‘They took my life away’: Calgary woman who had animals seized speaks out

Dozens of animals, including puppies, adult dogs and cats, are being cared for after they were seized from a northwest Calgary home on Sunday.

Forty-two pets were seized from a 24th Avenue N.W. home on Sunday afternoon.

Many of the animals belonged to one of the home’s residents—Siren Bowman.

“They took my life away; those are my children,” the Calgarian said.

All told, police seized 32 puppies, four adult dogs and six cats.

Bowman doesn’t know for sure how many dogs there were in the home but says it was around 30, and that approximately two dozen were puppies.

She is living at the home with a few other roommates, who were also responsible for the pets.

“I had signs even put up in the window, ‘puppies for sale,’ and no one seemed to want them,” Bowman said.

“I had arranged to bring them to AARCS animal shelter because it got to the point where I couldn’t do it no more.”

AARCS says its records indicate “Bowman did get in contact with the shelter. It did offer to take in the puppies when the facility had spots available.”

Around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, police responded to a call for more than two dozen puppies and dogs running around the neighbourhood.

Police, with the assistance of city bylaw, gathered the puppies and put them into warm vans.

According to the Calgary Humane Society, which is leading the investigation, the puppies are still at off-site vet clinics and not in its care.

The notice given to Bowman by police states the pets were in “deprival of adequate shelter, ventilation, space, food, water, veterinary care or reasonable protection from injuries, heat or cold.”

“I was told that they were roaming around outside the fence. Like, OK, I can understand why they got taken for that, but they didn’t need to take all of them. They are not living in a bad environment,” Bowman said.

“I don’t let my animals live in any kind of infestation place.

“I would do anything for them—I would never let them in any kind of harm.”

CTV News spoke with a neighbour, who said they heard the dogs barking at night regularly and the owner screaming at them after they escaped the yard.

The animals were expected to be transported to the Calgary Humane Society by the end of day Tuesday.

The Calgary Humane Society and police continue to investigate.