The owner of an emaciated husky pup found abandoned in Maple Ridge in January 2015 has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty
The dog, now named Willow, has made a full recovery, and lives with a Maple Ridge family that adopted her.
"She's doing great, but it was quite an arduous recovery period," said Lorie Chortyk of the SPCA. "It was a miraculous recovery."
The SPCA was called to rescue the dog, which was found wandering alone near 256th and 128th in Maple Ridge.
Chortyk said the dog weighed 15 kg upon intake, compared to a normal weight of about 24 kg for a dog of her age and breed.
“She was assessed with a score of ‘one’ on the canine body conditioning scale of one to nine, meaning that she was severely malnourished,” said Chortyk.
Considered near death, Willow was rushed to Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, where she received around-the-clock treatment. She was later cared for in an SPCA foster home for several months as she recovered.
Her condition was even worse than it appeared.
“When she first came in, she was unable to lie down due to abdominal pain caused by rocks and soil in her gastrointestinal tract,” said Chortyk. “There were no food remnants in her stomach, so it’s likely that she had been eating gravel to try to stay alive. She also had trouble walking because her muscles were so weak.”
The SPCA’s Cruelty Investigations Department identified Willow’s former owner, Yu Lin, a university student in his 20s, shortly after the investigation began. He was then a resident of Coquitlam, but has since moved elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.
A neighbour of the dog's owner identified him from a picture.
The SPCA recommended charges against Yu Lin approximately a year ago, but the volume of cases delayed Crown bringing charges against him until now. He faces two counts of animal cruelty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
If convicted, Lin faces up to two years in jail, a maximum fine of $75,000 and up to a lifetime ban on owning animals.
After making a full recovery in SPCA care, Willow was adopted into a home last March, with a family that has experience with the breed.
"She has such a happy life now," said Chortyk.
“The B.C. SPCA is extremely grateful to all those who contributed to Willow’s ongoing medical care during her recovery.”
• To help animals like Willow, visit the B.C. SPCA Medical Emergency fund at spca.bc.ca/medicalemergency.