PICTOU, N.S. — A man charged with multiple counts of cruelty to animals has entered a guilty plea with the Pictou provincial court.
In February 2019, SPCA officers entered a home in Pictou County where David Oakley was living and discovered the bodies of seven dogs and two adult live dogs.
According to court reports, and neighbors who reported receiving messages from Oakley after the incident, Oakley used an axe to kill the dogs.
“He hit them in the head with the blunt part of an axe,” a neighbor of Oakley’s told The News last February. “He couldn’t afford to keep them, nobody would take them and he couldn’t afford to take them to the vet to get them put down.”
Shortly after the incident, which occurred on Feb. 14, Oakley took to Facebook where he admitted to killing the dogs.
Oakley, 55 was renting the property in Pictou County. According to property owner Brenda MacLean, Oakley moved out in April. MacLean told The News that Oakley had been behind on his rent.
Since his first scheduled court date on April 29, there have been groups of people rallying outside Pictou Provincial Court demanding harsher sentences for people who commit crimes against animals.
A petition that has gained over 5,000 signatures calls for first-time offenders to receive one year in jail plus a $25,000 fine.
“We’re not going to tolerate animal abuse anymore,” said Brenda Gerrior, who organized the rally on April 29. “I feel like I’m part of the problem if I’m not saying anything.”
Gerrior also told The News that Oakley had opportunities to find homes for the unwanted dogs.
“In today’s society, there’s no excuse for not asking for help.”
Defence lawyer Elizabeth Cooper, appeared on Oakley’s behalf June 10 and entered the guilty pleas to charges of wilfully causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
He will appear in Pictou provincial court for sentencing on July 24.
According to the SPCA, one of the dogs taken from Oakley’s home has been adopted by a veterinarian who treated it. The dog, whose name is Meeka, has recovered. The second dog, Buscuit is currently in the SPCA Palliative Care Program.
