One dog euthanized as A Canine Gem investigation continues

PLATTSBURGH | As the investigation into A Canine Gem continues, one of the 49 dogs rescued has been euthanized due to overwhelming poor health conditions. On Thursday, just days after the Monday raid and mass evacuation of the Beekmantown dog rescue, the Clinton County Sheriff's Office announced the sad news of Oscar's passing. "Oscar was sadly euthanized due to poor quality of life and poor prognosis. He was in congestive heart failure, presumptively secondary to his heartworm disease," the Sheriff's Office said. "His heart was too far diseased to function even if he were able to survive the treatment for heartworms. He was unable to breathe without significant effort and his abdomen was severely distended with fluid. He passed peacefully in his caretaker's arms. This difficult decision was made with consult with the Sheriff's Office, the SPCA and the tending veterinarian." As the Sheriff's Office and Clinton County District Attorney's Office continue to pour over the case, they expect to lodge at least 70 charges against the rescue's owner Hilary Davis under the state's Agriculture and Markets laws. As the public outcry grows and overwhelming community support since now helps guide the Elmore SPCA's ongoing oversight of the care of the remaining 48 dogs, the Sheriff's Office said "We can't state enough how much it means to those involved at the outpouring of support over this case." In addition to financial donations toward the dogs' veterinary care, Elmore SPCA said the shelter could also use large raised washable mesh beds, Marindale collars sized large and medium, slow feed dishes, enrichment toys and puzzles and pooper scoopers. Anyone purchasing for Elmore SPCA from the Tails of the Adirondack in Plattsburgh will receive 20 percent off as part of the store's massive effort of support. Any purchases made for the rescued dogs will be directly picked up from the store by Elmore volunteers, no delivery necessary. Tails of the Adirondacks is one of several local stores that quickly rushed to the cause's need as did Duprey Feed & Supply which quickly delivered a massive truckload of food donations along with financial assistance. Duprey's is also raffling off an Adirondack-style handcrafted table donated by Glen Castine and Robby Duprey with all proceeds donated to Elmore SPCA. Tickets are $10 each and are available at Duprey Feed & Supply on Route 9 in Chazy. The drawing will be held March 15. Begor's Supply in Mooers teamed up with Blue Seal Feeds to also donate 50-pound bags of food and is taking donations for additional food supplies toward the animals' care. The rescued dogs are currently being housed in an underused section of the Clinton County Sheriff's Office's correctional facility. The unique and likely first-of-its-kind effort in the state came ahead of the dogs' rescue after days of coordination and the Elmore SPCA already at capacity. That effort has received praise far and wide in order to facilitate the execution of the search warrant at the highly scrutinized rescue that faced similar neglect allegations in Vermont and other New York communities before relocating to Beekmantown roughly a year ago. The Sheriff's Office is also working to navigate claims that some dogs seized were possibly being boarded at the time. The public is not allowed to view the animals- legally considered evidence in a criminal case and housed in a secure jail facility- nor can any animals be released at the current time as all the records are reviewed and the investigation continues. "We will eventually be addressing those claims and verifying by the business documents in our possession. We must state that any attempt to impede the investigation and to misrepresent any of the facts of this case will be dealt with accordingly," they said in a midweek update. As authorities continue to finalize charges in the case dependent on the dogs' veterinary evaluation and facility records, they expect to file charges in the case as soon as possible. Financial donations can be made directly to Elmore SPCA at https://square.link/u/tDIyBBn9 or on its website at www.Elmorespca.org.

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One dog euthanized as A Canine Gem investigation continues

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