Blind, diabetic dog put down after being abandoned at Calgary pet store

Someone abandoned a blind, diabetic dog at a pet store in northeast Calgary and now peace officers with the Humane Society are looking for a woman captured on the store's security footage.

The dog had to be put down due to its poor health and "very poor prognosis due to untreated diabetes," the Humane Society said in a news release Thursday.

"Diabetic animals that go untreated suffer immensely," the release said. "Veterinarians determined the dog needed to be euthanized to end its suffering."

The dog was abandoned on Feb. 21 at the Sunridge Petland store.

On Thursday, the Calgary Humane Society released an image from the store's surveillance cameras of a woman who appeared to have something "concealed in her jacket."

"Within minutes, she leaves with the jacket loose and open," the release said. "Soon after, store staff discovered a blind and immobile dog left behind."

The dog was seized by the humane society.

'Irresponsible, inappropriate'

"While some may see this as a semi-responsible abandonment as it was done indoors at a pet store, it remains irresponsible, inappropriate and criminal," Brad Nichols, the humane society's senior manager of animal cruelty investigations, said in a release.

"There are a multitude of veterinary clinics in the area, as well as the services of Calgary Humane Society that could have been utilized rather than dumping an elderly, blind dog in unfamiliar surroundings."

Nichols said the humane society wants to talk to the woman in the video "to further understand the actions taken" that day, and hopes the public can help identify her.

If you have any information about this case, the humane society asks that you contact them at 403- 205-4455 or calgaryhumane.ca.