Neighbours could hear them.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had been receiving calls about dogs crying and whining inside a home in Fort McMurray's Gregoire neighbourhood.
"The complainant believed that the animals were in distress at the time," bylaw manager Aaron Anderson told CBC News. "Our officers attended the location and made several attempts to contact the residents, without any success."
On Tuesday, bylaw officers applied for a search warrant under Alberta's Animal Protection Act and were granted one the same day.
They found 97 small-breed dogs living inside.
"Officers spent several hours safely removing the animals and transported them to the Fort McMurray Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)," Anderson said.
All 97 were rescued. Charges are pending against the dogs' owner.
Anderson called it one of the largest rescues the community has seen.
What the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is asking people to do
The Fort McMurray SPCA asked people not to come to the shelter.
"We understand that everyone is curious and wants to see the new arrivals," the agency posted Friday. "But allowing people to come in and visit right now would add additional stress and make it much more difficult for our team to focus on getting 97 animals safely settled and cared for."
It isn't accepting foster requests for these dogs yet either, though the response has been substantial.
"I do see a huge list of fosters coming in, so we're going to be reaching out to each and every one of them," said Schneider of the Fort McMurray SPCA. "We just need time."
She hopes to have at least half the dogs in foster homes by the end of next week.
What the shelter does want is help with the animals already there. Schneider asked community members to come walk some of the larger dogs, and to help with dishes and laundry around the facility, taking pressure off staff dealing with 97 new arrivals.
"Fort McMurray is awesome," she said. "They will step in and help."
Adoption is months away
Each dog requires a medical examination, which could include vaccinations and spaying or neutering.
The municipality said it could take months before the animals are ready for new homes, and the SPCA will announce when they are.
What happened in similar Alberta cases
Two previous seizures give a sense of how these unfold.
In March 2017, Alberta SPCA officers seized 101 dogs from a home in Lethbridge's Varsity Village neighbourhood, mostly Pomeranians, Chihuahuas and mixes of the two. Neighbours said they hadn't known the dogs were there. A 61-year-old man was later charged with causing or permitting dogs to be in distress, and the dogs went to the Lethbridge Animal Shelter for a hold period before adoption.
In April 2017, the Alberta SPCA took more than 200 animals from a property in Vulcan County, including 131 dogs. Two dogs had parvovirus and had to be euthanized. Most were eventually adopted out through the Calgary Humane Society and the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society.
Twenty-three of the dogs were also returned to the owner, who was facing animal cruelty charges at the time. County bylaws permitted three adult dogs per property, and the animals under 12 months old weren't covered by the bylaw.
Wood Buffalo's own bylaws would govern any similar decision here.
What the municipality is asking
Wood Buffalo urged people to report animal welfare concerns, which is how this case started.
It also made a point about owners who are struggling.
"If you are unable to rehome your animal, bylaw services can help," the municipality said. "Surrendering a pet is an understandably difficult decision, but it's an important step to ensure an animal's well-being."
Surrendering isn't free of consequence, but it's a considerably better outcome than a seizure, and the municipality is explicitly offering it as an option before things reach that point.
How to help
The Fort McMurray SPCA is the place to direct anything.
Right now that means physical help at the shelter with the animals already there, not the new arrivals. Foster applications for the 97 will open when the shelter is ready, and the agency has said it will contact everyone who's expressed interest.
The SPCA posts updates on its Facebook page.
To report an animal welfare concern in the region, contact Wood Buffalo bylaw services.
Sources
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, statement and comments from bylaw manager Aaron Anderson
Fort McMurray SPCA
Alberta Animal Protection Act
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