SPCA charge Vancouver Island pair after ‘shocking’ animal cruelty

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Two people from Duncan have been charged with animal cruelty after the B.C. SPCA seized a dog in critical distress nearly a month ago. 

“This is one of the most profoundly shocking and disturbing cases of abuse we have ever witnessed,” says Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA in a release.

She says when they found the dog Feb. 16 it was tethered in place on a line only inches long, standing in mud and feces, it's head swollen. 

“As (special constables) got closer there was an overpowering stench and they realized that, not only was the dog severely emaciated, but his collar was deeply embedded into his neck, causing massive infection,” Moriarty says. 

“The constables used bolt cutters to free the dog and immediately rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic,” Moriarty says. “The wound from the embedded collar exposed the dog’s trachea and jugular vein – it was horrific.” 

Despite extensive emergency treatment and around the clock-the-clock care, the dog succumbed to his critical condition two days later.

If convicted, Joe and Tooshley face a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine and up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.

“This kind of appalling neglect and cruelty is sickening and absolutely unacceptable in our society,” says Moriarty.

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