SPCA says animal cruelty charges have been filed against two people from Yarmouth, after a malnourished dog found wandering alone.
SPCA enforcement officers responded to the dog running loose on June 25, and brought it into the veterinary clinic to provide care.
Now named Bilbo Waggings, the dog was visibility in distress, showing signs of malnourishment with visible sores on its body.
“The dog in distress was less than half the weight he should have been,” says Jo-Anne Landsburg, Chief Provincial Inspector at the Nova Scotia SPCA.
“It is the owner’s responsibility to reach out for help if they cannot provide appropriate care. The Nova Scotia SPCA accepts animals across the province with no surrender fee,” Landsburg says.
In a post on the N.S. SPCA Facebook page, it said the dog weighed barely 30 pounds; a male boxer typically weighs 70 pounds.
“When dogs are this emaciated their organs begin to shut down. Our veterinary team wasn’t sure he would survive the weekend,” read the post.
Yarmouth residents 36-year-old Jennifer Hurlburt and 34-year-old Matthew Hart and were given a seizure notice and charged under the Animal Protection Act of Nova Scotia for permitting an animal to be in distress.
An appeal document has not been filed with the Animal Welfare Appeal Board and the dog remains in the care of the SPCA.
Hurlburt and Hart are both scheduled to appear in Yarmouth Provincial Court on September 15.
The Nova Scotia SPCA says they have a zero-tolerance policy for animal cruelty and urge anyone to report acts of animal cruelty by contacting the SPCA’s confidential toll-free line at 1-888-703-7722.