Richmond rescue shelter pleads with pet owners not to abandon animals after 2nd discovery in 2 days
Pet owners urged to surrender animals, not abandon them
A Richmond, B.C. shelter is urging pet owners not to abandon unwanted animals after a dog and cat were found deserted within a day of each other.
Sunday, a man out for a walk near the Richmond Nature Park heard the sound of a crying dog coming from a ditch and subsequently found a dog had been left abandoned in a double-locked suitcase.
Eyal Lichtmann from the Richmond Animal Protection Society said the dog appears to be a six-year-old poodle, who has since been named Donut.
"It was found in its own urine and feces, so we assumed it had been in there anywhere from three to five hours," he said.
The next day a kitten was found abandoned inside a diaper box in Steveston Community park, with the lid taped shut.
The two incidents are prompting Lichtmann to plead with pet owners to surrender any animals if they can't take care of them.
"They can bring their animals to us," he said, adding that the society has a no kill policy.
Both Donut and the rescued cat — who has been named "Goldie" — are recovering, and Lichtmann says people from across Canada and around the world have offered to take Donut home.
"We even got one from Bali believe it or not, so the news has somehow spread far and wide," he said.
Donut will remain at Richmond Animal Protection Society while the SPCA tries to trace a potential owner.