Guilty of neglect

Spring Valley woman handed Canada-wide pet ban

A Spring Valley woman accused of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal has been found guilty.

Judge Jeff Lantz handed down his decision in the case of Sandra Helen Tomalin, 75, Tuesday. Lantz sentenced Tomalin to 24 months of probation and ordered her to pay a $100 victim surcharge. The conviction also comes with a five-year Canadawide ban on owning or being responsible for the care of any animal.

Tomalin had previously been banned from owning dogs in Ontario and from owning any animal for a 10-year period in New Brunswick, but this is the first time she has been sentenced to a national ban. The charges against Tomalin relate to a cat named Rufus that was under her care. Rufus was seized from Tomalin’s home in January, 2016, in an emaciated and severely ill state. He was also covered in bloody feces and had various untreated injuries and ailments.

The cat initially showed some signs of improvement in care but had to be euthanized when his health took a turn for the worse.

Tomalin testified in her own defence during the trial and argued that Rufus was actually a happy cat that would not put any effort into grooming himself.

To get a conviction in this case the Crown had to prove that Tomalin willfully allowed Rufus to suffer, and Lantz said in his summation that he was satisfied that it had done so.

Lantz pointed to the fact that Tomalin had followed initial warnings from authorities to take Rufus for medical attention but didn’t follow up on the advice of the veterinarian. He also noted the condition of the home Tomalin had been living in with her sister and various animals at the time as “unfit for animals, let alone humans.” “From an objective viewing of the evidence I don’t think any reasonable person would have any difficulty determining there was no reasonable care or supervision of Rufus that would have prevented pain and suffering on his part,” said Lantz.