A dog lover is asking people for help after witnessing a puppy being physically abused in public in a Richmond neighbourhood.
The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Sally, has been putting up posters in the Kingswood area – close to No. 5 and Williams roads – after trying to intervene in an apparently shocking case of animal cruelty a couple of weeks ago.
According to Sally, she was driving past a man in his 20s or 30s who was carrying what appeared to be a golden retriever puppy – about four months old – by its front paws.
She said the man then put the distressed puppy on the ground and started beating its paws.
Sally said she was so stunned she pulled over and jumped out to plead with the man to stop.
“He just kept saying ‘no English, no English,’” Sally told the Richmond News, indicating that the man was of Chinese ethnicity.
The man, she added, then walked away, but she was unable to follow as she had to get back to her car.
“I called the BCSPCA as soon as I could. But without an address, there’s very little they can do.
“I put up posters and it got shared on social media. It’s important to understand, this man may not be a monster.
“This could be his first dog and he has no idea how to train it. Maybe he is overwhelmed and frustrated, he may not be that mean.”
However, just this week, a woman responded to Sally’s poster, telling a story of an Asian family, in the same neighbourhood, with two golden retriever pups, with one of the pups being dragged on its back along the sidewalk by a little girl.
Sally said she struggled with mentioning the male in the first incident was of Chinese ethnicity, because she didn’t want it to turn into something racist, but she felt it was an important detail in terms of tracking down the dog owner to stop the abuse.
A spokesperson for the BCSPCA said, given their stretched resources, they can’t always respond quickly enough to such situations and people should call the police if they witness an animal being abused.
“The local police authority can respond quickly,” said Eileen Drever, the BCSPCA’s senior officer of protection.
“(The police) may then contact the BCSPCA to follow up, alternatively, they too, can enforce the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.”
If anyone recognizes the abuser, they are asked to contact the BCSPCA’s call centre at 1.855.622.7722.
“I would strongly recommend the public not to intervene for their own safety,” added Drever.
