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A Hamilton woman who had nearly 60 dogs removed from her home by the province last summer will be required to pay only a fraction of the $101,000 in costs for their care, a tribunal has ruled.
The decision was made by the Ontario Animal Care Review Board last week after Alina Vernigorova appealed the six-figure bill.
Adjudicator Debra Backstein ordered her to pay just $10,000 — an amount that reflects both the “significant public resources expended” and Vernigorova’s “limited financial resources,” among other factors, the decision says.
Last July, after receiving complaints from concerned neighbours and Hamilton police, animal welfare investigators went to Vernigorova’s Stoney Creek house.
Police had already removed one dog from the property, but investigators found 58 more inside — mostly miniature poodles.
“The dwelling was covered in layers of feces and the floors were soaked with urine,” says the board’s decision. “There were dogs throughout the house, some in crates, all living in unsanitary conditions without adequate food or water.”
Vernigorova did not respond to a request for comment.
Dogs in ‘distress,’ says investigator
The dogs included a Maltese, a Shih Tzu and a German shepherd, and some had fleas and fur matted with feces, the tribunal heard. They were in various levels of distress and some dogs were pregnant.
Investigators removed the dogs but, concerned there were more, went back. They found a dog “hidden behind a bathtub within a wall cavity.” It was also taken from the home, says the decision.
The province paid $213 to transport the dogs to rescues, kennels and vet offices, says the decision. It also paid $58,000 for their daily care including food, water, shelter, cleaning and monitoring for about a month and a half.
For veterinary services, the province paid over $48,000. The dogs, many who were underweight, were treated for internal parasites, fleas and dental issues, and were vaccinated, says the decision. A further $2,000 went to grooming the dogs’ matted fur to “alleviate their distress.”
Pet Save Sudbury director Jill Pessot says dog owners need to spay and neuter their pets to prevent more animals from ending up in shelters.
The board ruled the costs — totalling over $108,000 — were reasonable and necessary. The province reduced Vernigorova’s bill to $101,000.
She appealed and testified at the hearing in November, questioning how the province could be sure the costs were for her dogs, and not others. But she had “no evidence to suggest that this was in fact the case,” the decision says.
Woman unemployed, in debt
Vernigorova told the board she is unemployed, has “significant unsecured debt” and is solely responsible for caring for her son, who is on the Autism spectrum. She said she also experiences depression.
Before the dogs were removed, Vernigorova said she spent over $3,000 a month on their food, but couldn’t afford to spay and neuter them, leading to “uncontrolled breeding,” the decision says. But she didn’t try to rehome the dogs, or seek assistance programs to address the situation.
Backstein, the adjudicator, determined making Vernigorova pay $101,000 would result in an “unrecoverable” debt. However, waiving the fee entirely would send the wrong message.
“This was not an isolated incident or an unforeseeable emergency involving a small number of animals,” says the decision.
Backstein settled on $10,000 to hold Vernigorova accountable.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General did not respond to a request for comment.
