The issue that's come about is in the form of a poorly recorded video posted via youtube. In the video, you can hear the trespassers saying "you just watch around..." while they walk up the driveway(I think, it's hard to tell with the text over the video.) Dogs can be heard barking, and you see 4 dogs in the video - two adults, a pup, and "Cash", which is the dog in question(I'll get to that in a minute). The dogs, border collies, bark, as they are defending their ground. The claim is made that the dogs are left outdoors in kennels, covered by pegboard and tarps.
Now, picking apart the video(our only piece of visual evidence at this point), I find a few issues with it. I watched it several times with a critical eye, and am not entirely sure what's going on. It opens with text over the video, stating it was filmed in 2013(though instead of pulling the video and reposting with the correct information, they simply put a youtube notice over that part). It includes the breeder's address(isn't that giving out someone else's personal information) as well as the temperature and windchill factors, and the number for the Thunder Bay Humane Society. First, we come across black and white border, in a kennel, that is indeed surrounded by peg board and covered with a tarp. We are only shown 2 sides of the kennel, and nothing surrounding it. It may be connected to a building, it may not be... the point is, without showing all four sides, we cannot tell. Then, the videographer moves onto another kennel, showing another black and white border. Again, we're not shown all around the area in the video, simply a brief glance at the dog before they move on. Third, a puppy. For most of this portion of the video, a finger covers the lens, and you cannot see what, exactly, is going on. The camera does seem to be peering through boards, though, so obviously this dog, at least, is not kenneled. Nothing can really be taken from that portion, because the pup is only seen for a split second. Finally, we come to Cash, who is a very lovely looking dog, but not one I'd want to pet. Cash is seen baring his teeth, and heard to be barking and snarling(legitimately growling, not just making noise). Then, for the final 30 seconds or so of the video, we are given slow motion video we have already seen, and then a still of one dog in one of the kennels. In that still, you are able to see three sides of the kennel, but not all 4.
Watching this video has made me feel ill, and not because I feel it shows animal abuse, but because it is visual proof that someone trespassed on this breeder's property when no one was home, and because it wobbles around so much and loses focus so frequently that it caused motion sickness symptoms. Please, people, if you're going to trespass and take videos(I do hope the trespasser was charged, as the land is clearly posted "Private Property" and "No Trespassing"), at least make sure they're watchable, and show what you're trying to show. Otherwise, mean sassholes* like myself will come along and pick them apart.
So, at this point, the RARA's are screaming "HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY DEFEND THIS PERSON" while the breeders are shouting "JUST GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!!" But the whole tale, the information I've been able to gather, has not yet been revealed. In the words of every infomercial person ever, "But Wait!! There's More!!"
Of course, two sides to every story. I'm going to try and present what I've gathered without seeming judgemental(except about that video, because it was filmed horribly!!).
So, Bellaclan breeds Border Collies. She sold a dog, Cash, to Pastime Kennels. He's a lovely red and white border collie, who, according to the Pastime Kennels page, has done well in the show ring. He looks happy in the majority of the photos, healthy, well bred... All that's well and good. Now, according to this complaint on pissedconsumer.com, made by (presumably) Pastime Kennel, Bellaclan requested that Cash be sent back to her, to be shown in Canada, and to be bred. In exchange, Bellaclan sent another show dog to Pastime to be shown there. Now, it seems some time passed, Pastime entered the loaned dog into a show but was not given entry fees(which Pastime claims was part of the agreement). And then, the report came that Cash had bitten someone. No timeline is given on when this bite occurred, however. Pastime states that Bellaclan wanted the dog signed over, and that he needed to be put to sleep for being vicious and dangerous. From there, things get a little confusing. Again, with no time line given, Pastime was refusing to sign the dog over(which, if I understand law correctly, means that Bellaclan was legally unable to neuter and rehome the dog, or have him euthanized.) Cash was in limbo, if he had bit someone, he was unable to be removed from the property or put in contact with the public, for fear of another bite. Pastime refused to sign over the papers, though she does state she was willing for Cash to be neutered and placed in a pet home without children.
Now, for some reason, Pastime just let things go, until August. She claims to have had a report that Cash was seen in a grooming facility with Bellaclan in July, "well after the bite took place", and she states that numerous people told her that the dog bite was actually inflicted by another dog - a poodle mix. In August, she started requesting the dog back again, and that Bellaclan refused to return the dog. Between August and December, apparently nothing more than "give me back my dog" and "no" occurred, according to Pastime. Then, in December, someone who also didn't like Bellaclan was in touch with Pastime, they got together, and apparently it took a week to find the address of the property(elsewhere it's been stated that Bellaclan told Pastime to "come by any time"... if you were inviting someone to drop by any time, wouldn't you provide your address? If you had shipped a dog to someone, wouldn't you have the address it was shipped to?)
