Unclaimed dogs near Burns Lake remain at-large

Two unclaimed dogs in Priestly Hill have been in the wild for several weeks. There was initially a third dog as well, though it was captured by a Burns Lake resident and brought to local veterinarians where it was humanely dispatched after sustaining severe injuries.

“The other two dogs have not yet been caught, but efforts are still underway,” said Lakes Animal Friendship Society Director Alistair Schroff.

According to the B.C. SPCA, a formal complaint has yet to be made on the matter, therefore a file has not been opened and they have not acted on it. Though Schroff told Lakes District News that he has in fact been contact with someone in the SPCA and that they are aware of the situation.

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“We have not made a formal complaint to the provincial call centre of the B.C. SPCA. However, we have been in direct contact with the B.C. SPCA branch in Prince George and the local Special Constable about how we can best help these dogs. I spoke to them about who might be able to help with catching the dogs. They did not have any suggestions. If the dogs can be caught the B.C. SPCA might be able to take them in at one of their shelters,” he said.

“Unfortunately in this case the dogs seem to be at-large, and abandoned. The B.C. SPCA is not the dog catcher for our area. If the dogs are posing a danger to the public, this can include getting onto the highway and causing traffic problems, the RCMP can get involved. If the dogs are harassing wildlife or livestock the RCMP can also get involved,” he continued.

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“If these dogs were in the Village of Burns Lake limits, they could be impounded under the animal control bylaw, but the dogs are not in municipal boundary. As you can, tell there are some holes in the system.”

Schroff went on to point out that people who abandon their animals can be criminally charged, and that’s something the RCMP can enforce. “In this case we don’t have any idea who that may be. We encourage anyone with firsthand information on the matter to contact both the RCMP and the B.C. SPCA,” he said.