A puppy allegedly dragged behind a three-wheel ATV near Blackfalds on the weekend was formally taken in by the Alberta SPCA on Tuesday.
Animal Protection Services director Morris Airey said the registered owner signed a surrender agreement and the SPCA, which got custody of the dog on Monday, lawfully took possession of it.
“We expect the dog to fully recover in a relatively short period of time,” said Airey, a peace officer. The dog suffered injuries to its feet.
The puppy will not be returned to its original owner, Airey said.
On Sunday evening, Blackfalds resident Justin Reid drove out to the Blindman River with a friend to check on the river ice. The two were driving down a range road when they noticed an man who looked to be in his 80s on a motorized trike with a trailer and what seemed like a piece of cloth being dragged on the road behind, he said.
“Then we got closer and realized it was a puppy,” Reid said.
They screamed at the ATV rider and both vehicles came to a stop.
A verbal confrontation followed, with Reid unhooking the puppy from the vehicle and the man hooking it back up, he said. Eventually, Reid said, they came to a compromise — he returned the trike keys he had removed from the ignition and the man gave Reid and his friend the pup.
“He said he was training the dog,” Reid said, characterizing the man as “disoriented.”
Red Deer Rural RCMP officers responded to the scene and “ensured the animal received the necessary medical care,” according to a RCMP news release.
Reid said the officers told him he could take the dog home with him and he did. He brought the pup to a veterinary clinic the next day, where it was seized by the SPCA. He said it suffered broken and missing toenails, worn-down pads, cuts and roadrash.
“I took that dog home . . . and it laid on the couch with me all night long. It grew right in my heart. I really want that dog,” said Reid, who feels aggrieved that he couldn’t keep the animal.
No charges have been laid. Airey said his office continues to investigate under Alberta’s Animal Protection Act, through which individuals can be prosecuted and subject to fines of up to $20,000 and prohibitions from owning animals. The RCMP are not investigating.
The dog is still under veterinary care and, when it has fully recovered, decisions will be made as to its placement, Airey said.
The Red Deer and District SPCA had no involvement in the case.
mgauk@www.reddeeradvocate.com