The B.C. SPCA has rescued two starving terrier-cross puppies that were found tied outside a Vancouver Island home in icy weather last week.
Senior animal protection officer Tina Heary said the puppies, which are both only a few months old, were severely emaciated and covered in urine when the SPCA arrived at the Ladysmith-area home on Nov. 10.
“There were no fat stores, let alone muscle mass for warmth for these little guys,” Heary said. “So they were huddled together, filthy and wet, and extremely flea-infested.”
There was a plastic doghouse on the property but it had no insulation or bedding. There was also no water or food in sight.
Heary said the dogs, Casey and Finnegan, each weighed between two and three kilograms, and their hips and spines were shockingly pronounced.
“One puppy in particular was so weak and skeletal that it had difficulty standing for a period of time. It would take a couple steps and fall over,” she said.
The SPCA is still investigating the dogs’ treatment but said it expects to recommend animal cruelty charges.
The puppies were seized and taken to a veterinarian, where they have been receiving around-the-clock care.
Both are expected to fully recover, but Heary said it could have ended much worse if a Good Samaritan hadn’t alerted the SPCA about their condition.
“They may have actually perished out there had it not been for that person who reported them,” she said. “Thank goodness they did.”
The animal welfare agency is asking for donations to help pay the vet bills to nurse the puppies back to health.
