It’s been close to a year since the heart breaking story about the dog Captain, who was left for dead in a Kitsilano dumpster. Today, dozens attended a walk, For the Love of Captain, in honour of the dog and other abused animals, as the court gets set to hand down a sentence in the case.
Captain was a two-year-old German Sheppard found badly injured in a Kitsilano dumpster last July. He died from cardiac arrest the day after he was found. Captain’s owner, 26-year-old Brian Whitlock pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in April and is expected to be sentenced on Tuesday.
“We’re hoping to keep people to remembering what happened to Captain first and foremost,” said Charlene Meyers, For the Love of Captain. “And we’re hoping our justice system will hear what we’re asking them to do, which is give him the maximum sentence.”
It’s a case that’s sparked a lot of fiery reaction. Attendees of the walk are hoping the judge will hand Whitlock a five year jail term, pay $75,000, and ban him from having custody of animals for life.
The protesters are also continuing to gather signatures, hoping to put pressure on lawmakers to better protect pets.
“We want an animal bill of rights in Canada, the same as in Switzerland, so that you can’t own a dog or a cat, unless you can prove you can care and love for this animal,” says Cheryl-Lee Madden, For the Love of Captain.
The idea is to speak up for animals, who don’t have a voice and to prevent senseless deaths like Captain’s from happening again.
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