So these people went out, wandered the property, took some video footage and left, calling the OPP(Ontario Provincial Police). The OPP intervened, the dog was returned, and now there's a mob mentality towards this Border Collie Breeder.
However, looking at the other side of things. On Facebook, I came across the testimonial of Bellaclan, stating her side of things. According to the post, dated January 7th, the OSPCA and OPP have been to her home several times - two visits from the OSPCA, three from the OPP, and nothing was found wrong. However, that wasn't good enough, and the breeder and her family have been being harassed and attacked, as well as having libelous comments spread across the internet(including 4 other reports on pissedconsumer.com, all of which were made on or around January 12th). She states also her feelings towards the incident with Cash. According to Bellaclan, she has been attempting for months to return Cash, but was stymied by Pastime refusing to agree to her terms - a copy of Cash's rabies vaccination faxed from Pastime's vet to Bellaclan's vet, an original letter stating that Pastime wanted Cash to be picked up by a third party, and a written agreement with said third party that Cash has bit before. She states as well that Pastime admitted via emails that Cash had previously bitten not only the daughter of the owner of Pastime Kennels, but also the daughter's friend. Bellaclan calls Cash unpredictable and dangerous, and wanted to ensure not only that all involved were informed of the bite history, but also wanted to cover her own behind from being sued.
To me, Bellaclan's requests for the release of the dog were not unreasonable, but she reports that Pastime refused to agree to them. However, the end result is the dog was removed, and returned to his owners. I don't know if the requests were met, however if the police were there to witness, they as well were made aware of a bite history.
So, it seems like this was just a problem between two people, right? Two show people got into a tiff that should have remained between them. Only one party posted a video with the supposed dogs in it, and now libelous remarks are being spread all over the internet because of this video that shows nothing, proves nothing. Pastime has most likely(I don't know for sure) stepped away to allow the RARA's to take over, harass the local authorities with the hopes that they will put this kennel out of business. Pastime claims the dog is not vicious, not dangerous, and that Bellaclan was making the whole "bite" story up to regain ownership of the dog.
Now, I'm going to reserve judgement in this situation, because I am not entirely sure what is going on. We have no clear photos, no proper information. We have a lot of he said, she said, a lot of vague "facts" and a lot of, well, nothing. But the RARA's are up in arms anyway, stating this woman is a horrible puppy mill, all her animals should be seized and she should be shut down.
Really, I wish I had a proper timeline of the events. When Cash was sent, when he supposedly bit someone, if/when he was bred(there are claims of up to 5 litters being sired by him while in the hands of Bellaclan). I'd love to see proper photos of the kennels, and an explanation of what was going on in that video. I'd like to know who the third party involved was, what her relation to the situation was - she was apparently also wronged by Bellaclan, though no explanation is ever provided. I would love to know why Pastime waited however long before getting the police involved(August to December, really?) I'd love to know if the trespasser was prosecuted.
Of course, regardless if the allegations are true, regardless if Bellaclan is a pretty face for an ugly truth, I am going to say that this kind of mob mentality is WRONG. It's always wrong. Harassing people, no matter what the reason? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. To think that a breeder(and before people say Oh she's not a breeder, she has a pair of purebred dogs of the same breed in opposite sex, and her website states she is standing Cash at stud, she is a breeder,) would do this to another breeder, would fling mud, stir up the ara's, and even light the freaking torches, sickens me. What Pastime is doing is NOT okay, if you have a problem with another breeder, you talk to them, or the governing bodies regulating breeders, or the SPCA or the Police. And you accept what those superiors(the police, the governing bodies, the spca) say on the matter. You do NOT try and force someone's hand, you do not fling mud and cause these governing bodies to be harassed. Just because the SPCA says on one visit that things are okay, it doesn't mean that they won't show up again and again, to monitor the situation, to try and surprise the breeder at various times.
Finally, I just wanted to say that all this was over a dog who allegedly bit someone. Or three someones. Or no one. The dog has been described as dangerous, unpredictable, sweet, kind, loving... But I can tell you one thing I know for sure, one thing I am absolutely positive is fact...
*Sasshole is a word I've picked up along my travels and fell in love with. As far as I can tell, it's someone who's not a direct asshole, but is an asshole for being a smart mouthed sassy pants.