A break-and-enter suspect accused of abandoning her dog at the scene of a robbery is now facing charges after the Husky was stolen from the home of its new owners on Vancouver Island.
The dog was taken into the Whistler Animal Shelter earlier this month after RCMP discovered the nine-month-old pooch, George, at a cabin on April 6.
Whistler RCMP Sgt. Steve LeClair told CTV News that the suspects fled on foot, leaving the canine behind.
“One of the owners of the cabin interrupted the suspects,” LeClair said. “There was a dog left behind in the vehicle.”
Fearing that the owners may break into the shelter to rescue their dog, shelter staff transferred George to the SPCA, who in turn re-homed the dog with the Deacon family in Saanish. He was renamed Timber as part of his new beginning.
But the dog disappeared from their home on April 23, with the family reporting they’d seen a strange woman waiting outside their residence a short time earlier.
The husky was spotted in Squamish by RCMP just a few hours later.
Authorities are now recommending charges against the original owner over the alleged dognapping and the SPCA is trying to figure out if anyone leaked the address of the dog’s new owners.
Lorie Chortyk, SPCA’s general manager of community relations, said the dog is now in foster care and the SPCA will find a home for the dog in a new community.
Chortyk said the Saanich family didn’t want to take Timber back after the ordeal.
“They’re quite fearful,” said Chortyk.
