Pups' owner blames stranger
PINCHER CREEK -- The owner of five puppies found abandoned in a feces-filled outhouse in freezing conditions testified yesterday a stranger took the dogs.
Samantha Reiberger, 42, took the stand in the one-day trial of Frederick Hoath, 57, of Fernie, B.C.
Hoath is charged with five counts of cruelty under both the Criminal Code and Alberta's Animal Protection Act.
Reiberger, who is also facing the same charges, testified a stranger came to the door and asked for two puppies but took all five.
However, Reiberger couldn't provide any details about the stranger or what he looked like.
A Crown witness testified Reiberger wanted to get rid of the puppies and Hoath offered to throw them in a river.
On Jan. 4, Crowsnest Pass RCMP responded to a frantic 911 call from a motorist who heard whimpering coming from an outdoor toilet alongside Hwy. 3, near the Alberta-B.C. boundary.
They found five black Lab-cross puppies -- about eight-weeks-old -- in the pit of the outhouse. The two-hour rescue involved several agencies and contractors who worked to rescue the pups.
They had to chisel the toilet away from its concrete base to to get the animals
published Aug 26th in the Calgary Sun
