a more recent publication of the “Recommended
Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals”, published by
Canadian Agri-Food Research Council, and his present recommendation
reflects this change. Dr. Good also recommended that the turnout shelter
be at least 10 x 10 feet. In the barn, the stalls should have at least 4 x 8
feet standing room and should be kept clean, and clean bedding should be
provided daily.
Dr. Good’s findings as a result of his examination of Appellant’s horses on
August 24 and 29, 2012, are contained in his report, submitted as Exhibit 2.
Dr. Good noted that the horses generally had hoof overgrowth although not
to the point of lameness and recommended that all the horses have their
feet examined by a farrier and trimmed as needed.
Kevin Palmer
Kevin Palmer is a graduate of the Seneca College of Applied Arts and
Technology. He took a 3-month intensive farrier course in the United
States, graduating with a 91 percent final mark. He has also had farrier
training sponsored by “Jim Poor” farrier tools and equipment. The Board
qualified Mr. Palmer as an expert witness in the area of horses’ hooves.
He testified as follows:
Appellant called him on August 25, 2012, regarding trimming her horses’
hooves. Right after this call, Mr. Palmer received a call from Cindy Ross,
the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society shelter manager, who asked him if he
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was available to come over to Appellant’s ranch and trim her horses’
hooves that day, which he did.
Mr. Palmer noted several hoof problems that needed correction. He
explained that with over length the toes get cracks and chips which could
break off leaving the hoof too short. He also explained that chips and
cracks cannot be trimmed all at one time; the correction requires 2 or 3
trims at 6-8 week intervals depending on the severity. He said that he only
took off as much as he felt safe for not hurting the horses. He
explained that if you clip so close you can go into the sensitive structures,
and also, this creates an opportunity for infection.
Mr. Palmer’s recommendation is a 6-week check and then to embarking on
a regular trimming schedule at 8-week intervals. [Exhibits 10 and 11] He
said that continuing care to maintain proper shape and condition, requires
the hooves to be trimmed every eight weeks.
Mr. Palmer described the problems of the horses’ hooves said that he had
been able to correct some of them. Two horses had a “stocking-up”
problem, but he said this condition would go away with regular exercise.
He explained that stocking up happens when a horse is not turned out to
pasture enough, that is, the horse is confined for too long. He observed
that the horse, BJ, has a really stiff hind leg. He said that this will probably
lead to stocking up, which creates circulatory problems and stiffness or
swelling occurs. This can be alleviated in BJ from more movement. He
added that BJ still had “baby” feet; they had not yet matured.
Several of the horses had “toe cracks” which requires a special type of
trimming. These are usually caused by unequal weight distribution or a
previous infection often from years of infections from the soil. They
leave an opening for bacteria. To prevent this kind of infection, the hooves
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have to be trimmed up so that the sole and frog are neat and tidy and then
the horse naturally cleans its foot.
Five or six of the horses had “horizontal cracks”, which are a sign of
infection that has been there and now gone. There is a certain amount of
pain associated with this condition and the closer the cracks are to the
sensitive structure, the deeper they go into the foot and this raises the pain
level. Mr. Palmer said that the horizontal cracks were the biggest concern
since it affected 5 or 6 of the horses, which is a high number. He said he
usually sees only one case in a herd of horses of that size. The horizontal
cracks were all about the same age; they happened about 3 or 4 months
before his present visit.
Quite a few of the horses had fever rings, which is a sign of a recent
sickness or trauma. Four horses were a concern in this regard. The
remedy requires a strong immune system, accomplished by a gradual
change to a better diet.
Mr. Palmer said that of the 41 horses, he was only able to clean up 2 of
them in one trimming and added that it was because these two horses had
been trimmed recently.
At the OSPCA’s request, he had gone back to do a follow-up check, at
which time he found two of the horses had abscesses. After this re-check,
Mr. Palmer provided a written report of the hoof problems of Appellant’s
horses and his recommendations. [Exhibit 38] He also submitted a report
of the state of the hooves of the 41 horses. [Exhibit 13] He said he was
not yet scheduled for a return visit.
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Mr. Palmer submitted 3 bills for his work [Exhibits 14A,B&C] for a total of
$1,820.00. He said he charges $40 per saddle horse and $60 per work
horse, and a rate of $80 per hour for a follow-up check.
Mr. Palmer said that he sent the letter to Appellant, dated September 14,
2012, suspending relations between his company, Kevin Palmer Farrier
Services and Appellant [Exhibit 11C] because he did not want to get
involved in any dispute between the OSPCA and Appellant. He said that
the last time he performed farrier services for Appellant was in 2004 or
2005.
