CANADA -- The sight of the emaciated, heavily matted dog was enough to shock a veteran animal control officer.
Gary Thiel responded to a call of an injured dog spotted underneath a vehicle parked on Giggles-wick Place Thursday afternoon.
Thiel, who has done been an animal control officer since 1988, arrived to find a Shih Tzu-cross with a broken paw swathed in a blanket a passerby had placed under the vehicle where it had taken refuge.
The dog was named "Raisin" by her caregivers at Island Veterinary Hospital, reflecting her dehydrated condition when she arrived.
Her fur was so overgrown it hid her eyes entirely, and most of her mouth, rendering Raisin blind and unable to eat or drink properly.
She had lost at least half of her normal body weight.
Thiel, who's responded to thousands animal rescue calls, was not ready for what he saw.
"I was horrified," Thiel said. "All the mats and stuff, it just looked terrible."
An ear tattoo was traced to an owner, but it isn't clear if the registered owner had sold or given the pet away.
"It's the most severely matted I've ever seen," said Ken Langelier, of Island Veterinary Hospital, where Raisin spent the long weekend.
The 10-year-old dog weighed 1.7 kilograms, before 600 grams of fur was removed, freeing her legs, eyes and mouth. Langelier estimated she was at least a kilogram less than normal body weight.
"She could barely open her mouth - she was dehydrated and emaciated," Langelier said.
A hind toenail "was overgrown into a circle two-and-a-half times," he said. "That wouldn't happen overnight."
On Tuesday, responsibility for the dog was transferred over to the Nanaimo and District SPCA.
A cruelty file has been opened and an investigation is now underway.
"If anybody knows any information, please give the SPCA a call," said Bonnie Pequin, assistant manager at the Nanaimo shelter.
Calls with information should be made to 250-758-8444. The shelter is open weekdays, noon to 5 p.m.
(Nanaimo Daily News - April 03, 2013)
