VICTORIA -- A Vancouver Island man is facing a charge of animal cruelty after the BC SPCA seized a severely injured dog from a home in Chemainus.
The BC SPCA took custody of the one-year-old female German shepherd in May, after she was found emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from extreme muscle wasting and a deep, severe neck wound, the animal advocacy group said in a news release Thursday.
The dog, named Hope, was in critical condition when she was found.
“Hope had been abandoned in the woods, tied to a tree with a plastic and wire cable,” said Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA.
“The cable was tied so tightly that her face was pressed to the tree and she could not lay down or move. The wire was deeply embedded into her neck, causing such a massive wound that her jugular vein and trachea were exposed.”
Hope's head was severely swollen due to infection and her neck wound was filled with maggots, according to the BC SPCA.
"When she was found, she was delirious and too weak to walk," the group said.
Hope was rushed to a veterinary clinic in Duncan where she was stabilized before being transferred to an emergency clinic in Victoria for around-the-clock treatment.
“It is a miracle that this poor dog survived,” said Moriarty.
Several surgeries and months of treatment later, Hope was adopted by one of her caregivers at the hospital.
Kevin Timothy of Chemainus has been charged with animal cruelty.
If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail, a maximum $75,000 fine and up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.
