www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 20, 2013 | 14 Above, Mea, left, puts her paw in the hand of Oakville & Milton Humane Society officer Laura Mackasey after being found heavily emaciated while living in a bitterly cold garage in Milton. The story had a happy ending as Mea was adopted in December 2012. At left, Mackasey says goodbye to Mea. at left photo courtesy of Leash Free Photography above photo courtesy of Oakville & Milton Humane Society Mea sets precedent for future animal abuse cases continued from p.13 cleaning; that's why it took so long," said Dushko. "We weren't going to reopen until we knew we were completely clear of it and had the procedures and protocols in place to make sure we never had to do this again." The episode cost the OMHS approximately $195,000, which included animal care, new equipment and portable buildings -- an acceptable cost said Dushko, since the shelter wouldn't even consider the alternative: to euthanize any animal that tested positive. She likened the outbreak to a natural disaster where OMHS actively fundraised, appealed to donors and received plenty of support from the community to survive the ordeal. "There were some fairly dark days, I'm not going to lie, where we weren't sure if we were going to get past this. It's a very old shelter, which made it very hard to contain and control the outbreak," she said. But during it all, OMHS continued to take in strays and adopt them out, working with local veterinary clinics, boarding facilities and off-site adoption clinics. "Logistically, it was a very challenging time, but so successful at the end of the day, we didn't lose a single animal to ringworm and a lot of animals were adopted while we were There were tears of joy. At the end of the day, to know that we got such a level of justice for Mea and something that will make case law so in the future it will help in other cases like this; it was a huge win for the shelter and Mea. Brenda Dushko OMHS manager of fund development and communications people can't do that to an animal and not pay the price for it." Coyote appearances Meanwhile in January 2012, there was a series of incidents with coyotes in Oakville neighbourhoods -- attacks including those on local dogs, which escalated to an incident in which a young girl was bitten and the offending animal was shot by Halton police. The case, said Dushko, helped define where the OMHS gets involved with urban wildlife. "It was all kind of a grey area before this happened and it helped people understand where we come in, when it becomes a Town or Ministry of Natural Resources issue," she said. "Our area of concern with animals is if they're injured or orphaned. Before that, I don't think people really understood that." Dushko said the OMHS nonetheless feels it has a responsibility to help in educating the public as it wants to be known as a community resource for residents concerned with a case in their own neighbourhood, or involving animal care or behaviour. "We want people to know we are a resource for the community in protection, caring and education," she said. "In all our interests, we're there for the community." closed," she said. Dushko says reopening the shelter was one of the happiest days for OMHS. The case of Mea Another such day came with the case of Mea. The bulldog crossbreed was discovered emaciated in and rescued from a Milton garage in January 2010 and its owners jailed in November 2011 for serious neglect and abuse. The court proceeding made Canadian case law. Mea's owners received the strictest sentence in OMHS history -- 45 days incarcera- tion, two-years probation, and a 10-year ban on owning, caring for or living with an animal. "There were tears of joy," said Dushko. "At the end of the day, to know that we got such a level of justice for Mea and something that will make case law so in the future it will help in other cases like this, it was a huge win for the shelter and Mea." It set a precedent for future cases and will hold people accountable for the wilful neglect and abuse of an animal, she noted. "Hopefully, it will also act as a deterrent to people -- to know there are serious punishments involved," Dushko said. "It shows