Fort St. John woman facing animal endangerment charges

At approximately 11:40 a.m. Grande Prairie RCMP found the remains of a kennel and small dog in a fire pit, near the trailer Holden was occupying. According to witnesses, another dog may have been injured as well, but escaped into the surrounding wooded area. Police have been unable to locate the second dog, and based on the injuries described, it's believed it would have died from its injuries. The remains of the dog in the fire have been sent to Saskatchewan for a necropsy.

RCMP say Holden was intoxicated at the time of her arrest, and that she and her partner may have had an argument, and the partner had left before police arrived. She has since been released on a number conditions, including that she may not own or possess any dogs. She now faces two counts of injuring or endangering animals and two counts of causing animals unnecessary suffering, and is expected to enter her plea in September.

Grande Prairie RCMP say they were being reactive to the case, in delaying releasing information to the media.

"Pet owners are passionate about their animals," explains Media Relations Officer Corporal Roy Kennedy and we didn't want to convict this person in the court of public opinion prior to all the facts being determined in court, but we're not going to deny the investigation."