Animal shelter turned into a ‘house of horrors’

updated 7:27 a.m. CT, Tues., March. 16, 2010
For years, the Toronto Humane Society bragged of its low euthanasia rate — only 6 percent, compared with other big-city shelters that put down 50 percent or more of the animals they accept.
But that impressive statistic was hiding a dark secret, according to criminal charges laid against its top officials. The "model" animal shelter was actually what one investigator called a "house of horrors" — a place where infections ran rampant, animals lived in filthy conditions, food was scarce and a no-euthanasia policy led to sick animals suffering and dying without adequate medical care...