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A Vancouver Island man could face two years behind bars and up to a $75,000 fine after being charged with animal cruelty.
The BC SPCA says Kevin Timothy has been charged following an investigation into his alleged “horrific” treatment of a one-year-old German Shepherd named Hope.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Investigators were called to a property in Chemainus back in May, where they found the dog tied to a tree with plastic-and-wire cable and suffering from serious wounds.
Hope was emaciated, dehydrated, suffering from extreme muscle wasting and had a deep, severe neck wound, the agency said.
“The cable was tied so tightly that her face was pressed to the tree and she could not lay down or move,” said BC SPCA chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty in a media release.
“The wire was deeply embedded into her neck, causing such a massive wound that her jugular vein and trachea were exposed.”
Moriarty said Hope had such a severe infection from the injury that her head was massively swollen, and her neck wound was filled with maggots.
She was delirious and too weak to walk when she was found, Moriarty added.
Hope was rushed to a veterinarian in Duncan to be stabilized, then transferred to another clinic in Victoria where she received ongoing care.
The SPCA says after several surgeries and months of care, one of Hope’s caregivers adopted her and she is now happy and healthy in a loving home.
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