Vet tells court he didn’t hit animals in his care

A veterinarian charged with mistreatment of two dogs he kept in his north Edmonton clinic denied hitting the animals while testifying in his own defence Tuesday.

Dr. Jun Yang faces both criminal and Animal Protection Act charges over allegations that two dogs he kept in the clinic — a black Labrador retriever named Heza and a brindle Staffordshire terrier named Tiggor — were underweight after being confined together in a small kennel and given limited food and water.

Yang, 48, was arrested and charged after ex-employees of his clinic reported him to police and the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, also alleging Yang hit the animals on multiple occasions.

Yang took the stand Tuesday and denied hitting the animals. While being questioned by his lawyer, Brian Hurley, he explained that he uses a training technique that involves striking the metal kennel with a bone or a fist to discourage bad behaviours.

Yang also testified the allegations made by his former employees were based on assumptions that the dogs spent their whole lives in the kennel.

Hurley entered as evidence a number of photos and videos of the dogs playing outside with Yang’s children at his farm east of Edmonton, where he took them every weekend. He also told court that he sleeps in the clinic most nights on-call, and he exercises the dogs late at night after other staff leave.

During cross-examination, Yang agreed the dogs would stay in the kennel for about 15 hours a day.

Yang testified keeping the dogs in the kennel was supposed to be temporary. He had expected his father to move to Canada from China, and planned to leave the dogs at the farm with his father permanently. However, his father fell ill and never arrived.

Two veterinarians who examined Heza and Tiggor after they were seized by animal control officers wrote reports and gave evidence during the trial that both dogs were underweight.

Dr. Karen Lange wrote in her report that she attended Yang ’s clinic when the animal control officers arrived to investigate, and found the kennel size wasn’t large enough for regular use by one dog, let alone two. Lange also found the dogs hadn’t received adequate exercise, food or water, and noted that both gained weight “rapidly” within days of being in animal control’s care.

Yang testified he disagreed with Lange’s assessment.

“I agree they’re slim, they’re lean,” he said, but added that both dogs were fit and very active.

He also said he had tried putting the dogs in separate kennels, but it made them anxious, and that they liked to “cuddle,” even when they had more space at his farm on weekends.

During closing arguments, Crown prosecutor Christian Lim argued that though the allegations against Yang aren’t the “worst,” the evidence he’s presented meets the threshold for a conviction.

Judge Ferne LeReverend is to deliver her verdict June 19.