NEAR CELISTA, B.C. — A dog shot in the head and left in a parking lot was killed humanely according to the BC SPCA.
“The dog did die instantaneously,” says senior animal protection officer Kathy Woodward.
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That means there’s nothing under the SPCA act the shooter can be charged with.
Woodward says they believe they’ve identified an owner, but aren’t revealing who it is. An investigator is interviewing the owner today for further information.
The dog was found in the Crowfoot Mountain Snowmobile Association parking lot near Celista Sunday morning. Why it was left there is still unclear. It was found by lot attendant Stephen Moore, who is also questioning the motive.
“There’s a way to do it and a way not to do it,” says Moore. “This is a recreational area, on a weekend, during spring break.”
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The SPCA’s constable is now making inquiries with the Regional District, RCMP and the Ministry of Environment to see if it was an offense to leave the dog in the parking lot.
“We still want answers as to why this happened so we will continue to investigate,” says Woodward.
Woodward says she doesn’t believe the dog was ill, but won’t know for sure until she speaks further with the veterinarian who examined it.