The Calgary Humane Society is hoping to find the owner of a Pomeranian abandoned outside a local soccer centre. The seven-year-old dog was found in medical distress inside a backpack at the Calgary Southwest United Soccer Club on Saturday, Feb. 7. “The dog was very dehydrated, was emaciated as well; a deficiency in both calories and water intake,” said Brad Nichols, director of enforcement with Calgary Humane Society. “[He was] left in a not-so-public area in this backpack – thank goodness it was found.” “It’s a very callous way to leave an animal that is suffering.” Abandonment and medical neglect are offences under both the Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code, and can be punishable by a fine of up to $20,000, a lifetime ban from owning animals and two-years behind bars. “First off, we want to speak with the owner or person in control of the animal to find out what the circumstances are,” Nichols said. “Not making any judgments just yet, but on the face of it, there’s some criminal acts that have taken place here. An investigation is unbiased, so we’d certainly like to start there, but on the face of it – both on the medical neglect end and the abandonment end – this doesn’t look great.” Nichols says the dog, named Coco, is a reddish-brown intact male. “We have a bit more information on this dog than we usually do because there was a note left in the backpack indicating the name, the age and the breed of the dog,” he said. “I have to think that somebody out there knows who Coco is and who Coco belongs to.” “Anybody with information on who this dog is and who the dog belongs to can please call us and speak with our dispatchers,” said Nichols. “Otherwise, there is a report cruelty portal on our website you can put anonymous feedback in there if you need to, it’s an option after hours as well.” The Calgary Humane Society can be contacted by calling 403-205-4455.
