300 DOGS SEIZED IN GROW-OP RAIDS

About 300 dogs, nearly 30 of them abused by their owners, were seized last
year during police raids on marijuana grow operations in Vancouver.

The dogs, mostly rottweilers and pit bulls, were used to discourage any
interest in the grow-ops and act as a deterrent to break-ins, said acting
Vancouver city pound manager Bob Cristofoli.

"I've had incidents where the guy was trying to train his dog with a
two-by-four," Cristofoli said yesterday.

"It's heartbreaking to think that happens, but it does happen. Dogs are not
property. They're living creatures that need as much affection as you or I do."

The number of dogs seized from grow-ops has been increasing for the past
three or four years since police began cracking down on the problem, said
Cristofoli.

If enough evidence exists to warrant a charge of abuse, the police or SPCA
will proceed with a prosecution, he said. "I don't know of any that have
been successfully completed or closed."