The owner of a High River dog daycare pleaded guilty to weapons charges during a court hearing in Okotoks on Friday, but charges of animal neglect stemming from the same incident were dropped.
Justin Stenabaugh, owner of the Dawg Father Daycare & Boarding, was charged with numerous weapons offences after an incident at the kennel on Sept. 3, 2024.
Members of the High River Fire Department were at the kennel to respond to a medical emergency involving Stenabaugh’s girlfriend when they saw loose ammunition and a handgun at the business.
Firefighters notified police and said a 12-year-old boy was also at the business.
High River RCMP arrived and saw ammunition and magazines for a restricted pistol. Other restricted and unrestricted firearms, and over-capacity magazines, were found during a later search of the property.
On Oct. 7, RCMP announced Stenabaugh had been charged with possession of a restricted firearm at an unauthorized place, four counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited device, two counts of careless use of a prohibited device, two counts of unsafe storage of a firearm and animal neglect.
In Okotoks Court of Justice on Feb. 21, Stenabaugh pleaded guilty to two charges: unauthorized possession of a prohibited/restricted weapon and unsafe storage of a firearm. The other charges, including animal neglect, were withdrawn.
Stenabaugh received a 12-month conditional sentence, to be followed by six months of probation, and was handed a 10-year weapons prohibition.
Stenabaugh’s lawyer said her client has worked in dog boarding facilities, pet rescues and animal daycares for the past seven years and faced a loss of employment since the incident.
She said he takes responsibility for his actions, demonstrates remorse and that he wanted to quickly resolve the matter.
Since the incident, Stenabaugh said he’s closed the kennel.
