At one point, Kendra Toner had to look away while she and her boyfriend approached what appeared to be a dead animal floating in Shuswap Lake.
The Salmon Arm couple had been out fishing on the lake south of Totem Pole Resort, across the lake from Sicamous, when they discovered the animal. As they got closer, Toner’s boyfriend exclaimed, “oh my God, it’s a dog.”
“You could only see the legs and the tail,” said Toner, explaining the dog appeared to have been anchored in the water, with a leg tied to a fallen tree that was sticking out of the water about 10 feet away near the shore.
“You can’t even access that tree by foot, there’s no way, so to me it seemed as though somebody had boated out there to do that.”
Toner said she reported what they found to the RCMP, and were told someone would respond.
“We waited two hours for them to show which they never did,” said Toner, upset by the discovery.
“It was traumatizing thinking somebody could do that to an animal.”
Read more: RCMP, SPCA investigate after dog found dead, tied to anchor in Shuswap Lake
Read more: Motorcyclist, passenger sent to hospital after collision on Hwy. 97A near Sicamous
The following week, Toner said she and her boyfriend were back on the lake. Once again they found the dog, still in the water. She shared her finding on social media and asked if someone could help remove it. Toner said she got in touch with a local water taxi service which assisted the SPCA in locating and recovering the dog.
Toner noted the search took longer because the dog was not in the spot where they’d found it.
“We all went out there and it wasn’t in the spot where it had been discovered. Somebody had moved it,” said Toner.
Sicamous Sgt. Murray McNeil said officers responded to a report of animal cruelty on July 1.
“The large breed of dog was found near the shore and tied to an anchoring device which prevented the animal from reaching the shore or touching the bottom,” said McNeil in a July 6 media release.
McNeil said the dog’s remains were seized by the SPCA, which is investigating the matter.
“This is a disturbing discovery as it appears the animal was intentionally made to suffer by drowning,” said McNeil.
The RCMP release mentioned the dog was located west of the Bruhn Bridge. Toner wanted to share her story, including where she found the dog, with the hope it might assist with the investigation.
“I want then to find whoever did this, it’s disgusting…,” said Toner.
Anyone with information about the identity of the animal or the person responsible is asked to call the BC SPCA or the Sicamous RCMP at 250-836-2878.
lachlan@saobserver.netLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Sign up for our newsletter to get Salmon Arm stories in your inbox every morning.
