The SPCA is recommending charges against a man who allegedly sent fake tips about a missing dog to its distraught owner in Maple Ridge.

The man, whose name hasn’t been released, has admitted to lying about Kelsi Padula’s lost dog Lager, SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk said Thursday.

“We interviewed this individual last week and he gave us certain information and when we re-interviewed him this week he admitted that he had lied about the details he gave us,” Chortyk said in an email.

He is now facing charges of obstructing a peace officer, according to the SPCA.

Padula’s dog went missing about three weeks ago, and she posted her phone number on Facebook and Craigslist hoping that someone with information on its whereabouts would contact her.

Instead, she started received taunting text messages from someone who claimed to know Lager was being mistreated, but refused to give the dog’s location.

Padula said she also received several extortion attempts. The Ridge Meadows RCMP said it’s also investigating allegations of criminal harassment against the family.