Dog with casts on front legs found on Alberta road seized by ASPCA

CALGARY – The Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has taken custody of a dog with two casts on its front legs that was left with a bag of food by the side of the road in southern Alberta over a week ago.

Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue dog behaviourist Rory O’Neill said the dog, which had no identification, was found on Aug. 9 by a man from Morley, Alta. – which is a First Nations settlement about 60 km west of Calgary. The rescue centre staff have affectionately named the dog “Afro Man” since his “long, unruly fur looks like an afro.”

READ MORE: Dog with casts on front legs left on Alberta road with bag of food

But a Tuesday Facebook post from her rescue centre claims Afro Man was “confiscated” from the Fish Creek Emergency Pet Clinic, where he’d apparently had surgery to repair his legs.

“With no prior communication, an officer in uniform arrived with the ASPCA and presented a warrant to seize Afro Man,” said the post from Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue. “Fish Creek and RMAR could do nothing to prevent this. RMAR has made numerous attempts to contact the ASPCA but no one is answering their phones, nor have we received any additional phone calls or emails since our initial correspondence the first couple of days after Afro Man’s rescue.”

The post said Rocky Mountain staff would like him returned to them “so he can go to the his foster home for rehabilitation and ongoing vet care needs.”

“We also just learned the previous owner of Afro Man signed over guardianship at the request of the Alberta SPCA,” said the post.

ASPCA communications manager Roland Lines said his organization has a duty to make sure proper custody is being observed in any investigation. He said the ASPCA first received a call last week, which is when the investigation was opened.

“We’re investigating the situation because we received a report from someone with concern for the welfare of this dog,” he said, but couldn’t provide additional information due to privacy concerns.

He said the ASPCA does not currently require public assistance in the case, and that staff has been in contact with the owner.

“The dog is being cared for. It’s in a safe location, it’s receiving whatever care it requires,” said Lines. “I don’t have specifics of its medical condition. It has seen a veterinarian and whatever care it requires, it is receiving.

“It’s a complicated situation where this dog has moved around to various different people, so we’re still trying to figure out what happened.”

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A Wednesday statement from Lines said “private citizens and animal welfare organizations that don’t employ Alberta’s Animal Protection Act-appointed peace officers lack the legal authority” to seize animals or order veterinary care.

“Anyone who acts outside their legal authority opens themselves to possible civil action by an animal’s owner or even criminal charges, such as theft. Animal welfare concerns should always be reported to an enforcement agency, such as the Alberta SPCA, that has authority under the APA,” said the statement.

The Animal Protection Act (APA) also describes conditions under which owners can reclaim their animals from custody, or how a peace officer with custody of animals can transfer them to new owners, according to the ASPCA statement.

Lines said he can’t release specifics of the case, but will update Global News when the investigation has concluded, and whether any charges are laid.