Cindy Ross
Ms. Ross has been Manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society for
the past 15 years. Prior to that she was an OSPCA agent from 1998 to
2001 and an OSPCA inspector from 2001 to 2006. She testified in relevant
part as follows:
On August 13, 2012, Ms. Ross received information from an informant
regarding the condition of Appellant’s horses. Agent Archibald and
Detective John Rice of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service were notified of
this complaint. After a visit to Appellant’s property with Agent Archibald at
which they were denied entry, Detective Rice obtained a search warrant
under the Act and on August 24, 2012, Ms. Ross attended at Appellant’s
property with Agent Archibald, Detective John Rice, Dr. Good and two
Emergency Service police officers. They searched the entire property.
Ms. Ross observed that the barn stalls had several days of manure
accumulation, no hay and dirty drinking water. There were a total of 44
horses at the ranch without nearly enough shelters to accommodate the
horses. Further, the existing shelters were inadequate and unsafe as they
were state of disrepair.
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Ms. Ross also observed that the horses were in need of farrier service,
some more so than others because their hooves had extensive cracks and
chips and were overgrown. In her Will State [Exhibit 18C], Ms. Ross said
that Dr. Good advised that a farrier be brought in immediately. In her
handwritten notes [Exhibit 18B], Ms. Ross stated that Appellant asked if
Ms. Ross if she would call a different farrier that the one Dr. Good had
recommended. On August 25, 2012, Ms. Ross spoke to Kevin Palmer,
which was the farrier Appellant had requested. She advised Mr. Palmer
that they would require a report on all the horses. Mr. Palmer told her he
was coming out later in the afternoon. In her handwritten notes for August
26, 2012, Ms. Ross reported that Agent Archibald was attending at the
property to supervise the feeding and farrier work. Ms. Ross testified that
August 30, 2012, was Kevin Palmer’s last day of trimming and that 8
horses were removed from Appellant’s property on August 31, 2012.
Ms. Ross testified that on September 12, 2012, she met with Agent
Archibald and Dr. Good to discuss Dr. Good’s recommendations. Dr. Good
provided a report, which was used as a guide in Agent Archibald’s
formulation of the order of September 17, 2012 [Exhibit 37], which Agent
Archibald served on Appellant on September 17, 2012.
In her handwritten notes for October 26, 2012, Ms. Ross reported that
Agent Archibald had served Appellant with orders.
Trudy Archibald
Agent Archibald has been an animal control officer with the Sault Ste.
Marie Humane Society for the past 13 years. She testified in relevant part
as follows:
In response to information received from an informant, Agent Archibald
made two investigatory visits to Appellant’s ranch. On the second visit, she
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was accompanied by Detective Rice. Appellant refused to allow entry onto
her property both times. Detective Rice then obtained a search warrant
and Agent Archibald attended at Appellant’s ranch on August 24, 2012,
with Detective Rice, Dr. Good, Cindy Ross and two police officers.
They first searched the barn. Agent Archibald observed two horses in box
stalls. There was an accumulation of manure in both stalls. They then
proceeded to the paddocks where she noted that the shelters as a whole
were in a state of disrepair.
She noted that the feet of the stallion, named “BJ”, were in bad shape.
Outside the barn were two horses with badly chipped hooves. In the
paddocks she noted that some of the horses had overgrown hooves and
hooves with cracks. Dr. Good advised her that the horses were in need of
farrier care. Appellant told her that Appellant’s farrier would be coming on
August 30, 2012.
Agent Archibald took 27 photographs on August 24, 2012, some of which
depicted overgrown hooves [Exhibit 27A-Z & 27AA]
On October 16, 17 and 18, 2012, Agent Archibald attended at Appellant’s
ranch with farrier, Kevin Palmer and his horse handler to do the “re-checks”
of hooves that had not been totally cleaned up when trimmed in August 25-
30, 2012. Mr. Palmer provided a handwritten report of his rechecks and
recommendations, dated October 16, 2012.
She noted that the shelters in the paddocks were, on the whole, in a state
of disrepair.
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Agent Archibald testified that she believed the horses to be in distress,
citing some of the elements of the definition such as being in need of
shelter and proper care.
On September 17, 2012, she issued a 5-page compliance order, pursuant
to section 13(1) of the Act [Exhibit 37] in line with Dr. Good’s
recommendations for the horses remaining at the farm. She said she read
the five pages to Appellant and she appeared to understand them. The
order contained the following five items.
