Peace Officer Karen Stevenson ensures she brings compassion for both people and animals to every file she investigates. She knows mental health challenges are a part of most animal neglect situations, and she ensures that she treats the owner with dignity and respect as she works to improve conditions for animals.
One of Karen’s investigations in 2019 involved over 140 cats in one small home.While the situation was less than ideal, she also recognized the animals were in relatively good condition and that the owner had been sacrificing his own care in order to care for all of the cats.The owner needed help.
Karen worked with the owner to understand that the cats would soon suffer if the situation was not addressed. She allowed him to help choose which cats to remove from the property first, and to help get them into kennels. The process took over a month, but eventually most cats were removed and re-homed through a local shelter. The owner was left with a small number of animals that he could appropriately care for, and he was offered mental health supports to help ensure he did not return to such a potentially grave situation again.
Mental Health Helpline
1-877-303-2642
You can find mental health supports in your area of Alberta by heading to the Alberta Health Services website.
