A B.C. man who took his two rescue dogs for a walk on Burnaby Mountain Saturday was shocked when one of the pooches returned with a piece of raw beef.
But the shock turned to horror when Jeff Curr got a closer look and saw at least 12 sharp sewing needles sticking out of the tenderloin.
Curr says the dog, Murphy, brought the meat out from the underbrush near the North Road trailhead, not long after they had arrived for their hike.
“I don’t know if it’s someone who has an issue with people with dogs, or if they’re trying to target cougars and bears, I have no idea,” he said.
“There was definitely an intent to injure, I would say.”
A picture of the meat was later posted by a friend of Curr’s on social media, showing the needles sticking straight out of the raw beef.
Fortunately, Murphy wasn’t hurt by any of the needles.
“If I hadn’t noticed it, if she had ingested it, I think it would have been the end of her,” Curr said.
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Burnaby RCMP says they are aware of the discovery, but would not say definitely Sunday whether they are investigating.
Curr said he contacted the B.C. SPCA and is waiting for a call back.
Global News was also unable to reach the SPCA Sunday.
In the meantime, Curr is warning other visitors to the popular dog walking spot to keep their pets leashed until police ensure this doesn’t happen again.
“Lots of people ride mountain bikes up here and have their dogs chasing behind them off-leash,” he said. “For the next little while we need to be really vigilant.”