Thursday, August 13, 2009

Paws R Us is the largest commercial dog breeder in Canada

And they're proud of it.

From USABreeders.com, a press release on behalf of Paws R Us Kennel:

LARGEST COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDER IN CANADA FOUND NOT TO BE A "PUPPY MILL" BY OTTAWA COURT

Counsel for the Plaintiffs, Luc Barrick, is pleased to announce that the Plaintiffs, James, Charlene and Nicole Labombard, carrying on business as Paws "R" Us Kennel, were successful in their Small Claims Court Action against the Defendant Lorie Dixon, a.k.a. Lorie Gordon.

Paws "R" Kennel is a commercial dog breeder, operating in Shawville, Quebec and run by the Labombard family. They take great pride in their puppies, as well as taking great care of them.Countless visitors and clients of the Kennel have complemented the Kennel for its size and cleanliness, the dogs for their friendliness and social skills, and the family for their sincere concern and care for the dogs. Paws "R" Us is the largest commercial dog breeder open to the public in Canada.

Lorie Dixon is a past client of the Kennel, who wrongfully alleged that the Kennel was a puppy milland proceeded to defame the Kennel on various Internet discussion boards.

In making his decision, which is attached to this Press Release, Deputy Judge M. Galligan, of theSuperior Court of Justice (Small Claims Court) at Ottawa, made the following findings:

• It is common ground that the term "puppy mill" used in this sense is derogatory.
• Having reviewed all of the evidence led by the parties, he found that Paws "R" Us is not a"puppy mill" within the definitions which have been used for purposes of description, and that Paws "R" Us is wrongly described in that respect.
• Not only has the Defendant defamed the Plaintiffs, but the defamation is worsened by the use of the internet, which is said to be not only different, but more serious for purposes of damages than defamation in other media.
• The Defendant's action is particularly malicious in that her purpose was to close the business of the Plaintiffs', notwithstanding that she knew it to be the source of income and support for a family of some eleven persons.
• In view of all of the circumstances, there will be Judgment for the Plaintiffs for damages in defamation, for interference with economic interests, and for interference with contractual relations in the amount of $10,000, plus costs.
• He found no liability on the part of the Plaintiffs in respect of the Defendant's dog's care and the Defendant's Claim is dismissed without costs.
• The Plaintiffs shall have costs of this action against the Defendant consisting of a counsel fee of $3,000, plus $1,000 on account of disbursements and post judgment interest at the court rate from the date from which this judgment is issued.

Any further inquiries can be directed to Luc Barrick, Counsel for the Plaintiffs, by email at lbarrick@barricks.ca or on his cell phone at (613) 282-3553.


We all know this is a travesty.

Lorie Gordon needs to appeal this. She needs to appeal not only for herself but also for the future pups who are going to be born into that place. She needs to appeal in order to stand up for our right to express opinions on-line which are counter to business interests who can afford lawyers to shut people down whenever they so choose.

Update:

An appeal date has been set for May 18 2011. A Toronto firm will be representing Ms. Gordon pro bono.

(For coverage of the Sept. 17, 2011 seizures at Paws R Us, please go here. For post on November 24 court decision against Paws R Us regarding HSI raid, go here.)

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why haven't SPCA's and Humane Societies developed a definition of a "Puppy Mill" that is objective based on numbers first and on conditions second?

Fred said...

I think regardless of whose definitions are used, if the judge chooses to take industry (eg. PIJAC) interpretations of the definition over the interpretations of officers of the SPCA, then the animals will always lose.

The hope with an appeal is to get the case before a less pro-business judge.

Meaghan Edwards said...

What rubbish. What would it take to shut these people down?

Anonymous said...

It is people like you that dont take anything you read online with a grain of salt that cause most of our worlds problems.
A judge is a judge for a reason, if after looking at all of the information on both sides that was his ruling then he was probably right.
Just because someone has a certain number of dogs does not mean it is a puppy mill. It is the conditions and treatment of the animals that define a puppy mill, so as long as they treat their dogs well and keep them in good health why should someone that cannot afford $800-$1000 for a puppy be able to have the right dog for them at a better price?

