Dog found buried alive on Montreal's South Shore Tuesday dies at veterinary clinic

The male boxer found buried alive on Montreal's South Shore Tuesday has died.

The dog died around 4 p.m. Wednesday, despite the best efforts of the veterinarian whose care he was in to save him.

The dog, nicknamed Earthquake and Sugar Ray after he was found Tuesday, had received adoption offers from as far away as B.C. as the story of his discovery spread across Canada.

A passerby heard the sound of whimpering beneath the dirt while walking in Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford, 68 kilometres southeast of Montreal. The only part of the dog visible was his paw.

The injured boxer, at first misidentified as a bull mastiff, was taken in by the local SPCA.

Officials there said it appeared the dog had been strangled and hit with a blunt object before being buried.

• Injured dog found buried alive in field on Montreal's South Shore

The severely injured dog was being cared for at a veterinary clinic in Chambly, and at first, he seemed to be on the road to recovery. 

The Montérégie SPCA posted on its Facebook page that the boxer was eating and drinking water on his own and had feeling in his legs.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, however, veterinarian Madjid Boussouira reported the dog was having difficulty breathing.

Boussouira said he administered medication, adrenaline, a breathing tube and cardiac massage but was unable to save the boxer.

"He died. He didn't suffer," Boussouira said.

"We gave him an injection before to calm him down."

• SQ investigates after 2 dogs found tortured, strangled in Montérégie​

Montérégie SPCA director Linda Robertson said two dogs were strangled in January, in a field near where the boxer was found. Those dogs had been stolen from two different neighbours and were tortured before being killed. 

Provincial police are investigating.