The German shepherd that was strapped in a crate to the back of an RV during a blistering British Columbia heat wave is now being held by animal protection officers.
Motorists snapped images of the panting pooch being towed from the Lower Mainland into the B.C. interior on June 28 and called police.
“We are grateful to the many concerned people who contacted us about this situation,” Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA, said in a statement Friday. “We were able to act quickly to locate the dog and to apply for a warrant to seize him.”
The SPCA seized the dog June 30 and keeping him at an undisclosed location.
The SPCA is recommending charges of animal cruelty. Police are investigating.
Temperatures soared into the 40s when the dog was being driven at highway speeds across the province.
Chortyk says the dog is getting “lots of love and attention from SPCA staff.”
“He is not available for adoption at this time, as we have to follow the legal steps in the process before he is ours to re-home,” she said. “We are truly grateful to everyone who reached out to help this poor dog.”
“We deal with hundreds of calls each summer to rescue pets in distress in hot vehicles, but this situation was definitely a first for us,” Chortyk added.