Anonymous said...

My family and I just visited this awful place yesterday. We responded to an ad on Kijiji adverstising a wire fox terrier puppy for sale. We had no idea of the type of place we were going to. It was extremely dirty, there was garbage and garbage bags strewn everywhere and the smell of feces was horrid. I was almost sick. I cannot believe that this "business" is allowed to operate legaly. There had to have been a thousand dogs/puppies. There were three barns full of them. I saw no evidence of anywhere for the dogs to be allowed outside. There were water and food dishes overturned. The dogs faces were filthy. I am so disgusted and disheartened as a dog lover to see a place like this.

Anonymous said...

The appeal is Dec 14 2011

Anonymous said...

GUESS WHAT, AS I AM WRITING THIS THE PAWS R US "KENNEL" IS BEIMG SHUT DOWN!!!!! WATCH THE NEWS THEY ARE BEING BROUGHT DOWN BY HSUS AND local authorities!

Anonymous said...

They were just shut down AGAIN today, Sep. 16, 2011. Waiting to see a news report on it. A local rescue contact of mine who has gotten some of their "retired" breeding dogs just posted the info on a list I'm on.

Anonymous said...

Paws "R" Us has been shut down!

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/More+than+dogs+seized+from+kennel+Quebec+Owners+were+previously+investigated+over+conditions/5416604/story.html

Katherine said...

Perhaps considering the kennel has been now shut down, Ms. Gordon will get her money back. Kudos to Ms. Gordon for seeing that Kennel for what it really is. It's unfortunate that the authorities didn't realize it sooner.

Anonymous said...

My mother got duped by this place a couple of years ago. She went based on a newspaper ad and I went with her. The place was filthy and stunk so bad you could hardly breath, and a number of the dogs had sores, sunken eyes, were scrawny, and had missing patches of hair. We wanted to run screaming from the place but felt so bad leaving this tiny defenseless pup there who had already been taken from here mother too young. While we didn't want to support them, it made us sick to think of leaving her there to suffer more. We understood there was a chance we could be faced with vet bills due to her breeding and lack of care but just hoped we got her out in time. We got lucky with her health-wise but she's always been and likey always will be a nervous wreck. If I'd had the money or clout I would have taken every one of those hundreds of dogs with us to save them. Thank god they're shut down - people like that should be caged up and treated as poorly as they've treated what they refer to as their "livelihood" that they apparently care about. Makes you wonder about how they treat their kids....

Anonymous said...

Wow - can't believe it took all those years to shut this puppy mill down - what was the Judge thinking with regards to Lorrie's case - she deserves an apology and a refund- i purchased a puppy 6 years ago from a place in Quebec and my poor little puppy was sick several days later and ended up costing me thousands of dollars - i later found out she came from a puppy mill

Me said...

After getting a dog from Paws R Us (also having no idea what it was like before we went there... and how could we not take one puppy to save it from that place?), I was so relieved to hear they were shut down.

Here's another article link below.

Rebecca Aldworth is the humane society’s executive director. Speaking by phone from the kennel on Saturday evening, where barking dogs were still being loaded into rescue vehicles, Aldworth said the animals “were denied their most basic rights and lacked adequate socialization.”

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Animal+welfare+workers+still+busy+seizing+dogs+from+Quebec+kennel/5419954/story.html


I sure hope Lorie wins her appeal!

Anonymous said...

This is welcome news. Finally this place is shut down. We have a Wheaton who came from this puppy mill 18 months ago. He was sold as a perfect purebred for 600 dollars. He has severe defects in his rear hip, leg and paw. We got him free from someone in Quebec off Kijiji. We are his 4th owners. We've had a lot of behavior problems with him especially agression. He has settled in nicely with us finally after 6 months with us. Seems like most pups from there end up rescue dogs like ours. Hope these guys are out of business for ever!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Why even buy an animal from a breeder ever!?

