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A small dog named Oscar has been granted a second chance at life after being carelessly discarded in a garbage bin.
Terry Sparrow and his fiancée stumbled upon a heart-wrenching scene during their evening walk near Camosun Bog within Pacific Spirit Park on a Wednesday. As Sparrow prepared to spit out his gum, he noticed a toy poodle resting atop the refuse.
“I was in complete disbelief—shocked and horrified. It was just heartbreaking,” he shared with Global News.
The couple had recently experienced the loss of their dog, who had been part of their lives for eight years. Their visit to the park that night was part of their healing journey.
“Considering our recent loss, encountering Oscar was especially devastating. We knew we had to take immediate action to help him,” Sparrow explained.
After rescuing the dog, whom they named Oscar, they took him home for a warm bath and a meal.
“He struggled to stand and kept falling over. You could tell he was suffering,” Sparrow remarked.
The following day, having reported the incident to the necessary authorities, the couple brought Oscar to the veterinary clinic. Fortunately, he was later placed under the care of Laurie Schildt, a family friend and animal rescuer.
Oscar was diagnosed with several serious injuries, including three broken ribs, a dislocated hip, and neurological issues. Schildt expressed disbelief, stating, “In my two decades of experience, I’ve never encountered a situation like this. It’s sheer cruelty to treat a living being like trash.”
While Schildt estimates Oscar to be around ten years old, he lacked a collar, and his microchip was not registered. Both the RCMP and BC SPCA are actively investigating, looking to identify the person responsible for abandoning the dog. Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the maximum penalty for such acts can reach up to $75,000 in fines and a two-year prison sentence.
“We want to determine who neglected this dog and threw him away. We urge them to come forward. It’s possible they thought Oscar was deceased, but that remains uncertain,” said Eileen Driver from the BC SPCA.
Thanks to the compassion of Sparrow and his fiancée, along with a bit of luck, Oscar survived the ordeal.
“He has shown remarkable resilience and a strong will to live,” Schildt noted positively.
Source
globalnews.ca