Outrage continues to boil in many of us this week concerning the sad and heartbreaking case of Captain, a two-year-old German shepherd who was left for dead on the streets of Vancouver.

In case you are unfamiliar with this horrible and despicable act of animal cruelty, Captain was found in a dumpster in Kitsilano badly beaten and near death. Despite the heroic efforts of vets and the BC SPCA, Captain died of his injuries a few days after he was discovered.

We can only imagine the pain and suffering Captain went through. No one, human or animal, deserves to endure that kind of trauma. No creature should be treated like a piece of garbage, which is what someone did by throwing Captain into that dumpster.

Captain was once in line to become part of the police dog unit, but was deemed too friendly by law enforcement officials to become a police dog. He was sold once and later transferred to his current owner who lived in a Kits apartment.

On Wednesday, Vancouver Police announced that the owner had been arrested on another matter and as of yet, the investigation continued and no charges had been laid in connection to Captain’s death.

We’re hopeful that charges will be laid soon and the owner will be held fully accountable for his actions and prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows. This incident should also send a message to our governments that animal cruelty laws need to be toughened up even further so something like this can never happen again.

With tougher laws in place, maybe some irresponsible and thoughtless pet owners, like Captain’s, will think twice about harming their pet. Even better, they might think twice about even owning a pet in the first place.

If there is any good to come of this, people have rallied around Captain and are supporting the BC SPCA in an even bigger way.

Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised and more was donated during a vigil attended by hundreds Wednesday night in Vancouver. And people here on the Coast are jumping on board too.

We were heartened to hear that our Pender Harbour/Egmont community columnist Dilys Williams has signed up as a participant in the annual Paws for a Cause Walk, the SPCA’s biggest fundraiser, on Sept. 9. Her fundraising page is titled Harbour Hearts. All money she and others like her collect will go towards supporting the BC SPCA and the good work our local branch does providing shelter, medical and adoption services.

Sadly, it is too late for Captain, but his legacy can live on as we help other animals and ensure they do not suffer the same cruel fate.