Do you know how manny dogs are in shelters waiting for their forever homes? Thousands of perfectly healthy, happy dogs get put down each year because people want designer dogs to match their designer purses.

If you really want a pure breed dog (read: genetically weakened) please go to any of the many independent rescue organizations.

You would never buy a child if you wanted to adopt, so why is it ok to buy dogs?

Anonymous said...

As well as animal abuse charges...how about tax evasion and false advertising...Lets see some testimonials from 'the countless visitors who complimented the kennel for its size and cleanliness, the dogs for their friendliness and social skills and the family for their sincere concern and care for the dogs"... what a joke...shut it down and go after them for tax evasion...hit them where it really hurts...they probably all ready spent the ten grand they won from a bogus law suit....

Anonymous said...

Why do you think there are so many pets in shelters? It's puppy mills, backyard breeders who slap any ol' dog with any ol' dog for puppies, and pet stores.

I do not blame true responsible breeders for this and do not believe that responsible breeders should be taking the hit for the irresponsible pet sources out there.

Pet stores should not be allowed to sell pets, but should offer references of reliable breeders (not puppy mills) only, or have pets from shelters up for adoption only.
Backyard breeders, puppy mills, and pet stores who sell wholesaled pets, should be stopped. Responsible breeders should not. If you took all those others away, you would find a lot less animals in shelters, I am sure.

Anonymous said...

For all the people who went to Pups R Us and left with a pup... This was the biggest mistake you could have made.

These company bank on your pitty for dogs and made money out of you. I admit, leaving was tough, but you should have left without giving a penny to them and file a complain with SPCA.

If you do want to save a pupp, go to a rescue shelter. Paying a puppy mill to rescue a dog is financing the mistreatement of more dogs...

Next time think about it before you support a puppy mill... and remember, they wouldn't exist if people wouldn't buy.

Anonymous said...

Well if reports are correct these slugs have been busted again. Hopefully this time the low lifes will lose their animals permanantly. I hope they are ruined. There is new legislation set to further inhibit this type of animals pimping.

Ralph said...

You idiots, where are you gonna get your dogs. Now you will have to purchase from someone that is not monitored. You people like to watch the news and see sick dogs that are not even off this farm, they show this to pull at your heart strings. Of course the farm stinks a little bit. Have you ever been on a dairy beef or pig farm. I like the comments that you had to save the dogs and that they could have cost you money with the vet but it didn't. I hope all you tree huggers and gouverment workers have a wonderfull day doing nothing except ruining other peoples lives. Ralph Lang i'm a pissed off buisness owner. Media and tree huggers suck

Ralph's mom said...

Now now Ralphie, calm down before you have heart attack. Oh right, you don't have a heart. never mind. There are loads of places we can get our dogs other than from puppy mills and if you can't figure that out then who's the idiot? What's your business? Pet shop owner? You sell puppy mill pups? Is that why you're all red in the face?

Anonymous said...

This place was just shut down and all the over 400 animals were removed by the Humane Society. The veterinarians said they had never in all their years seen such horrible conditions. There were some pretty sick animals, I saw on video with my own eyes. This IS a puppy mill, no doubt about it and now they've finally been brought to justice and will have to prove they are not!
See the following link:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/09/17/humane-society-raids-outaouais-breeder

Anonymous said...

Ms. Gordon deserves her money back and a medal.

lucy said...

hahahahaha...I'm a government worker, AND a tree hugger, AND a dog lover. And guess what Ralphie? This time, WE win. Too bad we couldn't put you in a cage with your own feces for a couple of years...now THAT'S a happy picture!

Anonymous said...

