A Clearwater woman has been handed a 10-year ban on breeding dogs commercially after she pleaded guilty to causing distress to animals in Kamloops Provincial Court on Friday, Nov. 21.
Bonnie Milligan, born in 1952, was also sentenced to one year of probation. She pleaded down from two animal cruelty charges — causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal and failing to provide life necessities to an animal — after the BC SPCA seized 32 dogs from her property in February 2024.
The dogs that were seized were among 59 dogs that were found during a search of the Clearwater property, according to the BC SPCA. The seized dogs included dachshunds, poodles, miniature Schnauzers and various poodle-mix breeds, all of different ages.
“The dogs were owned by an irresponsible breeder who was keeping them in a dark building without adequate heating or bedding for the dogs. It was very unsanitary with an overwhelming ammonia smell,” said Eileen Drever, a senior BC SPCA officer, in a statement issued Feb. 20, 2024. “The owners were not providing them with the necessary veterinary care, enrichment or socialization they desperately needed.”
One of the dogs was a senior dachshund , which had an abdominal mass that was so large it was dragging on the ground, the BC SPCA said. Milligan hadn’t taken the dog to a veterinarian, and the dog had to be euthanized after it was determined the mass was a tumour that had metastasized.
“This is an incredibly sad situation all around,” Drever said at the time. “These dogs were treated as commodities and are not only dealing with physical health issues, but are suffering psychologically. The dogs are extremely fearful. Many couldn’t be touched at all , and the dogs cowered in fear when the owner came near.”
She added that BC SPCA staff had been noticing repetitive behaviours in the dogs, like pacing back and forth in their kennels, a sign of a lack of mental stimulation.
The offence was dated Feb. 15, 2024, and Milligan’s guilty plea and sentencing came roughly 21 months later.
In the February 2024 statement, Drever said the case is a reminder to people considering purchasing a dog from a breeder to do their homework.
“This breeder was meeting with potential buyers in parking lots, which is a red flag that the animals are not being adequately cared for,” she said. “If they won’t let you visit the dogs where they are being housed, don’t purchase a dog from them.”