Dog stolen from Penticton SPCA

PENTICTON – An unneutered male dog was stolen after someone broke into the local branch of the SPCA this week, leaving staff and volunteers very concerned about the dog's welfare.

Someone cut through the compound fence, in addition to cutting a hole in one of the kennel fences, sometime between noon yesterday, Nov. 11, and 8 a.m. this morning, Interim Manager Carolyn Hawkins says.

Myster, a one-year-old unneutered male Cane-Corso Whippet mix received by the society earlier this week, had been taken.

“He came in on Tuesday as an owner-surrender, because they couldn’t find housing to take care of him,” Hawkins says, adding she was alerted early this morning when the dog didn’t appear inside the building.

“When I got to Myster, I didn’t see him, so I went around back and I noticed the fence had been opened up.”

Hawkins says she thought at first the dog might have chewed its way through the fence, but a closer examination revealed the fence had been cut by mechanical means. The fence surrounding the compound had also been opened up near the front of the compound.

“They were very determined to get the dog. They wanted that particular dog, because we have three other ones in their kennels they passed to get to him,” she says.

Hawkins says it's the second break-in the society has had to deal with this year.

She thinks this theft was targeted, and is worried about the dog’s care.

“When people do this sort of thing, they don’t usually have the dog’s best interests in mind. I feel really bad for him. He was already scared when he came in here,” Hawkins says.

Anyone who might have information on the whereabouts of Myster is asked to call the Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300 and the SPCA at 250-493-0136.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.