1. Appellant was ordered to provide adequate shelter for all horses on
continuous turnout consisting of one three -sided, south facing
shelter at least 16 x 16 feet, for every 3 horses in each group.
2. Appellant was ordered to turn out the horses kept in the barn at least
once daily for a duration of 2 hours. The order stated that the turn-
out paddock should contain a south-facing, three sided shelter at
least 10 x 10 feet in area. Appellant was ordered to clean and put
down bedding in the stall while the horse is outside. Appellant was
ordered to provide a stall of at least 4 x 8 feet for any other horse in
rotation that is cleaned and bedded daily.
3. Appellant was ordered to follow the instructions in this item for feed,
salt, and fresh water with the goal of accomplish weight gain as
specified
4. Appellant ordered to follow instructions for deworming and
preventative measures regarding internal parasites.
5. This item contains the following wording. “I will return the week of
October 8-12 with Kevin Palmer (farrier) to re-check the condition of
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horses hooves. Recommendations for foot care/trimming that arise
from this re-check shall be carried out by a certified farrier within the
time frame to be determined.”
Items 2, 3 and 4 in the Order have been revoked by the OSPCA for
compliance.
On October 26, 2012, Agent Archibald issued an OSPCA Compliance
Order in respect of the 29 horses remaining at the ranch to have their
hooves trimmed 8 weeks after Mr. Palmer’s trim as per Mr. Palmer’s
recommendations in his report, “Farrier Re-Check and Recommendations”,
dated October 16, 2010 [Exhibit 38]. Acknowledging that this would have
required the trim to be made around the week following the re-check
(around October 23, 2012), therefore, this order was not issued in time for
this to be done, Agent Archibald specified an extended compliance dated of
November 5, 2012. [Exhibit 40]
Agent Archibald submitted a Statement of Costs as of October 24, 2012
[Exhibit 45], with supporting Sault Ste. Marie OSPCA Invoice showing
farrier services cost from August 25, 2012, to September 17, 2012, for a
total of $1,820.00.
Clancy Martin
Inspector Martin has been employed by the OSPCA for the past 13 years.
As a Regional Inspector, he oversees and assists agents and inspectors
with the cases they work on. He attended at Appellant’s ranch at the
request of Agent Archibald to ascertain the status of the shelters provided
for the horses.
Inspector Martin testified that to provide “adequate shelter” for horses kept
outside is to provide protection from the elements in all seasons and all
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times. After inspecting all the paddocks, Inspector Martin said that
although the tree shelters on Appellant’s ranch may protect horses during
certain times of the year, and in certain circumstances such as sunlight on
a hot day or rain falling straight down, these clusters of trees on Appellant’s
ranch would not providing adequate shelter during harsh weather.
Inspector Martin noted that there were a fair amount of needle trees, which,
he acknowledged, keep their shelter quality in all seasons. However, he
explained that for a cluster of trees to be a substantial buffer against a
driving snow and rain, the trees must range from shorter trees at the edge
where the prevailing winds enter the natural shelter to taller trees at the
back of the cluster so that there is a slope up at an angle for the wind to lift
up and pass over the trees. There was no such situation with the trees on
Appellant’s property. Inspector Martin said that if the trees are pretty well
all one height, the wind just blows through them.
After inspecting all the paddocks, Inspector Martin said that he observed
that Appellant was making a reasonable effort to repair and augment the
man-made shelters and he would be willing to work with her to satisfy the
standard in Dr. Good’s recommendations, and as ordered by the OSPCA.
He pronounced the repair work that was being done on one of the shelters
as shown in Exhibit 75L to be “fantastic”.
B. J. Kinzel
Ms. Kinzel is the Horse Handler for Kevin Palmer Farrier Services. She
testified that she assisted Mr. Palmer in the trimming of Appellant’s horses’
hooves on August 25 to August 30, 2012.
Ms. Kinzel further testified that in line with the accepted etiquette of the
trade she contacted Appellant’s regular farrier, John Munnoch, to inform
him that Kevin Palmer was rendering farrier services to Appellant’s horses
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at the request of the OSPCA and that John Munnoch agreed that Mr.
Palmer should go ahead with the work. Ms. Kinzel also said that after the
re-check by Mr. Palmer, any further farrier services would be provided by
Appellant’s farrier, unless the OSPCA called Mr. Palmer to do further
trimmings.
In cross-examination, Ms. Kinzel acknowledged that she contacted John
Munnoch and received his permission to go ahead, without consulting
Appellant.
