Abused dogs and cat investigated by BC SPCA
WARNING: This story contains images some readers may find disturbing
The BC SPCA is investigating three cases of animal cruelty in the southern interior, as the province observes Animal Cruelty Prevention Day.
In one incident in Chase, a German shepherd puppy is recovering from multiple pellet gun wounds, after the four-month-old dog was found cowering in the bushes in a provincial park.
In a second incident, a Cranbrook cat is facing extensive dental surgery after it was shot in the face with a pellet gun.
In a third incident, a small dog was found dead near Revelstoke, after someone left it locked in a dog crate at the end of mountain road.
Senior animal protection officer Const. Kathy Woodward said in statement that a member of the avalanche control safety patrol found the large cardboard box at a truck turn-around on the western boundary of Glacier National Park.
“Inside the box was a dog crate containing a deceased terrier-cross dog.”
"There was feces inside the crate, leading constables to believe that the dog, who was tan in colour and had no identification, was alive when abandoned," said the statement.
“A dog of this type should weigh approximately 35 pounds, but this poor dog weighed a mere 11 pounds. A necropsy is being carried out but it would appear that the dog was starved to death.”
The BC SPCA is asking anyone with information about the case to please contact the animal cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722.
Sled dog slaughter led to B.C. memorial day
BC SPCA manager Lori Chortyk says the cases are all disturbing.
"It's always hard for us to understand why anyone would inflict suffering on animals."
Chortyk says B.C.'s Animal Cruelty Prevention Day was launched in 2011, after a private citizen requested a provincial proclamation as a memorial to 56 sled dogs in Whistler, B.C., who lost their lives on April 23, 2010.
Robert Fawcett pleaded guilty in the slaughter of nine of the sled dogs after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
He was sentenced to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, a $1,500 fine, a 10-year firearms ban and a three-year ban on any commercial involvement with animals.
B.C.'s Animal Cruelty Prevention Day is meant to highlight what people can do to bring attention to animal abuse.
"We want people to know that it's not acceptable to inflict suffering on animals in British Columbia," said Chortyk, noting people convicted of animal abuse face could face jail time.
In addition to investigating more than 7,000 complaints a year of animal abuse, the SPCA is also promoting programs for youth that try to foster respect for animals.
With files from Brady Strachan