A Vancouver Island woman is making the dire prediction that several dogs will be poisoned before the end of the summer.
She says it happens every year around this time in the remote community of Kyuquot on Vancouver Island's northwest coast.
Maggie Mae volunteers her time to assist animals in need, including trying to spay and neuter pets in the tiny Indigenous community.
She fears more animals will meet a tragic fate in the months to come.
"Somebody is poisoning the dogs and it's every year around this time," Mae said. "I believe that by the end of summer we'll have several more poisonings."
One dog named Griffin was put down by a vet this week after being transported out of the community to get medical attention in Campbell River. Mae said the vet believes Griffin ingested rat poison.
The dog was transported from Fair Harbour, near Kyuquot, to Campbell River on Tuesday by Nick Templeman, a tourism operator, after seeing a plea for assistance on social media.
Templeman said he became alarmed at what he was reading and hearing from others in the community about the dog's condition and care even prior to the poisoning.
Templeman said he was told the dog shouldn't be returned to Kyuquot and learned on Wednesday that Griffin had been put down.
"I don't know who's doing the intentional poisonings," Mae said. "It's horrible. Last summer I had a puppy bleed out on my lap and he was bleeding from his mouth and his bum and there was nothing we could do."
The SPCA confirms a complaint has been lodged about what happened to Griffin and the group will be investigating.
"We feel that lots of people knew what was going on, but nobody really offered to help." Templeman said.
