Dog by Dog documentary highlights puppy mill horrors at Calgary screening

Two high profile cases of animal hoarding in Alberta shocked many last year with hundreds of dogs kept in horrible condition but a localanimal rescue group says plenty more are being kept privately, at times inhumanely, and they say that will only changewith education.

• April Dawn Irving, accused Alberta dog hoarder, has history of animal neglect
• AARCS takes over care of 41 neglected dogs surrendered to Alberta SPCA

Hundreds of dogs crammed into cages, filled the screen of Calgary's Globe Cinema Sunday afternoon in a documentary by Chris Ksoll.

"It's legal to keep a dog its whole life in a chicken-wire crate, with no solid flooring, no veterinary care and the cage can be six inches bigger than the dog, for its whole life," Ksoll said.

"That's not OK."

Her film is based in the United States, but Deanna Thompson of the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society says the problem is often hidden here too

"Just here in November there were 45 Shih Tzus that came to our organization in horrendous condition, covered in feces and urine," Thompson said, adding that's why they brought the film to Calgary.

Thompson says there are thousands of dogs across Canada hidden away and used for breeding puppies to be sold online or in stores.

"Whether they have a breeding pair of 10 dogs or a breeding pair of 500 dogs, those animals are still suffering the same way."

The society hopes Albertans will do research before they buy and push for a change in legislation.