The owner of a dog who died while in the care of a Hamilton pet-sitting business, Kippen Cares is calling on police to lay criminal charges in the case. She’s one of a few dozen people who demonstrated outside of Hamilton police headquarters this afternoon.
Animal welfare advocates say they’re frustrated and have been left without answers. The Provincial Animal Welfare Service (PAWS) is currently leading an investigation into Hamilton business Kippen Cares but advocates say they want to see criminal charges for the owner after two dogs died in her care just last month.
READ MORE: Family grieves tragic loss after dog dies at Hamilton dog boarding business
Cassandra Almeida says it feels like a nightmare come true knowing that her six-year-old dog Sammy died while at Kippen Cares.
One of the hardest parts, she says, is seeing another one of her dogs, Ralph, lose his best friend.
“It was really hard to hear, because he would lay in her spot where she used to sleep, by the vent because she was a big fluffy dog so it was really hot, and cry himself to sleep,” Almeida said.
Sammy is one of two dogs who died at Kippen Cares, run by Jessica Kippen, in Hamilton’s west end in just a month. Cartelo, a pocket bully puppy died there the same week, and Kippen stored the body in a freezer.
READ MORE: Second dog dies while in the care of Hamilton dog boarding business
Animal welfare advocates say there are more people who have come forward with allegations of animal abuse dating back to 2021 and say there was another dog found in the freezer.
Almeida says the preliminary results of an autopsy performed on Sammy are disturbing.
“What I do know is that everything in her body shows that she was severely dehydrated. It also shows that she likely had heat stroke and that was very probably the cause of her death,” Almeida told CHCH News.
She is still waiting for the full results. Almeida was one of a few dozen people demonstrating outside of Hamilton’s central police station Friday afternoon.
Advocates are calling on police to lay criminal charges in this case, as they say several pet owners have reported this business in the past.
Animal welfare advocate Carol Andrews said, “The charges could have been laid, they could have done an investigation, there were reports made. They passed it all off the animal welfare services, and animal welfare says it’s a police thing and so on and so forth. The criminal code holds so much more weight in this kind of thing.”
READ MORE: Hamilton police seek couple who allegedly who broke into business and stole dog
Donna Power, president of Humane Initiative said, “All we want is them to acknowledge that perhaps things could have been done differently and a commitment to reexamine their internal processes.”
Activists tell CHCH News they are trying to keep the public’s attention on this issue with signs and purple ribbons posted around the neighbourhood.
PAWS is leading the investigation into Kippen and her business, and say they can’t comment on an ongoing case. The doggie daycare is abandoned, with a sign on the house reading, “The tenant has vacated the property permanently.”
Hamilton police have laid charges, one woman was charged with assault after Kippen was confronted by an angry mob outside of her home, and two people were charged with breaking and entering at the property.
Hamilton’s zoning and committee of adjustment confirmed to CHCH News that Kippen Cares is not permitted to operate a kennel. CHCH News was not able to reach Jessica Kippen by phone on Friday and the property is vacant. Animal rights activists say the protest continues outside of police headquarters on Saturday.