The dog walker who initially said six dogs in her care were 'stolen' but later confessed they had died of heat exhaustion has been charged with animal cruelty and other charges.
Court documents show Emma Paulsen has been charged with killing or injuring to animals, committing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, failing to provide the necessities of life for an animal, two counts of causing an animal to continue to be in distress, and reporting an offence was committed when it was not.
The BC SPCA has been investigating the emotionally charged case since the beginning and recommended the charges.
"We urge people to keep their emotions in check. It's hard but we all want to see this case proceeed. What happens next is she goes through an appearance where she pleads guilty, which then goes to sentencing or if she pleads not guilty, then we will proceed to a trial," said BC SPCA spokesperson Marcie Moriarty.
Owners of the six dogs are happy to see the charges laid, saying it's a step in the right direction but doesn't make the situation any better.
"If there ever will be be closure, I don't know because I know they suffered and that's the part that to this day I still get sad about. I don't think that'll ever go away," said Jennifer Myers, owner of Buddy a Boston terrier that was killed.
Paulsen reported the pets were stolen from the back cab of her pickup truck while it was parked at a Langley dog park on May 13, but she reportedly admitted later to concocting the story after all six dogs were found dead.
Their bodies were found in a ditch in the Fraser Valley – nearly a week after intense searching and social media appeals for help by their desperate owners.
The veteran dog walker had initially claimed to be baffled by the dogs’ disappearance, and maintained she had left the dogs alone for no more than 10 minutes while she went to use the park’s washroom.
“When I came back the top flap of my truck was open and the dogs weren’t there,” Paulsen told a CTV reporter the day after the dogs went missing.
Temperatures reached the mid-20s the day the dogs went missing.
More to come…
