56 'in distress' dogs, 9 llamas seized from Mountain View County property

Two people are facing charges after more than 80 "in distress" animals and several stolen vehicles were seized from a property in Mountain View County earlier this week.

Mounties say the search warrant on the property stemmed from the Monday arrest of a man who was pulled over while driving a stolen truck with a stolen trailer, and a stolen Caterpillar skid steer in tow — snatched from Crossfield, Calgary and Okotoks, respectively, say police.

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The man was leaving a rural property in Mountain View County, where officers executed a search warrant on Tuesday.

As a result of that search, RCMP seized six more stolen trucks, four utility trailers, an ATV, an RV, two flat-deck trailers, six industrial heaters and a Norco mountain bike. Investigators also seized five firearms — two shotguns, two .22-calibre rifles and a bolt-action rifle — alongside "thousands of rounds" of ammunition.

Following the search, Mountain View County resident Michael McGill, 44, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failure to comply with a release order and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

The Monday traffic stop resulted in the arrest of Clayton Whaling, 43, a resident of Foothills County, who is charged with three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

McGill remains in custody following a bail hearing; he's slated to make his next court appearance April 25. Whaling was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court May 23.

SPCA, shelters 'bursting at the seams'

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Officers also found 56 dogs — of various but mostly smaller breeds — 10 sheep, nine llamas, four chickens and three geese on the property. The animals were "in distress" and seized by the Alberta SPCA.

The dozens of new animals now in the SPCA's care will add further strain to its operations, executive director Leanne Niblock told Postmedia. Since the beginning of March, the organization has taken in 250 new animals, most stemming from just four investigations.

"These files are coming in more often," said Niblock. "We're certainly seeing the cost of living increase, people are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, there are housing shortages, and I think those are all contributing to the pressure that the entire animal welfare system is seeing."

SPCA officers can only lay charges under the Alberta Animal Protection Act, which typically results in an owner being prohibited from owning animals in the future. Niblock said such charges are under consideration as part of the investigation.

Criminal charges related to the treatment of the animals would have to be issued by Mounties.

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Niblock said as the SPCA's investigation remains ongoing, she could not divulge details of the state of the property or how the animals were cared for there.

"Were they being used for breeding? Was this a collector situation?" she said. "That's all happening right now as we move through the investigation."

The SPCA urges anybody who can aid shelters to do so by volunteering to foster animals until they can be adopted, or by making a cash donation "to help ease the financial stress Alberta's animal welfare organizations face."

"This spring is feeling like we are bursting at the seams, and the files that we're investigating are getting more complicated with larger numbers of animals," said Niblock. "I think that this is a growing trend that we're unfortunately going to be seeing as we move forward."

Mountain View County is about 60 kilometres north of Calgary.

mrodriguez@postmedia.com

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