A nine month old puppy was found in the RM of Hanover with a slash down to its trachea. Shelter staff pulled more than 200 ticks off the puppy, who also has Lyme disease.
The dog was brought to D’Arcy’s A.R.C. animal shelter for treatment. Police haven't yet determined a cause for the cut and can't confirm neglect as the cause. They also can't confirm who owns the dog.
“To end up in this type of state, to me, it’s just unsatisfactory, it’s unnecessary, and it should never happen,” said shelter CEO, D’Arcy Johnston.
Johnston suspects the gash in the puppy’s throat wasn’t accidental.
“It’s just such a clean cut and it’s just so close to ending her life. And I don’t think it was made from her collar being too tight or rubbing up against a piece of wire or something like that,” he said.
Johnston says the puppy is one of dozens of animals brought to him from the RM of Hanover in the past year.
Lorna Friesen is the animal control officer who found the puppy. She says she hasn’t seen an injury like that in a long time.
“Some people neglect their animals. Mostly we find we have a lot of responsible dog owners, but you do find it occasionally and then you do need to try and deal with it,” Friesen said.
RCMP confirm they received an animal abuse report related to this incident.
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