The B.C. SPCA says it is recommending animal cruelty charges against the owner of a dog that was dropped off at a Maple Ridge shelter looking like a "walking skeleton" last month.
Senior animal protection officer Eileen Drever told ctvbc.ca the golden retriever, named Trooper, was covered in dirt, mud, feces and urine when it was brought in on February 28.
"Given that dogs are naturally clean, it's safe to assume it had been confined to a small space for a prolonged period of time," she said.
In Pictures: Trooper found starving
Trooper weighed 10.5 kilograms when he was brought in, roughly a third the weight of an average golden retriever. Staff members on hand were shaken by the dogs appearance, Drever said.
"I have seen dogs like this before, only they haven't been alive," she said. "The fact that this dog survived is a miracle in and of itself."
The two-year-old retriever was turned in by a man claiming to have found it by the side of the road. Drever said the SPCA now believes he is the animal's owner, and are recommending cruelty charges against him to Crown Counsel this week.
Drever says the dog has already gained back 15 per cent of its body weight, but it will take months for the animal to fully recover.
"He's doing remarkably well, it's going to be a slow process but he has gained weight and he has a wonderful disposition," Drever said.
Trooper is checked by a veterinarian every day, and is being fed small meals six times a day while he recovers.
