The B.C. SPCA is pushing for animal cruelty charges against a Surrey man after a severely emaciated Doberman was seized from his home.
The owner of two-year-old dog Rocky voluntarily surrendered him into care on Jan. 18 after being visited by special constables. The agency had received a complaint from someone who saw the animal "in serious distress."
The agency says the frail and wounded dog was tied up to a cement platform in the backyard.
In addition to being very malnourished, Rocky was suffering from anemia and severe liver problems. He also had pressure sores on his hips and legs from repeated contact against the hard platform.
"The skin was just rubbed raw," Lorie Chortyk of SPCA community relations told ctvbc.ca.
"Being so emaciated the dog should never have been outside. It wouldn't have enough body heat to keep him surviving in this kind of weather."
The dog is receiving ongoing veterinary and nutritional care and is living with one of the staff members of the Surrey shelter.
The dog is responding well to care and will not be returned to the owner, Chortyk said. There were no other animals in the residence and animal welfare staff has not dealt with him in the past.
