Quebec provincial police say three people are facing animal cruelty charges in Quebec City in connection with the alleged discovery that adult dogs and puppies were gassed, frozen to death in freezers and hanged in a sled dog company.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said Antoine Simard, 41, Elisabeth Leclerc, 39, and 58-year-old Édouard Parent were charged with animal abuse and neglect in a Quebec court on Thursday after being arrested the previous day.
The investigation into the Expedition Mi-Loup sled dog company in Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Que.  started in April after a tip about adult huskies and puppies found frozen to death in freezers.  Police allege the offenses occurred between 2008 and 2020. 
The dog sled business was featured in a W5 survey in February looking at the dog sled industry.
Shay Lee, an animal rights activist, said she was one of those who notified authorities after speaking with employees of the business.
“Seeing the dog and the puppies in the freezer was really scary, but it was necessary for me to see to be able to expose this injustice,” said Lee, who took photos and videos she said were captured on her property. company as the rescue.
“There are so many of these businesses across Canada. This is not just an evil sled dog kennel. Dogs are being exploited and commodified for human entertainment across Canada and we need to challenge the systems in place to dismantle this the industry.”
Anne Shaughnessy was with Lee and said she was shocked to find out how the animals were euthanized.
“Seeing the rudimentary tool owners did to gas puppies was mind-blowing,” he said.  “Opening a large freezer and finding young and older dogs frozen to death hit me hard. Learning that dogs in Mi-loup were shot, drowned, gassed and hanged shook me to the core.”
The claims have not been tested in court.  The defendants are expected to appear in court on November 16.   
Lee and a team went to the kennel after the raid and said she rounded up about 100 dogs.  He said the group was able to find homes for all the animals.

Husky finds forever home after being rescued from sled dog company Mi Loup, which was raided and closed after several huskies were found dead. SOURCE: Shay Lee