Northern Ont. police investigating animal abuse claims as video circulates online

WARNING: Video shows alleged animal abuse This video was shared on the Facebook page of Emma Lacarte of Kirkland Lake. She said shared it on her page in hopes of sparking action.

Police in Kirkland Lake, Ont., confirmed Tuesday they are investigating reports of animal abuse in the community.

A video that has been widely shared online shows the rough handling of a canine, with the handler shouting ‘inspection’ periodically while pulling hard on the leash, jerking the dog’s head upward.

The dark video is shot from a distance, but at one point, the handler pulls the canine off a high table by the leash around its neck and onto the floor, then pulls the dog’s head upward.

Ontario Provincial Police say they have received several reports about the video.

“The OPP is aware of a video and there is an ongoing investigation into the incident,” OPP Const. Ally Marcotte said in an email.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, no other details can be released at this time. An update will be provided once the investigation is complete.”

Tracy Barbe, manager of Kirkland Lake Animal Control, said the video is of Meghan Gignac of Ontario Besser Shepherds.

Barbe said Gignac has deleted all of her social media since the video blew up online on Monday. But Gignac used to have a TikTok page that featured what Barbe called “extreme” training.

For example, in one video a dog is seen standing on four individual beer cans. In another, one is forced to sit on a milk crate.

“Why do dogs need to stand on milk crates?” Barbe wondered, adding that the dog standing on the beer cans appears to be in obvious distress.

FIRST MADE AWARE IN JULY

She said police were first made aware of the video and other concerns in July and have been investigating since then. Barbe said she tried to speak with Gignac about her concerns but Gignac became angry.

“She was going to kick our asses,” Barbe said.

Kirkland Lake resident Emma Lacarte said she saw the video on another page this week and was shocked. She shared it on her timeline in hopes of sparking action.

“I always knew (Gignac) to be a well-known, respected member of our small community. Until I (saw) the video,” Lacarte said in a social media message.

“The video was originally posted on a site on Facebook where I immediately screen recorded it, watched it multiple times and finally said to myself that if these dogs don’t have a voice of their own, I’ll take a small step and post it on Facebook. And WOW did it ever blow up.”

A message to Gignac from CTV News seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday. Her business’s website and social media pages have been deactivated.