Animal abuser arrested after 8 distressed dogs found in Innisfail hotel

A woman arrested by Innisfail RCMP on Wednesday for possessing eight dogs despite courtimposed conditions to not keep animals has a history of animal cruelty allegations, Postmedia has learned.

Eight distressed dogs were taken to an animal rescue organization by RCMP from a room at the Bluebird Motel in Innisfail, where Karin Adams was a registered guest. Karin and her daughter, Catherine Adams, have been in trouble for animal cruelty after incidents in Alberta and B.C. that date back to an animal seizure in 2014.

The eight dogs were removed from the room shortly after the arrest.

“We took them to a shelter for their own well-being as it was pretty apparent to us that they were in distress,” said Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Lori Eiler.

RCMP had responded to a complaint about a suspicious female at 11:25 p.m. on Tuesday, where they found the 46-year-old believed to be in possession of the dogs.

Most recently, the Adamses were hit with charges of animal cruelty allegations by the B.C. SPCA this month. The SPCA seized 16 dogs from a property in Quesnel, B.C., on July 4, in spite of the Adamses having a 20-year ban on animal possession because of a threeyear-old conviction in the province.

In 2015, the Adamses pleaded guilty in relation to an animal-cruelty case involving more than 100 animals seized from their property in 2014, which led to the ban.

The guilty plea landed Karin with a sentence of 15 days in prison and two years of probation, while her daughter received six months of conditional house arrest and three years of probation.

The 20-year ban is not Canadawide, however. RCMP said when a ban is entered into the Canadian Police Information Centre, if there isn’t proper specification that it is a provincial ban the person would be subject to an arrest and further investigation if found in possession of animals.

Sources told Postmedia that Innisfail RCMP phoned the motel around 1 a.m. on Wednesday to request the name of the person in a specific room, who was Karin Adams. RCMP also requested the Bluebird add an additional lock to the room to ensure no one else could enter.

There are rooms at the Bluebird that allow pets and it is said Karin had told them there would be one small dog in the room.

Sources also said Karin and Catherine Adams were registered guests at the Travel Inn, but the dogs were located at the Bluebird.

According to RCMP, no charges have been laid.

Recently, Innisfail RCMP have been investigating a separate case after someone complained about a woman who had posed as a law enforcement professional and attempted to take that person’s dog. According to RCMP, the woman asked the owner many questions about the dog but was prevented from taking the animal.

RCMP are looking into how the two investigations could be related.

“We’re encouraging the public to come forward if they have witnessed or been victims of any kind of suspicious activity regarding their pets, specifically dogs ... we’re taking this seriously,” said Eiler.

Anyone with information about the eight dogs or other suspicious animal-related incidents can contact the Innisfail RCMP at 403227-3342.