Two Duncan residents have been charged with animal cruelty toward a dog in what a B.C. SPCA official calls “one of the most profoundly shocking cases of abuse we have ever witnessed.”
The mixed-breed, medium-sized dog died two days after being seized despite medical treatment and around-the-clock care.
The dog had been dubbed Teddy by its rescuers.
“We received a report of a dog in distress and when the constables arrived at the property they found a medium-sized brown dog on a tether that was two inches long, standing in a pile of mud and feces,” B.C. SPCA chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty said.
“As they got closer there was an overpowering stench and they realized not only was the dog severely emaciated but his collar was deeply embedded into his neck, causing massive infection.”
Along with that, the dog’s head had swollen to two to three times its normal size.
“The constables used bolt cutters to free the dog and immediately rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic,” Moriarty said. “The wound from the embedded collar exposed the dog’s trachea and jugular vein — it was horrific.
“This kind of appalling neglect and cruelty is sickening and absolutely unacceptable in our society.”
It appears the collar was put on when the dog was a puppy and never taken off, she said.
Moriarty said she it was an emotional time when she began to look into the case.
“When I was first sent that case and opened it up and saw the suffering that that dog went through, I cried,” Moriarty said. “And I don’t cry easily.”
The B.C. SPCA was alerted to the case by a phone call, she said.
Anderson Joe and Melissa Tooshley face charges. Conviction can lead to a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of $10,000 and a lifetime ban from owning animals.
