North Preston pit bull owners denied appeal, 24 dogs stay with SPCA

Two men accused of keeping 24 pit bulls in exposed and unsanitary conditions will not get the animals back from the SPCA.

Makell and Warren Cain of North Preston, N.S., had the dogs and puppies seized by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Oct. 3.

The men went to the provincial Department of Agriculture's animal cruelty appeal board to try to get the animals returned to them, but were denied in a ruling released on Tuesday.

The SPCA was awarded legal custody of the American Staffordshire terriers, more commonly called pit bulls.

"We're happy we were able to ensure the safety of these animals," Jo Ann Landsburg, an SPCA cruelty inspector, said in a news release.

"We're encouraged that the appeal board has endorsed the SPCA's handling of what is a complicated but important part of our mandate."

Landsburg said the SPCA tried to help the former owners make their property suitable for the dogs.

"We tried to work with the individuals over the period of the spring, summer and into the fall," she told CBC News.

"Once we realized that they had puppies there, the temperatures were quite cold and they didn't make any changes as were recommended back in June, we decided to go in and seize them."

'Excrement in the pens'

The SPCA said the dogs are doing well and will be available for adoption after they have been spayed and neutered.

Nine of the the two-month-old puppies are taking part in a canine therapy program at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside. Professional trainers, inmates and corrections officers are helping to socialize the dogs. They're also teaching the terriers basic commands.

The SPCA hopes that training will make the dog's transition into a home easier for potential adopters.

The dogs' former owners have been charged with violating the provincial Animal Protection Act.

The SPCA said the men kept the dogs in extremely unsanitary conditions, with no protection from the elements. Landsburg said she saw those conditions first hand.

"There was a large amount of feces, excrement in the pens. Their water buckets were chewed up, they hadn't been washed in several weeks if not more," she said.

"It was very heart wrenching considering there was a lot of young puppies there at that particular time."

Makell and Warren Cain will be in court on Nov. 17.