A dog found encased in a block of ice on a lawn in northeast B.C. was likely dead before it was frozen, a necropsy by the SPCA revealed Wednesday.
The Dawson Creek homeowner called authorities after he woke up to see the gruesome find on his front lawn last Saturday morning.
SPCA agents said the corpse of a black adult female border collie cross was inside the ice, which appears to have been constructed from a large rubber bin.
Lorie Chortyk said officials couldn't perform a necropsy until now because the animal was frozen solid.
Chortyk told ctvbc.ca the animal has injuries consistent with being attacked by a dog or other animal. She said some of its intestines were missing but other findings still couldn't be explained.
"Apparently the dog's mouth was full of dirt – just crammed with dirt and mud," she said.
"It looks like it was in a frozen bin filled with water but why it was left on someone's lawn is bizarre."
There were no identification tags on the animal and the owner still hasn't been found. The SPCA says the homeowner has no connection the dead animal.
Meanwhile, animal abuse charges were approved Wednesday against two Duncan, B.C. men for dragging a dog behind a pickup truck last year.
Princess, a miniature pinscher, was pulled behind the vehicle by accident after it was tied to the bumper in August 2010.
The dog suffered a broken jaw and needed to have one of its legs amputated before it was adopted into a new home.
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