McBride, B.C. – The case of the rescue of the Renshaw horses has come to an end. In court today, Frank McKay, the Edmonton Lawyer who owned the two horses that had been abandoned over a year ago, entered a guilty plea to a single count of Causing an animal to be in distress or continue to be in distress. Two Criminal Code charges,( cruelty to animals and   cause unnecessary   pain/suffering to an animal) were stayed.

The  two horses were spotted stranded in chest deep snow last December.   They had been left in the hills after McKay had tried to retrieve the animals from , but couldn’t reach them, and was in an accident with his horse trailer the second time he tried to  retrieve the animals. At the time he said he decided to “let nature take its course”.

Volunteers from McBride banded together and in bitterly cold conditions, dug a trench, a kilometre long and walked the two horses to safety. The horses, Belle and Sundance, were taken by the SPCA to a recovery farm, and then adopted out to new homes. Both animals have made full recoveries.

In handing down sentence, the Judge said he was taken aback by some of the comments McKay made to the media,   the comments, said the Judge, “Were not professional, especially   coming from someone who is an officer of the Court.”

The Judge also noted that while guide outfitters often abandon horses, the practice is not acceptable and there needs to be a change.

The Judge said that although McKay   did contact authorities when he first went back to the area in September, he should have contacted authorities again when the animals were discovered in deep snow, starving and freezing.

For his sentence, McKay will have to pay a$1,000 fine, pay a$150 dollar victim surcharge, and restitution to the SPCA of $5,910.16. Since the guilty plea was for a charge in B.C., he has been ordered   not to be allowed to own any animals in B.C. for two years, which means he will not be doing any guide outfitting   in this province for that length of time. He has been given one year probation, must undergo counselling , and his statement which was read in court, must be published twice in the   Robson Valley Sentinel.   In that statement, McKay thanked a McBride area outfitter who kept him informed on the   rescue efforts, and offered thanks to the volunteers who  worked so hard to rescue the animals. He said had it not been for the accident (with his horse trailer) he would have joined them in their efforts.

One of the people who was instrumental in the rescue, Brigitte Stutz, says she is   happy  with the outcome. “I never really believed that the Criminal Charges would hold up, but I am glad he has to pay a fine and won’t be allowed to have any animals in B.C. for two years." Brigitte says while the $7,000 dollars in fines and restitution may not be a serious  financial hit for the Edmonton Lawyer, at least the SPCA will get   some funding.

Because the   two criminal  code charges were stayed, 64 year old McKay will not have any issues with the Alberta Legal Bar about practising law.