Moose Jaw man loses emotional support dog amid homelessness struggle

MOOSE JAW — Michael Vernon’s situation has gone from bad to worse, as not only is he homeless, but his doctor has increased his medication because authorities seized his emotional support animal.

Vernon, 50, has lived with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-concussion syndrome since 2008 and has owned Maverick, a Doberman pincher, for six years. The dog has been his emotional support animal for the last six months.

The man has been living on Moose Jaw’s chilly streets for weeks after Capilano Court evicted him in early February, although he stays overnight at Willow Lodge. It was during the most recent string of freezing temperatures that he was forced to give up his dog.

Vernon alleged that he was at a downtown coffee shop on Feb. 18 when members of the Moose Jaw Police Service’s Police and Crisis Team (PACT) and the humane society “surrounded” him and demanded he give up Maverick because they had allegedly received “many calls” from concerned residents about the animal’s welfare.

“They were very polite about it,” the resident said, noting he had the proper paperwork for Maverick.

Vernon says the incident traumatized Maverick, which forced a veterinarian to give the animal Gabapentin to calm it down. Furthermore, the humane society — acting on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) — said it would assess the dog to determine whether it was violent as Capilano Court claimed.

The agency also planned to give the animal all its necessary vaccines and insert a GPS microchip.

“The SPCA has told me it is illegal to put an animal onto the street in this weather. They should have waited another month or two to make the move for warmer weather,” said Vernon. “The SPCA said this is blatant, blatant animal abuse.”

Meanwhile, because of his housing situation, Vernon sustained frostbite on his cheeks and nose, while his doctor doubled the amount of Valium he was taking because of the loss of his emotional support animal.

“So everything’s falling apart for me,” Vernon said, adding he allegedly won’t receive Maverick until he has stable housing.

Vernon noted that his situation caught the attention of Don Ferguson, the executive director of the Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS). Ferguson is allegedly determining whether the seizure of Maverick is illegal and is talking to lawyers.

Ferguson is also allegedly looking for an explanation from Capilano Court about what it meant in its eviction letter about not allowing “canines in the facility.”

Vernon said the Saskatchewan Housing Authority has apparently found him a temporary place to live in Mossbank, but he can’t move in until mid-March. He said he’s grateful that he will soon be housed, even if that community lacks a food bank and transportation.

MooseJawToday.com was unable to reach the Saskatchewan Housing Authority for comment on this story.

When reached for comment, Ferguson said Vernon reached out to APSS to potentially investigate the situation under the Animal Protection Act. However, since that investigation was still ongoing, he could not comment any further.

“I’m really limited obviously on what we can say at this point,” he added.

When reached for comment, Dana Haukaas, executive director of the humane society, confirmed that the agency took Maverick but at Vernon’s request since he had nowhere to live. Moreover, the man checks on his animal daily through phone calls.

“We do emergency boarding for people often in the city,” she said, such as for people who enter the hospital or spend the night in jail.

Haukaas added that Vernon was expected to retrieve Maverick soon.

A spokesman for the MJPS said he couldn’t confirm any recent reports of officers removing or finding temporary shelter for an animal. He referred all comments to APSS or the SPCA.