Fundraiser launched for 'starving' dogs found on remote B.C. island
Fish farm workers on northern Vancouver Island are trying to unravel a mystery surrounding a pair of abandoned dogs found on a remote island.
The dogs were first spotted at the end of December by fish farm workers boating past Minstrel Island, east of Port McNeill.
It was an unusual place for the dogs to be, and at first the workers thought they were wolves.
"Once they realized they were dogs, they were all such amazing humans, they went and tried to rescue these dogs," said Jill Laviolette with the Tri-Port Wildlife Response Team.
"It took quite a few hours and it was an ordeal," she said.
Once the dogs were secured, the workers brought them to Port Hardy where they underwent medical treatment.
They're now being fostered by Laviolette.
"They were in rough shape," she told CTV News. "I don't know how much longer they would have lasted out there."
"They were starving, they were so skinny. Their skin was just kind of hanging off them," she said.
Laviolette says the dogs were initially untrusting of people, but they've since warmed up.
"They're big boys but just such loving, caring, fluffy animals," she said. "Gosh they're great."
An online fundraiser recently launched to pay for the pair's medical expenses and to help find new homes for the dogs, which are believed to be mixed-breed brothers a little over one year old.
"[Jill's] been fostering them and putting out her own money to take care of them. It's a big toll," said Shannon Briggs, the person who launched the fundraiser.
Research has been done to trace back who the original owner of the dogs was, and Laviolette considers this to be a case of neglect or abuse.
She says the SPCA has been informed.
For now though, the focus is on getting the dogs to their forever homes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.