Woman charged after dog, cat found stuffed in storage locker

Animal cruelty charges have been laid against a Calgary woman after a dog and cat were found in boxes in a storage locker.

On Jan. 6, a staffer at the southeast facility heard an animal’s cries coming from one of the units, said Brad Nichols, manager of the Calgary Humane Society’s cruelty investigations.

“They’d been there at least a day ... we were able to intervene in a timely manner,” Nichols said.

The animals — a black domestic shorthair cat and a pit bull cross — were in good condition, though the cat’s head had been taped, he said.

Investigators found the cat in a box underneath belongings, and the dog was in a crate.

“It’s certainly concerning — there’s no lawful reason to tape an animal’s head and a storage locker is no place to put an animal,” said Nichols, adding he couldn’t say if any food or water was left for the animals.

“They were certainly at risk while they were in the unit.”

The tape on the cat could have initially been wrapped around its nose and mouth, Nichols said.

“It’s quite likely the tape had been pawed at for some time,” he said.

Samantha Zychowski, 21, is charged with causing an animal to be in distress, causing unnecessary pain and suffering, and abandoning an animal in distress or failure to provide necessary care.

Since the charges are under both federal and provincial statutes, the maximum fine for the offences is $20,000 with the possibility of five years’ imprisonment.

However, Nichols said such penalties are highly unlikely.

Both animals — aged from a year to a year-and-a-half — have been adopted out to a loving home, Nichols said.

“This one has a happy ending,” he said.

Nichols said Zychowski doesn’t own any other pets.

Humane society officials have encountered other animals cruelly muzzled, most notably a dog and cat found dead in a Willow Park alley in 2014 with their mouths and heads taped. They had been abused for two to three months before their carcasses were discovered.

Nicolino Camardi was given a 22-month sentence for the crimes, the longest penalty given for an animal cruelty case in Alberta.

This Dog was found in a crate in a Calgary storage locker in January. The canine has since found a new family.

This cat was found in a Calgary storage locker in January with tape on its head. The feline has since been adopted out to a loving home.