A 36-year-old Chapleau man has been sentenced to a 10-year prohibition on owning or caring for animals after being convicted of two counts of breach of probation related to a previous conviction under provincial animal welfare legislation.
On January 9, Raynald Gervais was found guilty on two counts of breach of probation in a Chapleau Provincial Offences Court.
Gervais was charged for having more dogs than he was legally permitted, as well as failing to have the dogs examined on an annual basis by a veterinarian. The Justice of the Peace sentenced Gervais to a 10-year prohibition on owning, living with or caring for any animals. The Ontario SPCA was granted annual inspection rights for the same period of time.
In 2016, Gervais pled guilty to permitting a dog to be in distress, as well as failure to provide medical care after being charged by the Ontario SPCA following an investigation relating to the treatment of animals in his care. The Justice of the Peace sentenced him at that time to five years probation, during which time he could not have more than four dogs in his care. He was also required to have the dogs examined annually by a veterinarian.
In April 2018, Ontario SPCA officers discovered Gervais had acquired four new dogs, despite the probation order in place, bringing the total number of dogs in his care to seven. Gervais voluntarily surrendered the four dogs to the Timmins & District Humane Society, where they were re-homed.
The Ontario SPCA has been unable to locate three Husky-type dogs that Gervais is believed to have in his care. If anyone has any information about the whereabouts of these animals, please call the Ontario SPCA’s province-wide animal cruelty hotline at 310-SPCA (7722).
