The BC SPCA is hoping to identify two people who dumped a dead dog in a Coquitlam dumpster last month.
Results of a necropsy on the young, female boxer-cross show she likely died from extreme heat exposure shortly before being tossed in the garbage.
"It really is sad," said BC SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk. "You hate to think of any animal suffering like that, but then to be tossed in the dumpster adds to the sadness of it."
Security video taken at 68 Schooner St., just off United Boulevard, on July 26 shows a light beige or gold-coloured minivan pulling up behind the building and a man and woman throwing the dead dog into the dumpster.
Chortyk said somebody initially contacted Coquitlam Animal Control, which then called in the BC SPCA.
The body was sent away for a necropsy and the results were just received, leading the BC SPCA to conclude it was a suspicious death. Chortyk said they don't know what happened to the dog, which was about a year old, but it's possible she was left in a hot car or in a crate in an unventilated area.
Eileen Drever, senior animal protection officer for the BC SPCA, said the dog's body temperature would have been elevated beyond its ability to release the heat, resulting in a "very painful death."
Weather conditions at the time of the incident show it was about 27 C.
"We're seeking information about who may have owned the dog or who knows how the dog may have died," Chortyk said.
There were no signs of trauma to the dog or indications that it was emaciated.
"There could be a reasonable explanation, there may be a…legitimate situation where the dog died accidentally, but we would certainly like to get to the bottom of the situation," Chortyk added. "We just want to get information on what might have happened."
If the investigation shows there was deliberate neglect or cruelty then the BC SPCA would seek charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act under the criminal code.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the BC SPCA's animal cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722.
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