The owner of a dog who died after he was found wrapped in a bloody blanket in a Vancouver dumpster was arrested on an unrelated charge.
Vancouver police arrested Brian Whitlock, who is believed to be the owner of German Shepherd Captain, on Wednesday.
Whitlock was arrested on a criminal harassment charge.
Two-year-old Captain was found in a dumpster last week with puncture wounds on his shoulders and neck, a cut on his head and muscle damage, according to court documents obtained by CTV News.
The dog went into cardiac arrest and died shortly after he was found.
The British Columbia SPCA (BCSPCA) is involved in the case but the agency will not comment as the investigation is ongoing.
“The key here of course if that you have to be able to establish one, what the injuries were, number two, what caused those injuries, and if was caused by a human, establish who did it,” said Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations at the BCSPCA office in Vancouver.
A neighbor who spoke to CTV British Columbia said Captain’s owner walked him with a heavy chain.
Curtis Penn said that he heard a loud banging noise in the dog owner’s unit days before Captain was discovered in the dumpster.
“It was really terrible,” said Penn. “It sounded like someone was ripping the wall out and now I know it was that poor dog.”
Court documents reveal that investigators were looking for a Swiss Army Knife, a baseball bat and a large link chain while searching Whitlock’s residence.
Meanwhile, news of Captain’s tragic death has inspired an outpouring of support for the BCSPCA.
An online donation campaign has raised more than $66,000 in less than a week and a candle light vigil in hour of Captain was held earlier this week, with participants donating chew toys and blankets for the agency.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Nafeesa Karim
