From the Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Five puppies rescued after being dumped down the hole of an outhouse and left for dead in the Crowsnest Pass are thriving with the people who adopted them.
The black Labrador puppies, now about 10 weeks old, were discovered by a motorist who heard whimpering after stopping to use a Highway 3 washroom Jan. 4.
Three of the dogs -- Lacey, Doodle and Duke -- were taken in by RCMP detachment staff and have captured the hearts of the community.
"They're so adorable, they're doing really well with potty training," said Rita Filipuzzi, a Crowsnest Pass RCMP support staff secretary who adopted one of the pups. "It's a little like having a kid again."
Frederick Hoath, 57, of Fernie, B.C., appeared in court Tuesday to face charges of animal cruelty. Samantha Rieberger, 42, of Crowsnest Pass, is also charged but couldn't attend Tuesday.
Both were ordered to appear to make a plea Feb. 19.
The puppy rescue operation took several hours as officers pulled four of the dogs out with animal-control poles.
However, they had to call the local contractor to jackhammer the toilet off its concrete base to rescue the last one, which was farther down the hole.
The puppies, which were little more than a month old, likely wouldn't have survived the night, rescuers said.
All five dogs were saved and were quickly adopted by police officers and local residents.
Rieberger owned the dog that gave birth to the puppies, according to Crowsnest Pass Mounties.
The mother dog and two cats from the household were relinquished by Rieberger and have been adopted.
Rieberger and Hoath are charged with five counts of cruelty to animals under the Criminal Code, as well as five counts of cruelty to animals under the Animal Protection Act.