APPELLANT’S WITNESSES
Appellant presented her case, in relevant part, through her own testimony
as follows:
Regarding natural shelter, Appellant described a thick band of trees and a
ravine on her property. She maintains that these natural shelters have
been adequate for the past 16 years and remain adequate. She submitted
photographs demonstrating that the horses can easily get under the trees.
[Exhibit 78 A-E]
With regard to man-made shelters, she acknowledged that the shelters are
in need of repair; the tarpaulin roof has blown off one of them. But, she
said that she is in the process of renovating the shelters and making
additions. She submitted photographs of the work being done. [Exhibit 75]
Appellant said her regular farriers are John Munnoch and her husband and
to corroborate this, she presented 2 bills from John Munnoch, one dated
February 17, 2012, and March 28, 2012. [Exhibit 58] Appellant said that
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John Munnoch and her husband have been trimming the horses for the
past 15 years on a rotating basis.
She said she contacted Kevin Palmer on August 25, 2012, as John
Munnoch was unavailable until August 30, 2012, and the OSPCA appeared
to be in a hurry to have the horses trimmed and she did not know the other
farrier the OSPCA had recommended and she knew Kevin Palmer to be a
good farrier. She said she asked him to come out to give her an opinion of
what needed to be done but she did not ask him to do any trimming.
Appellant said that there were 29 horses remaining on her property as
January 20, 2013.
ANALYSIS
RELEVANT LAW
Since both the “Shelter Issue” and the “Farrier issue” involve an OSPCA
order and the request for a remedy from the Board, the applicable
provisions in the Act are sections 13(1) (“Order to owners of animals, etc.”)
and 17(6) (“Powers of Board”)
Section 13(1) of the Act, provides as follows:
13.(1) Where an inspector or an agent of the Society has reasonable grounds for believing that an animal is in distress and the owner or custodian of the animal is present or may be found promptly, the inspector or agent may order the owner or custodian to, (a) take such action as may, in the opinion of the inspector or agent, be necessary to relieve the animal of its distress; or (b) have the animal examined and treated by a veterinarian at the expense of the owner or custodian.
The definition of distress in the Act is as follows: 1. (1) In this Act, . . . “distress” means the state of being in need of proper care, water, food or shelter or
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being injured, sick or in pain or suffering or being abused or subject to undue or unnecessary hardship, privation or neglect;
Section 17(6) provides as follows:
17. (6) After a hearing or, with the consent of the Society and the person who issued the notice under subsection (1) or (2), without a hearing, the Board may, (a) respecting an order made under subsection 13(1),
confirm, revoke or modify the order appealed against; (b) respecting the removal of an animal under subsection
14(1), order that the animal be returned to the owner or custodian and may make an order in the same terms as an order may be made under subsection 13(1);
(c) order that the whole or any part of the cost to the
owner or custodian of an animal of complying with an order under subsection 13(1) be paid by the Society to the owner or custodian, or
(d) order that the whole or any part of the cost to the
Society of providing food, care or treatment to an animal pursuant to its removal under subsection 14(1) be paid by the owner or custodian of the animal to the Society.
In its final submission, the OSPCA relies on Regulation 60/09 to the Act, Sections 2(5) and (6)(e), which provide as follows:
2. (5) Every animal must be provided with an adequate and appropriate resting and sleeping area.
(6) Every animal must be provided with adequate and appropriate, (e) protection from the elements, including harmful temperatures,
The Shelter Issue
Agent Archibald testified that that she believed the horses to be in distress,
as the term is defined in the Act, citing the particular elements of the
definition of “being in need of shelter” and “being in need of proper care”.
The Board finds that Agent Archibald’s belief that the horses were in
distress was based on reasonable grounds at the time she issued the
Order.
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It may be argued that the horses were not in distress for lack of shelter on
the actual date the Order was issued, that is, on September 17, 2012.
However, it is the Board’s opinion that “proper care” under the definition of
“distress” includes preparing for winter with its extreme temperatures, high
winds and driving snow by constructing shelters before the ground
becomes frozen, making such construction practically impossible. The
Board, therefore, finds that Agent Archibald had reasonable grounds for
believing the horses were in distress for lack of proper care.
Appellant maintains that the clusters and bands of trees on her property
have been adequate shelter for the past 16 years and remain so. She
submitted photographs to show that the horses can get under the trees. Dr.
Good, however, maintains that trees do not provide an adequate shelter
from the elements in the late fall with its cold rains and the winter weather.
