Amber, the German Shepherd who was rescued from abuse in August, was adopted on Wednesday.
Police said officers responded to reports of a man actively abusing a dog while walking in Inglewood at around 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 15. According to an Aug. 19 news release, a witness confronted the suspect about his behaviour towards the animal. Police said the suspect allegedly threatened the witness.
The Calgary Police Service said officers were initially unable to find the alleged suspect but notified Calgary Community Standards and the Calgary Humane Society (CHS).
On Aug. 17, police said they received a tip and officers were able to identify the suspect. Officers then started a joint investigation with the CHS’ protection and investigations department.
Police said the dog is owned by the Alberta Rescue Foundation (ARF) and was being fostered by the alleged suspect at the time of the incident. ARF immediately removed the dog from his care.
Amber was brought to a forensic veterinarian for examination, who found the injuries to be consistent with abuse. Amber was released back into ARF’s care.
Now, she is being adopted by the man who reported the abuse.
“She’ll be a fantastic dog for walks along the river and through the Inglewood neighbourhood,” said Dennis Sorensen, Amber’s new owner.
“I think there is going to be a lot more hair in the house.”
Sorensen said he is grateful for the support from Calgarians after news of the alleged abuse broke. A lot of Calgarians reached out to Sorenson to help get Amber back into ARF’s care.
“I just kind of wanted to de-escalate the situation,” he said. “But once that wasn’t going anywhere I thought it best to document it. It’s a very emotional event for people.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better ending.”
Tanaya Jilg, executive director of ARF, said she is excited to see that Amber will be in a safe and loving home.
“Obviously, it was very devastating and upsetting to everybody because our volunteers take so much care of the animals every day. It’s their top priority. To see Amber find an amazing home, it’s just all we want for all the animals that enter our facility every year,” she told Global News.
“Dennis helped solve the case. He’s been amazing ever since we saw the horrible footage online. Dennis has been coming here regularly to bond and spend time with Amber and gain her trust.”
Holly Montgomery, owner of pet health food store Tail Blazers, put out a community callout in August for supplies for Amber after she read the news about her abuse.
A lot of people came into her store to buy treats and toys for Amber, she said, and suppliers even donated some goods.
“I think they felt really good about it and something they could actually do to help and maybe the idea of her being happy made them happy,” Montgomery said.
“She’s going to have more than enough to play with now.”