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Dog kills goat while onlookers encourage the attack, Merritt RCMP say

Click to play video: 'Merritt RCMP investigate fatal dog mauling of goat'
Merritt RCMP investigate fatal dog mauling of goat
Warning: This story involves animal cruelty. Last Friday, police were alerted to an online post of a pitbull fatally mauling a goat in a home while people stood by encouraging the attack – Nov 28, 2023

WARNING: Details and an image in this story may be disturbing to some people. Discretion is advised.

RCMP in Merritt, B.C., are trying to identify the owners of a goat that was spotted in an online post recently.

Police said on Nov. 24 someone alerted them to an online post where a suspect posted a video of what police called a pitbull “violently attacking a white goat inside a house, where onlookers stood by encouraging the attack.”

Officers were able to identify the house, police said, which is on Granite Avenue between Douglas Street and Houston Street, and obtain a search warrant under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Police said the South East District emergency response team and the BC SPCA helped in the search.

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Sadly, we found the remains of a goat during our search, Staff Sgt. Josh Roda with Merritt RCMP said in a release. We are trying to identify where the goat came from. We would like to determine if the goat was stolen, sold or given away.

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The goat had a white body and brown fur on the top of its head and was wearing a collar in the video, police said.

A screenshot from the video posted online that someone then alerted the RCMP to. Merritt RCMP
Click to play video: 'Molly the pet pig adopted from the BC SPCA killed and eaten by new owners'
Molly the pet pig adopted from the BC SPCA killed and eaten by new owners

The dog was also located in the residence,” Roda said. “Unfortunately, due to some complications, the SPCA wasn’t able to take the dog immediately. They are looking at going back there shortly and retrieving the dog.”

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He said police are still investigating the possibility of pressing charges in this case for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. No one has been arrested at this time, he confirmed but he does anticipate it will lead to charges.

“We’ve got lots of tips from the public so far and actually new video evidence from the public, which has been extremely helpful to push the investigation forward,” Roda said.

Anyone with information about the goat is asked to call the Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262.

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