Pitt Meadows man charged with Pekingese cruelty

A Pitt Meadows man has been charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly abused his seven-month-old Pekingese, Bosco.

A veterinarian alerted B.C. SPCA after a man brought in the dog to his clinic on Feb. 9 suffering from a broken hip and two fractured hind legs. The dog was euthanized at the owner’s request.

David Chan, of Pitt Meadows, is facing charges in the animal-cruelty case.

“During our investigation we discovered that Chan had taken 11 Pekingese dogs to three different clinics on numerous occasions between 2008 and 2010, all suffering from suspicious injuries and ailments,” said Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA.

“Some of the dogs were already deceased from their injuries when he brought them to the clinics, others were suffering from burns, deep cuts, hemorrhages, ulcerated lesions, inflamed ears and eyes, serious fractures and malnutrition.”

Dolly, Chan’s remaining Pekingese, was also taken into protective custody on Feb. 16, Moriarty said. There is no word if she was also abused.

Eight months later, the B.C. SPCA also received a report on Aug. 19 that Chan had purchased another Pekingese dog and alerted Coquitlam Crown counsel.

After Crown advised the SPCA that charges had been approved, the accused was immediately arrested, Moriarty said.

Chan’s most recent acquisition, Taffy, was surrendered into SPCA care.

“We are obviously extremely concerned and suspicious of Chan’s history with his animals,” Moriarty said. “At this point we know the charges relate to one of the dogs, Bosco, but are waiting to hear if Crown will include evidence regarding the other dogs in the case.”

Chan is scheduled to make his first appearance in Coquitlam court on Sept. 9.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to six months in jail and a prohibition on owning animals for a period of time to be determined by a judge. Under his bail conditions Chan may not own, possess or be alone with any animal.