The BC SPCA says they will be recommending charges against a rancher who shot a dog that he says was advancing on his sheep and wouldn’t back off.
It happened on Saturday morning, when two dogs got loose from their owners’ property in Shawnigan Lake and ended up on Peter Pronk’s ranch.
He says he threw rocks at the dogs to get them to leave his sheep alone, but when they wouldn’t back off, he shot one of the dogs with a rifle.
The border collie had to have one of his legs amputated and is now recovering.
“Both the RCMP and the BC SPCA Cruelty Investigations Department were phoned about the situation, so RCMP and a constable with the BC SPCA attended the scene,” said BC SPCA senior animal protection officer Tina Heary. “Since that time there’s been a joint effort of both agencies to investigate this alleged animal cruelty complaint.”
Investigators have interviewed a number of witnesses, the dogs’ owners, and Pronk and said they will be recommending charges against the sheep farmer.
“Under the Criminal Code of Canada we’d be recommending 4451 A and that is where everyone who commits an offence, who willfully and without lawful excuse, kills, maims, wounds, poisons or injures dogs, birds, or animals that are not cattle and are kept for a lawful purpose,” said Heary.
“Of course this was a willful act, the dog was maimed and injured and without a doubt the dog was kept for a lawful purpose as it was somebody’s pet and family member.”
Heary said, at this stage, they do not see a defence for Pronk’s actions.
“The only good thing, with this particular situation, both those dogs are survivors,” she added. “And of course no other animals were injured.”
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