It is his opinion that spending the late fall and winter outside with only trees
for shelter would be a particular hardship for those horses with a low body
score (for instance, the “hard keepers”). Inspector Martin corroborated Dr.
Good’s opinion. He concluded from his inspection of the property that the
contour of the clusters of trees is not conducive to providing a shelter from
driving rain and snow as the wind will pass right through the trees. He said
that in his experience and knowledge, he has come to consider that
adequate shelter is shelter that protects animals at all times and in all
seasons.
The Board is persuaded by the testimony of Dr. Good and Inspector Martin
that the construction of new shelters and the repair of existing shelters, as
prescribed in Item 1 of the Order are necessary to relieve the horses of
distress due to weather conditions.
Since the Board finds that Agent Archibald’s belief that the horses were in
distress at the time she issued the Order for lack of proper care with
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respect to the lack of construction of shelters and repair of existing shelters,
the Order was made in accordance with section 13(1) and is confirmed by
the Board with some modifications.
The Farrier Issue
The following series of events led up to Appellant’s appeal of the amount
she has been charged by the OSPCA for farrier services by Kevin Palmer
to her horses.
August 24,
2012
OSPCA group searched Appellant’s property with
a warrant for horses in distress. Dr. Good
advised that Appellant’s 41 horses require farrier
services. Appellant tells Cindy Ross and Agent
Archibald that her regular farrier is scheduled to
come to trim her horses on August 30/12 - in 6
days time. The OSPCA indicates to Appellant
that they are in a hurry to get the horse’s hooves
trimmed and cannot wait until August 30/12.
Another farrier whom Appellant does not know is
recommended.
August 25,
2012
Appellant does not want to have her horses
trimmed by the farrier recommended by the
OSPCA because she does not know his work, so
telephoned farrier, Kevin Palmer, to come out to
her ranch to assess her horses’ hooves. Shortly
after, Cindy Ross, manager of Sault Ste. Marie
Humane Society telephoned Mr. Palmer and
asked him to trim all the horses’ hooves, starting
that afternoon
Aug.25-30/12 Mr. Palmer trims hooves of 41 of Appellant’s
horses.
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August 31,
2012
Some of the horses removed to custody of the
Sault Ste. Police Services.
September 1,
2012
Mr. Palmer wrote a “To Whom It May Concern”
letter recommending that the horses have their
hooves trimmed 8 weeks from the date he first
trimmed their hooves, which have taken place
between August 25-30, 2012. [Exhibit 10] This
meant that the subsequent trims would have to be
done around Oct October 22, 2012.
September 16,
17 & 18, 2012
Mr. Palmer did re-checks of some of the horses’
hooves.
3 Bills from Mr. Palmer to OSPCA submitted to
Board as exhibits: Exhibit 14A: Dated August 31,
2012: for farrier services August 25-30, 2012:
$600; Exhibit 14B: Dated August 31, 2012, for
farrier services August 25-30, 2012: $600;
Exhibit C: Dated October 41, 2012 for farrier
services from September 17, 2012: $620. Total
amount: $1,820.00
September 17,
2012
Agent Archibald served Appellant with the Order.
Item 5 on the Order says: “I will return the week of
October 8-12 with Kevin Palmer (farrier) to re-
check the condition of horses’ hooves.
Recommendations for foot care/trimming that
arise from this re-check shall be carried out by a
certified farrier within the time frame to be
determined.”
October 25,
2012
Statement of Account served on Appellant in the
amount of $13,868, which includes $1,820 charge
for Mr. Palmer’s services.
October 26, OSPCA order, dated October 26, 2012, made
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2012 pursuant to section 13(1) of the Act [Exhibit 40],
issued to Appellant to have all the horses on her
property at that time (29 horses) trimmed by a
certified farrier “as recommended by Kevin
Palmer” in his recommendation of September 1,
2012”. Agent Archibald acknowledges on the
order that since 8-week trim would have been due
[around October 22, 2012] this OSPCA order,
dated October 26, 2012, would not have been
served in time to meet that date. The compliance
on this order is November 5, 2012.
Appellant maintains that had the OSPCA allowed her to wait the six days,
that is until August 30, 2012 to have the horses’ hooves trimmed by her
farrier, John Munnoch, the bill from Mr. Munnoch would have been less
than the $1,820 bill from Kevin Palmer.
