The SPCA is investigating another alleged incident of animal abuse on the Sunshine Coast.
We received a letter to the editor from a Whistler man who witnessed the alleged act at Trail Bay Mall. He has filed a complaint with the SPCA.
According to the eyewitness, a blind gentleman being led by his seeing eye dog beat the animal on the head in apparent frustration.
The SPCA is looking into the case to determine whether charges will be filed with Crown counsel.
Certainly we can sympathize with this man's challenges, but that does not excuse him for allegedly beating his dog.
This isn't the first case of animal abuse we have heard about. I'm sure many can recall the story of Tiger last April.
Tiger, a Rottweiler cross, was tied in the back of his owner's truck while the driver was roaring down Hwy. 101 near Rat Portage Hill. The dog somehow was thrown out of the back of the truck, and the driver, seemingly oblivious to the situation, dragged the dog for several kilometres, despite the efforts of several other drivers frantically trying to flag him down.
The driver finally got the hint, stopped and pulled over the truck, but the damage was done.
Tiger was in pretty rough shape. But thanks to the SPCA, the local vet hospital and the kindness of strangers, he received proper medical care and recovered fully from his injuries.
The sick part of this incident was that the owner didn't seem to give a damn what he did. He apparently gave false information to the vet hospital and abandoned the dog without paying his medical bills. This type of animal abuse has to stop. Either pet owners have to take better responsibility of their animals, or the provincial government and our court system have to step in with tougher animal abuse laws.
We're hearing cases of animal abuse way too often lately.
Animals are just as precious as humans. If someone is caught treating a human being the way some people treat their animals, the court system hands out a proper punishment. We have to start treating animals with more respect and decency and these incidents of abuse have to stop.
