** Warning: Graphic details included in this article **
The grisly discovery of a dog apparently beaten to death near Flin Flon has outraged residents and launched a police investigation.
Carmen Ward and her husband took their dogs for a walk near the Trout Lake Road early Monday evening when they found the body of a female Chihuahua.
Ward says a log covered with blood and hair was lying next to the body. The dog’s eyeballs were protruding from its skull and its intestines were lying outside of its stomach.
The dog did not appear to have been dead for long.
“It was a barbaric thing to do,” says Ward, describing the scene. “This dog suffered and…it would have been terrifying.”
Ward, manager of the local SPCA animal shelter, guessed the Chihuahua was five or six years old, if not younger. The dog had no collar and it’s unclear whether it had been someone’s pet.
Ward wrapped the dog in a blanket and posted a censored photo on the SPCA’s Facebook page, seeking information about whoever was responsible. The post has gone viral and prompted horror and dismay.
She also notified the Flin Flon RCMP and on Tuesday afternoon was preparing to visit the scene with police.
Ward says the SPCA sees animal neglect on a regular basis, but the severity of this incident was shocking.
“I’ve never actually seen anything like what I saw [Monday] night,” she says. “That was definitely a first for me.”
The SPCA is offering a $2,000 cash reward (up from the original $1,000) for information leading to a conviction in the Chihuahua’s death. Ward says anyone with information may confidentially call the SPCA office at 204-687-8744.
Individuals may also call the Flin Flon RCMP at 204-687-1423 or the provincial animal protection office at 1-888-945-8001.
The Reminder will have more on this story, and the broader problem of animal abuse in the Flin Flon area, in next week's print edition.
