Bu Darren Handschuh
A North Okanagan veterinarian is sounding the alarm after a horrific incident in Armstrong, B.C.
Dr. Britt Mills, of Mills Veterinary Services in Armstrong, is urging people to secure their dogs and not let them ride in the back of trucks.
“My 17-year-old son witnessed a dog dragged to its death yesterday because it was loosely tied in the back of a pickup truck and jumped out,” Mills posted. “My son, whose vehicle was following this driver, tried to get his attention by honking, but it was a second driver who stopped in front of the pickup who was finally able to stop it. It wasn’t a long-distance, but there wasn’t much recognizable of a beautiful dog. The driver was devastated and everyone at the scene was traumatized.”
Mills told Castanet she made the post in the hope that someone will think twice before putting their dog in the back of a truck, stressing she did not want to shame the dog's owner, who feels terrible about the incident.
“If that dog's life is to mean anything, it's to hopefully never have it happen to another dog again,” said Mills.
Mills said several times a week she will see a dog in the back of a truck.
She said she has approached people in the past whose dog is either not tied properly or not tied at all, and she is often met with hostility and a barrage of profanity from the owner.
She's not doing it to be intrusive into someone's affairs, but for the safety of an animal that has no say in the situation.
“If a dog has to be in the back of a truck, the correct way of securing him is two short ties coming from either side of the box. This requires getting in the box with the dog as you secure him,” she said, adding the best way to transport the dog is to bring it into the cab.
“If you are a dog owner who puts your dog in the back of a truck without securing it properly, just stop. It is not worth it, and your dog is not immune to the forces of physics.”
Mills urges anyone who sees an unsecured dog in the back of a truck to call police or the SPCA.
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