The BC SPCA is looking into reports about a dog seen Tuesday night in Abbotsford with duct tape around its muzzle.
A woman, Esther (who didn’t want her last name used), posted on Facebook that she and her husband spotted the dog in a bush area between 5 and 5:30 p.m. at the “halfway point” on Discovery Trail between McKee and Whatcom roads, near Terry Lake.
“He was trying to drink from a puddle when we got close. I thought it was a muzzle at first and then we realized it was taped. Like a wider hockey tape. Duct tape was old and worn,” Esther wrote.
She described the dog as being medium to large in size, and black with white on its chest and maybe having some German shepherd in him. He also had a chained choker collar with a tag.
Esther said the dog was “skittish” and kept running away. She said she reported the matter to the SPCA.
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SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk confirmed that the agency was contacted about the matter.
She said officers went to the trail yesterday (Wednesday) and found a pet owner whose dog matches the description. The dog had a “gentle leader harness” that officers thought Esther might have mistaken for a muzzle or tape.
But pictures of that dog were shown to Esther, who said it was not the same one she had seen.
Esther posted on Wednesday night that the dog was spotted in the same general area by other people at around 7:30 p.m. but they were unable to catch it.
Anyone who spots a dog matching Esther’s description is asked to contact the SPCA hotline at 1-855-622-7722.
Esther said Petsearchers Canada – a tracking service to find missing pets – is also involved in trying to catch the dog today (Thursday), and is asking people to stay off the trail so that the dog doesn’t get spooked and go further into the bush.
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