Skip to content

Duncan man gets suspended sentence in Teddy the dog cruelty trial

Joe also gets lifetime ban on owning animals
19426366_web1_191118-CCI-M-DSC_0285
Kathy Dreilich holds signs against animal abuse in front of the Duncan court house on Nov. 18 as Anderson Joe is sentenced in the case of Teddy the dog. (Robert Barron/Citizen

Anderson Joe will receive a suspended sentence in the death of Teddy the dog on Vancouver Island.

Joe had pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal and failing to provide the necessities of life for an animal on March 18 and was in the Duncan courthouse on Nov. 18 to receive his sentence from Judge Mayland McKimm.

Joe will be on probation for three months in which McKimm instructed that he must keep the peace and be on good behaviour during that time.

He also received a lifetime ban on owning any type of animals or live in a home where animals reside.

RELATED STORY: TEDDY THE DOG TRIAL POSTPONED FOR TWO WEEKS

Defence lawyer Michael Ritzker asked that Joe be given a conditional discharge to prevent him from receiving a criminal record for the first time, but while McKimm acknowledged that Joe has had a hard life and has cognitive disabilities, he said he has a responsibility to send a strong message to society that mistreating animals is not acceptable.

“I have to take a strong public position on animal abuse,” McKimm said.

“Many cases call out for jail sentences, but this is not one of them. Mr. Joe can apply for a pardon at the end of his three month probation and that is a three-year process.”

Joe could have faced a maximum penalty of up to 18 months in prison, a $10,000 fine on top of the lifetime ban on owning animals.

In one of the most profoundly shocking and disturbing cases of abuse the BC SPCA has ever witnessed, special constables seized Teddy in critical distress from Anderson’s property on Feb. 16, 2018.

Meanwhile, Melissa Tooshley, who had pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing to provide the necessities of life for an animal in the same case earlier in the trial, has withdrawn her guilty plea and will be in the Duncan court house on Nov. 21.



robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
Read more