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Art Mann
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Driver charged after dogs dragged behind truck
WILMOT TOWNSHIP — A 63-year-old Wilmot man is facing animal cruelty charges after witnesses spotted two dogs being “dragged” behind a pickup truck on Thursday, police said Friday.
But the accused man will be able to keep the dogs as long as he lets K-W Humane Society officials check up on them periodically, according to Waterloo Regional Police.
Witnesses in Shingletown, about halfway between Mannheim and New Hamburg, called police around 6 p.m. on Thursday. They reported seeing a pickup being driven along Bleams Road with two dogs tied to the bumper. Several residents blocked the driver so he couldn’t proceed further.
Police arrived and charged him with two counts of animal cruelty.
The man told police the dogs had escaped from his home during Thursday evening’s thunderstorm.
The dogs suffered minor cuts and scrapes. The K-W Humane Society ensured a veterinarian inspected the dogs and found them to be in good health, despite being dragged.
“Today we did our part by following up on the condition of the animals and ensuring they received the vet care they required,” said Malcolm Armstrong, an OSPCA agent with the K-W Humane Society.
The society has the authority to confiscate animals, but only when they have been intentionally mistreated or abused, mistreated for a significant length of time or if it is believed they will continue to be mistreated in the future.
“In terms of being taken from an owner, there has to be a belief that the owner intended to hurt the dogs or will continue to hurt them, or if the owner refuses to seek medical attention for the dogs based on an incident that might have happened,” Armstrong said.
Incidents of animal abuse are not common in the community and are most often are a result of an owner’s neglect or poor judgment, not malicious behaviour, he said.
In this case, Armstrong said the society will follow up with both the owner and the owner’s veterinarian to ensure the dogs’ continued safety.
WILMOT TOWNSHIP — A 63-year-old Wilmot man is facing animal cruelty charges after witnesses spotted two dogs being “dragged” behind a pickup truck on Thursday, police said Friday.
But the accused man will be able to keep the dogs as long as he lets K-W Humane Society officials check up on them periodically, according to Waterloo Regional Police.
Witnesses in Shingletown, about halfway between Mannheim and New Hamburg, called police around 6 p.m. on Thursday. They reported seeing a pickup being driven along Bleams Road with two dogs tied to the bumper. Several residents blocked the driver so he couldn’t proceed further.
Police arrived and charged him with two counts of animal cruelty.
The man told police the dogs had escaped from his home during Thursday evening’s thunderstorm.
The dogs suffered minor cuts and scrapes. The K-W Humane Society ensured a veterinarian inspected the dogs and found them to be in good health, despite being dragged.
“Today we did our part by following up on the condition of the animals and ensuring they received the vet care they required,” said Malcolm Armstrong, an OSPCA agent with the K-W Humane Society.
The society has the authority to confiscate animals, but only when they have been intentionally mistreated or abused, mistreated for a significant length of time or if it is believed they will continue to be mistreated in the future.
“In terms of being taken from an owner, there has to be a belief that the owner intended to hurt the dogs or will continue to hurt them, or if the owner refuses to seek medical attention for the dogs based on an incident that might have happened,” Armstrong said.
Incidents of animal abuse are not common in the community and are most often are a result of an owner’s neglect or poor judgment, not malicious behaviour, he said.
In this case, Armstrong said the society will follow up with both the owner and the owner’s veterinarian to ensure the dogs’ continued safety.