Appellant also maintains that the re-checks done on September 16, 17 and
18, 2012, by Kevin Palmer were not necessary. Since the Board has
qualified Mr. Palmer as an expert witness in the limited area of horses’
hooves and also has heard evidence in prior cases that hooves that are in
bad condition cannot be completely trimmed in one session [see for
instance David Prior v. OSPCA, December 19, 2006], the Board accepts
Mr. Palmer’s view that the rechecks were necessary.
But more importantly, since Appellant was never served with an OSPCA
order to have her horses’ hooves trimmed, she was not under any
obligation under the Act to do so. The notation in Item 5 of the Order
stating that she would return to Appellant’s ranch later on to do a re-check
with Mr. Palmer and get his recommendations at that time does not
constitute an order. Neither does Dr. Good’s advice to have a farrier
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examine the horses’ hooves and perform trims as needed, constitute an
order, since a veterinarian can only advise an animal owner as to
treatments. Only the investigating officer, in this case, Agent Archibald,
can issue a section 13(1) order. Appellant was free to make arrangements
with a farrier of her choice to carry out Dr. Good’s advice, and it initially
seemed by the fact that she contacted Kevin Palmer on August 25, 2012,
that she might have been doing this. However it soon became obvious that
Cindy Ross and Agent Archibald took complete control of the farrier
services being rendered by Mr. Palmer and Appellant had no say in the
matter, which indicated that this was not an arrangement with Mr. Palmer to
voluntarily carry out Dr. Good’s advice.
Since Appellant was not served with a section 13(1) order, she was not
legally obliged to have her horses’ hooves trimmed and therefore not
responsible for the amount the farrier’s bill.
The OSPCA issued a compliance order on October 26, 2012, ordering that
the horses’ hooves be trimmed again at approximately 8 weeks from the
initial trimming performed by Mr. Palmer during the week of August 25 to
30, 2012. The Board is confirming this order with some modifications.
DECISION
The Board orders that:
1. In respect of all Appellant’s horses remaining on her property that
are on continuous turn out, a three-sided south-facing shelter shall
be provided with an area of at least 16 feet x 16 feet for every three
horses kept in each of the respective paddocks as soon as feasible,
giv
201
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23
APPENDIX A
Exhibits
1 Fax-memo from Dr. Keith Good, to Cindy Ross, Manager of Sault
Ste. Marie Humane Society with recommended feeding schedule for 8 of Appellant’s horses.
2 A & B A: Dr. Good’s veterinary report dated September 14, 2012, containing summaries with respect of the findings after his examination of 43 horses at Appellant’s ranch on August 24, 2012; and August 29, 2012, for the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society. Includes a summary curriculum vitae. Four appendices attached: I Lab report of fecal floatation; II Individual weight estimates; body scores and Ivomec doses; III Feeding recommendations for horses with poorest body conditions. IV Report and recommendations from April 12, 2008; B: Dr. Good’s previous report, dated April 12, 2008, summarizing his findings after assessing the animals at the ranch on March 31, 2008 and recommendations at that time.
3 Certificate of a Veterinarian, dated August 24, 2012, signed by Keith Good, DVM, with respect to 3 horses, Bender, Cinder and Chase.
4 Certificate of a Veterinarian, dated August 24, 2012, signed by Keith Good, DVM, with respect to Kramer, a senior male dog.
5 Certificate of a Veterinarian, dated August 24, 2012, signed by Keith Good, DVM, with respect to 4 horses, Dora, Tyler, Lad and Babe.
6 A: Client Receipt, from Algoma Veterinarian Clinic, dated August 31, 2012, for $3,132.09; B: Client Receipt, from Algoma Veterinarian Clinic, dated September, 19, 2012, for $3,161.02; C: Client Receipt, from Algoma Veterinarian Clinic, dated September 27, 2012, for $3,476.29.
7 Report, dated September 22, 2012, regarding numerous dogs and cats examined at the Sault Ste. Marie and Region Humane Society by Doctor Gary Palmer, following their removal from Circle H. Ranch on August 24, 2012.
8 Kennel Card Reports from the Sault Ste. Marie Animal Clinic in respect of numerous animals, identified with numbers.
9 A: Invoices from Sault St. Marie Animal Clinic, dated August 25, 2012, to September 28, 2012, in respect of Kramer; B: Invoices from Sault St. Marie Animal Clinic, dated August 25, 2012, to September 2, 2012, in respect of “Circle H cats”;
10 Letter from Kevin Palmer, a Farrier, regarding trimming of certain horses’ hooves at the request of the OSPCA addressed “To Whom it May Concern” Not dated.
