Owner of severely emaciated Siberian husky identified as student

WARNING: Close-up photos of Willow below.

VANCOUVER – The owner of Willow, a severely emaciated Siberian husky found wandering in Maple Ridge on Jan. 31, has been found.

“We received a call from a neighbor who recognized the dog after seeing her in the media,” says Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA. “Information from this individual led to the identification of the dog’s owner, a Coquitlam resident and university student in his 20s. After interviewing him we believe there is sufficient evidence to move forward with animal cruelty charges under both the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Criminal Code of Canada.”

No further details have been provided at this time about the owner or what happened to Willow.

Willow, estimated to be between one and two years old, was brought to the Maple Ridge SPCA by a Good Samaritan. She was found wandering near 256th and 128th Street.

At that time, she weighed only 15 kilograms, compared to a normal weight of about 24 kilograms for a dog of her age and breed. She had been eating gravel to try and stay alive.

“She has been assessed with a score of “one” on the canine body conditioning scale of one to nine, meaning that she is severely malnourished,” said BC SPCA senior animal protection officer Eileen Drever on Wednesday.

“When she first came in she was unable to lie down due to abdominal pain caused by rocks and soil in her gastrointestinal tract. There were no food remnants in her stomach so we think she was eating gravel to try to stay alive.”

Moriarty says Willow is improving daily and while it will be a long road to recovery, they hope to eventually find her a loving new home.

 Donations for Willow’s ongoing care are welcomed.