A Madawaska Valley man has been banned for life from owning animals after being found guilty on animal cruelty charges.
Frank Froner, 70, had three dogs and 30 cats removed from his property before his conviction. This came after Froner didn’t comply with Ontario SPCA orders to improve the unsanitary conditions and give his animals the care they need.
Froner was found guilty in Pembroke court last week on seven counts of animal cruelty. The charges against him are three counts of permitting distress to an animal, failing to provide adequate and appropriate medial attention, failing to provide sanitary conditions, failing to provide care necessary for general welfare and failing to comply with an Ontario SPCA order. He was also fined $700. He’ll also be required to work with local rescue groups to get the feral cat population on his property under control.
The investigation was launched in October 2016 after a complaint over the well-being of the large number of animals on Froner’s property. When the OSCPA investigator first went to Froner’s Madawaska Valley home, he smelled the strong aroma of ammonia and found multiple cats with upper respiratory infections and two dogs needing immediate medial care.
The lifetime ban on owning pets does not include the three chickens, three rabbits and dog he’s currently caring for.
If you want to report animal welfare concerns, you’re asked to contact the Ontario SPCA at 310-7722.