PEI

Owner pleads guilty to inadequate care after bleeding dog euthanized

William Sheldon Wheatley, 63, is slated to be sentenced Thursday under P.E.I.'s Animal Welfare Act. The incident took place in May 2017.

The terrier mix was brought to AVC 'bleeding badly' from tumour

A dark-red building with a sign saying "Provincial Court of Prince Edward Island."
The dog was found in May of 2017 in Dunstaffnage, P.E.I. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

A P.E.I. man is slated to be sentenced Thursday in provincial court in Charlottetown for failing to provide proper care to his dog.

The dog, a terrier mix, had to be put down by staff at the Atlantic Veterinary College due to heavy bleeding from a mammary tumour, according to facts read out in court Monday.

"The dog was bleeding badly," Crown prosecutor Jeff MacDonald told court during a brief hearing.

William Sheldon Wheatley, 63, pleaded guilty Monday to failure to provide adequate care to an injured or sick animal.

Dog taken to AVC

According to facts read in court, the incident happened in May of 2017.

The dog was found by a man in Dunstaffnage who put a bandage on the animal's wound. The dog was taken that day to the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) in Charlottetown.

Staff at AVC identified a mammary tumour as the cause of the bleeding and made the decision to euthanize the animal.

A woman called the vet college the following day and identified her father as the owner of the dog, MacDonald told court.

Wheatley was subsequently charged under P.E.I.'s Animal Welfare Act.

He did not have a lawyer with him Monday and has not yet had an opportunity to tell the court his side of the story.

The case was adjourned until Thursday for sentencing by Judge John Douglas.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Higgins

Former CBC videojournalist

Brian Higgins joined CBC Prince Edward Island in 2002, following work in broadcasting and print journalism in central Canada. He follows law courts and justice issues on P.E.I., among other assignments. He retired in 2023.