A dog is seen tethered with a rope in the back of a flat deck truck towing a livestock trailer on Highway 97 in Lake Country, Aug. 15, 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/William Mastop
August 16, 2022 - 7:00 AM
A Vernon man says he has contacted the B.C. SPCA, and plans to give the RCMP a call, after he saw a dog tethered with a rope on the back of flat deck truck towing a livestock trailer along Highway 97 on Monday.
William Mastop spotted the truck, with Coldstream Ranch graphics on the doors, driving southbound into Lake Country along the highway at around 6:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 15.
“There’s this poor dog sitting there,” he said. “It’s a crew cab truck. There’s a ton of room inside the truck for the dog.”
“I caught up to him at a light and said ‘people and dogs have been friends for thousands of years and you’re being a pretty shitty friend,’ and his reply was ‘she’s going to work, she likes it,’” Mastop said.
Coldstream Ranch manager Brad McKim said, when contacted by iNFOnews, that he wasn't yet aware of the incident but he'll be looking into the matter. Dogs are supposed to be kept in a crate while being transported, he said.
The B.C. SPCA confirmed it will be investigating the incident.
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"Most of these cases would be classed as an unsafe load under the Motor Vehicle Act. However, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act it would appear this poor dog may also be suffering psychologically,” Eileen Drever with the SPCA said via email.
“When the B.C. SPCA receives a call of concern, we would attend and advise the owner of the distress this may cause and issue a notice to the owner/caregiver to cease transporting the dog in this fashion. Failure to do so could result in legal action."
Const. Mike Della-Paolera, media relations officer with the Kelowna RCMP, said via email no complaint has been made as of yet, so an investigation is not ongoing at this time. If a complaint is made, Lake Country RCMP officers will respond and follow up with the vehicle’s owner and the person who filed the complaint.
A dog is seen tethered with a rope in the back of a flat deck truck towing a livestock trailer on Highway 97 in Lake Country, Aug. 15, 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/William Mastop
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