11 A-C A: Recommendations of Kevin Palmer regarding horses at Circle H Ranch, addressed to the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society, dated September 1, 2012; B: Report by Kevin Palmer regarding the hooves of certain of the horses at Appellant’s Ranch; C: Letter to
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Rebecca Hurley, dated September 14, 2012, suspending relations with Rebecca Hurley regarding farrier service for the duration of Mr. Palmer’s services provided to the Sault St. Marie Humane Society.
12 No Exhibit. (The document was part of Exhibit 18 and has been incorporated into that Exhibit.)
13 Report from Kevin Palmer regarding the state of the Hooves of Appellant’s horses.
14 A,B,&C Invoices from Kevin Palmer to Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society: A: dated July 31, 2012, for $600.00; B: dated September 31, 2012, for $600.00; C: dated October 31, 2012, for $620.00.
15 A & B A: Search Warrant from Sault Ste. Marie Police Services to search Appellant’s premises, signed by a Justice of the Peace for Ontario, dated August 24, 2012, with expiration date of September 5, 2012; B: Search Warrant from the Province of Ontario North East Region to search Appellant’s premises, signed by a Justice of the Peace, dated August 24, 2012, with expiration date of 7:00 pm August 24, 2012;
16 “Production Order” under Article 487.012 of the Criminal Code, dated August 30, 2012, signed by a Justice of the Peace.
17 Report to a Justice, Form 5.2 under the s. 1, Article 489.1 of the Criminal Code, dated September 12, 2012, signed by a Justice of the Peace.
18 A, B & C
A: Informant’s Complaint; B: Notes made by Cindy Ross, Manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society for the period September 18, 2012, to October 29, 2012; C: Cindy Ross’ Will State.
19 A to S A - R: Series of photographs of Appellant’s residence and horses taken on August 24, 2012, by Cindy Ross; S: “Before and After” photographs of horses, “Chase” and “Monty” taken on August 24, 2012, and subsequently on September 18, 2012, respectively, taken by Cindy Ross and Agent Trudy Archibald, depicting improved body condition of the horses.
20 Kennel Cards for cats and dogs prepared by the Sault Ste. Marie SPCA.
21 Photograph of horse, “BJ”. 22 Photograph of horses in paddock depicting lack of grazing grass,
taken on August 24, 2012, by Agent Archibald. 23 Photographs in paddock depicting lack of gazing grass, taken of
August 24, 2012. 24 Photograph of horse, Tyler, taken on August 24, 2012. 25 A & B A: Agent Archibald’s Duty Notes; B: Agent Archibald’s Will State. 26 OSPCA Cruelty Report; complaint received August 12, 2012;
investigated by Agent Archibald. 27 A - AA Series of photographs of Appellant’s horses, taken on August 24,
2012, by Agent Archibald. 28 Notice of Removal, dated August 26, 2012, signed by Agent
Archibald in respect of 6 dogs, Rocks, Annie, Sago, Lucky, Buster
25
and Kramer, removed on August 24, 2012. 29 Notice of Removal, dated August 26, 2012, signed by Agent
Archibald in respect of 4 cats removed on August 24, 2012. 30 Notice of Removal, dated August 26, 2012, signed by Agent
Archibald in respect of 3 horses, Bender, Chase, and Cinder removed on August 24, 2012).
31 Notice of Removal, dated August 31, 2012, signed by Agent Archibald in respect of 8 horses, removed on August 31, 2012.
32 OSPCA Compliance Order in respect of a feeding regime for animals housed on Appellant’s Ranch ongoing until other Orders are modified dated August 31, 2012.
33 “While you were out” left on Appellant’s door apprising Appellant that OSPCA will be doing random checks on feeding, made by Agent Archibald.
34 Notice of Removal, dated September 5, 2012, signed by Agent Archibald in respect of 3 cats, removed on August 29, 30 and 31, 2012, respectively.
35 Notice of Modification, dated September 5, 2012, modifying feeding regime for horses in OSPCA Compliance Order (Exhibit 32), but leaving instructions for hay feeding the same, signed by Agent Archibald.
36 Notice of Revocation, dated September 17, 2012, revoking feeding regime OSPCA Compliance Order (Exhibit 32) as modified by Notice of Modification (Exhibit 35), signed by Agent Archibald.
37 OSPCA Compliance Order, dated September 17, 2012, to 1) to provide shelters for all horses by October 12, 2012; 2) specifying daily turn-out of horses housed in the barn, with 10 ft. by 10 ft. shelter effective immediately, 3) directions re feeding of the horses; 4) fecal samples and deworming, signed by Agent Archibald, 5) notice that Agent Archibald will return on the week of October 8-12, 2012, with recommendations for farrier work to be done from Dr. Good.
