Yu Lin, the previous owner of an emaciated young husky dog who was found abandoned in Maple Ridge last January, has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, following a BC SPCA investigation.
The BC SPCA was called to rescue the dog, who was found wandering alone near 256th Street and 128th Avenue in Maple Ridge.
The dog, now named Willow, weighed 15 kg. upon intake, compared to a normal weight of about 24 kg. for a dog of her age and breed, said Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA.
After making a full recovery in SPCA care, Willow was adopted into a Langley home last March.
At the time she was found, Willow “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.
Willow was rushed to Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge where she received around-the-clock treatment and was cared for in an SPCA foster home for several months as she recovered.
“When she first came in she was unable to lie down due to abdominal pain caused by rocks and soil in her gastrointestinal tract,” Chortyk added.
“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 BC SPCA’s Cruelty Investigations Department identified Willow’s former owner, a university student in his 20s, shortly after the investigation began and submitted recommendations for charges to Crown counsel in February, 2015.
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.
