A breeder accused of being involved in a suspected puppy mill in the Fraser Valley is defending himself, saying that he hasn't been given a chance to comply with the latest orders from the B.C. SPCA.
Mel Gerling is the owner of 14 dogs seized from a property in Abbotsford on Friday for problems ranging from loose and rotting teeth to skin infections and ulcerated eyes.
"The environment they were kept in was unacceptable," animal protection officer Eileen Drever said.
The dogs were being boarded at B&B Kennels for 30 days.
"The agreement was $700 to look after the dogs for 30 days -- we have a contract to that effect -- and $20 extra per dog to groom and do their nails and de-matt them," Gerling told CTV News.
Charles McPhate, who boarded the dogs, says the only thing he failed to do was bathe them.
"I was just really busy," he said, adding that he believes the SPCA was on a "witch hunt."
Gerling says he has received more than 50 orders from the SPCA related to his businesses, including the pet store Puppy Paradise in Surrey, which is also currently under investigation.
"Every time they come out on a complaint, they give us some advice on the place, which we comply by," he said.
This time, Gerling says he wasn't given a chance to comply.
"We were in the process of correcting the situation, and (the SPCA) scooped the dogs out from under us," he said.
"We are, through our lawyer, demanding that our dogs be returned to us without any charges whatsoever for them taking our dogs illegally.... We're going to take them to court."
Besides the store in Surrey, Gerling has had numerous kennels over the years, operating under the name of Mountain View Kennels. The first was in Abbotsford, then Chilliwack, and now in Maple Ridge.
He says he plans to move his kennel again, but doesn't know where he's going to go with his 19 dogs and 35 puppies.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
