Niagara woman banned from owning pets for 2 years

Dog fell five storeys to its death from Welland apartment

A Niagara woman has been banned from owning a pet for two years after a dog fell five storeys to its death from a Welland apartment building.

Jeanette Tremblay was granted a 90-day conditional sentence, the first 45 days of which must be served under house arrest, after she pleaded guilty in Ontario Court of Justice in Welland on Friday to causing unnecessary pain and injury to an animal.

On Nov. 1, 2017, court heard, Tremblay was at a friend’s apartment when she went out onto the balcony to have a cigarette.

The tenant’s dog was also on the balcony.

Assistant Crown attorney Robert Mahler told the judge the defendant, who had been consuming alcohol, was holding the dog and standing close to the edge of the balcony.

At some point, court was told, the dog fell five storeys to the ground below. The animal later died of its injuries.

“She acknowledges being responsible for the dog’s death but couldn’t provide an explanation of what happened,” Mahler told Judge Tory Colvin.

Defence attorney Jeff Root said his client is “very upset with regards to what happened.”

Tremblay also pleaded guilty to an unrelated offence of taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

In that matter, court heard, Tremblay took a friend’s SUV without asking on

July 1, 2017. The owner reported the vehicle stolen the following day.

Police subsequently recovered the vehicle, which had sustained significant damage to the tune of $6,000.

In addition to the conditional sentence, Tremblay was placed on probation for two years and banned from having any pets in her possession for the duration of her probation.