38 Farrier Re-Check and Recommendations, dated October 16, 2012. 39 OSPCA Compliance Order, dated October 26, 2012, to have the
cats and kittens examined by a veterinarian with a compliance date of November 2 2012, signed by Agent Archibald.
40 OSPCA Compliance Order, dated October 26, 2012, to farrier services on horses, compliance date of November 5, 2012, signed by Agent Archibald.
41 Statement of Account as of October 24, 2012, at 3:00 pm, signed by Agent Archibald in the amount of $8,765.60 in respect cats only, together with supporting documents.
42 Updated Statement of Account as of November 6, 2012, at 8:32 am, signed by Agent Archibald in the amount of $8,765.60 in respect of cats only.
43 Statement of Account as of October 24, 2012, at 3:00 pm, signed by
26
Agent Archibald in the amount of $7,866.17, in respect of dogs, only. 44 Updated Statement of Account as of November 6, 2012, at 8:32 am,
signed by Agent Archibald in the amount of $11, 451.28, in respect of dogs only.
45 Statement of Account as of October 24, 2012, at 3:00 pm, signed by Agent Archibald in the amount of $13, 8651.25 in respect of horses only, together with supporting documents.
46 Updated Statement of Account as of November 6, 2012, at 8:32 am, signed by Agent Archibald in the amount of $18, 454.03 in respect of horses only.
47 Weight Log of horses. 48 Statement of Account, as of November 7, 2012, signed by Agent
Archibald in respect of all animals, in the amount of $43,002.41. 49 A & B Photographs taken on July 28, 2012. 50 Photographs of various bathing and skin product for the dogs. 51 Character reference letter from Ashley Moore, dated October 4,
2012. 52 Character reference letter from Dawn Moore, dated October 4, 2012.53 Character reference letter from Meredith Thompson, dated
November 4, 2012. 54 Photograph of horse, Romeo, taken on August 22, 2012, being let
out to pasture. 55 A & B Preparing grain feeding for horses. 56 Horses in pasture with tall grass. 57 Horse, Tyler, on transport trailer, taken on August 31, 2012. 58 Two bills for farrier service dated February and March 2012,
respectively. 59 Photographs for Kramer and two cats. 60 Occurrence Report dated July 26, 2012, re a visit by police as a
result of a complaint. Found horses fine, eating grass in field and hay in field.
61 Canadian Agri-Food Research Council guidelines “Codes of Practice for Horses”.
62 Weight log. 63 A & B A: Notice of Revocation, dated December 20, 2012, revoking Items
(2) and (4) of the Order of September 17, 2012; B: Notice of Modification, dated December 20, signed by Agent Archibald, modifying Item (1) of the Order of September 17, 2012, (re shelters) by extending the compliance date from October 12, 2012, to January 18, 2012.
64 A - D Series of photographs taken by Appellant and Kristie Lynn Tulloch on August 3, 2011, depicting certain of the horses’ hooves.
65 A & B Continuation of Agent Archibald’s Duty notes and Will State submitted earlier as Exhibits 25A & B, respectively.
66 Notice of Revocation, dated January 10, 2013, revoking Items (3) of the Order of September 17, 2012.
27
67 Notice of Revocation, dated January 10, 2013, revoking Order of October 26, 2012, regarding the cats and kittens.
68 Sketch of aerial view of the ranch. 69 A & B A: Four photographs of tree shelter in the pony pen, taken by
Appellant on September 29, 2012; B: satellite view of farm. 70 A - H Photographs of horses taken on December 26, 2012, by Kristie
Tulloch. 71 Letter from Kristie Tulloch as to Appellant’s good character. 72 “To Whom it May Concern” letter from BJ Kenzel, dated September
1, 2012. 73 Facebook announcement by Appellant. 74 A: Inspector Clancy Martin’s Duty Notes; B: Inspector Martin’s Will
State. 75 Series of photographs of the shelters taken by Inspector Martin. 76 A - C A: Bill from John Munnoch Farrier Service, dated November 15,
2012, for 9 trims @ $35; B: Bill, dated, November 25, 2012, for 20 trims @ $35 per horse; C; Report of horses’ hooves (date illegible).
77 A - R Photographs taken on October 27, 2012, by Appellant of various horses’ hooves.
78 A - E Photographs taken on September 29, 2012, by Appellant of tree shelter.
79 Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1997- to 2000.