I got a Wheaton from these horrible people. Yes I was a little naive and got him at 8 months from Kijiji. Nicole was posing as a foster home that fostered dogs for a very reputable breeder. The poor dog was totally unsocialized ...just barked and hid for days. We spent lots of money and time trying to just be able to live with him. He has turned out to be a great family dog for us but he is still very frightened of strange people...barks runs and pees. Watching all of videos of the hell these dogs lived in was so sad and helped me to understand my poor dog even more. The physical problems are all so sad but hopefully most of those can be treated...it is the antisocial behaviour that stays forever. I can totally understand why these dogs get passed around or sent to shelters...
From all that I have now read about this place I am totally shocked that nothing was done to shut this place down a long time ago.
Watching the Minister of Agriculture talking about how she didn't know this was so big a problem was shocking!! It was all there in black and white...maybe one of them should have visited the mill.
I think the Lombombards are very greedy and cruel people.... but I don't think the government or the vets should be off the hook just yet.

Anonymous said...

I'm still in shock over the Paws R Us Kennel story. How can people be so cruel to such harmless beautiful creatures. I am writing a letter to the owners: Charlene/Nicole Labombard, Rd C53 Parkman, Shawville, Quebec,J0X X(819) 647-3123. ... to ask why. Why did they do it.
Thank you for listening.
Sharon Lindstedt

Anonymous said...

I'm still in shock over the Paws R Us Kennel story. How can people be so cruel to such harmless beautiful creatures. I am writing a letter to the owners: Charlene/Nicole Labombard ... to ask why. Why did they do it.
Thank you for listening.
Sharon L

Anonymous said...

Our vet herself contacted us tonight to say that if the Humane Society International does not receive enough OFFICIAL complaints and people willing to testify, that it is very likely that Paws R Us WILL get their dogs back.

We have sent a letter of complaint to info@hsi.org. I encourage you to do the same, if you visited Paws R Us or got a dog from there.

Please spread the word!

Anonymous said...

I am a dog lover And truly believe That people who abuse , mistreat animals should be punished. Jail Time is what they deserve. The government has to wake up And stop all this ...its all about money, thèse people don t care if the dogs are suffering its Money......I Will pray That the judge helps thèse dogs ......they can't talk......love you doggies....

Anonymous said...

The dogs at paws r us were not taken care of. I have an example......fur that is all tangled up In knots, dog CAN hardly walk, and seems In a daze....was In really bad shape.....it is just like humans, when we don t feel well people CAN notice and I saw this poor dog amongst many others suffering.....if there is justice In this world the judge Will see this. If I was the judge the people of paws r us would already be In a discusting dirty cage In the dark for a very very very very very long time.

Anonymous said...

LABOMBARD From paws r us ......you Will Lose In court if there is justice.........how dare you's treat thèse animals like that.......you deserve Nothing but the worst....

Leanne said...

You people disgust me and you should never be allowed to own another animal again as long as you both should live. You do NOT deserve to be in the presence of any animal whatsoever!!

Lorie said...

Thanks everyone for the support, please know I didn't pay any money to the Labombard family that the Judge ordered because I have a chance to appeal first. Yes I have waited almost 3 years for my appeal to get to court, now the date is March 21 in Ottawa, the case in Quebec is March 8th please ateend if you can. I will update the public after my court date or if anything happens before such date. Again thank you, we all have one goal with this "kennel" that is very clear.

Take Care
Lorie

sassy said...

Two year Ban, and then they will probably start to abuse dogs again.

Neither Charlene Labombard nor her daughter Nicole was at a Gatineau court Friday when the case was resolved, but their lawyer was present and spoke on their behalf.

The owners of a puppy mill in west Quebec have agreed to abide by a court order and not own more than three pets or operate a kennel for the next two years

Both women pleaded guilty to 17 charges related to animal cruelty.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LIFE TIME BAN ON OWING ANY PET - that's the only way to prevent them from doing it all again - and they will try.

sassy said...

Good news (if we can trust her word?)

From this article (emphasis mine)

"Even after the two-year ban on owning a kennel expires, Labombard said, she wouldn’t ever return to dog breeding."

The same article mentions that Mrs. Labombard's husband passed away last year. As much as I detest how this woman treats dogs, I do offer my condolences on her loss.