Article content

An animal abuse case in which a Calgary couple was living in a house with piles of rabbit feces up to 45 centimetres deep were fined a total of $12,000 Thursday for failing to properly maintain 91 pets.

Anthony and Christine Berry had earlier pleaded guilty to a single charge of neglect under the Animal Protection Act.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Couple fined $12,000 for failure to care for 91 pets in filthy home Back to video

Following their March 9 guilty pleas, Crown prosecutor Gord Haight described the conditions of the couple’s Erin Woods home as discovered by investigators.

“The conditions were of grave concern,” Haight told provincial court Judge Allan Fradsham.

“The family room was covered in approximately two inches of rabbit feces, there was a strong odour of rabbit urine and feces which was at various times described by those who attended as overpowering.”

Calgary Humane Society

Haight said investigators found 69 rabbits, 20 hamsters, a dog and a cat in the house, the majority of which had to be euthanized.

He said the couple’s basement was in even worse condition.

“The entire basement was covered in approximately one to 1 1/2 feet of compressed rabbit feces,” Haight said.

“The basement ceiling was a blanket of spider webs.”

Both Haight and defence lawyer Paul Brunnen jointly requested a $6,000 fine for each offender.