Another dog owner has filed a neglect complaint with the B.C. SPCA against a Richmond kennel.
Paul Bhullar decided to speak out after reading media reports recently about an owner who alleged his dog was neglected and starved during a three-week stay at the BC Canine Training Centre at the foot of No. 3 Road, near Dyke Road.
Bhullar said he phoned the kennel every few days of his six-month-old Italian mastiff Drogo’s two-week stint of in-board training at BC Canine at the end of December.
He said he was told that everything was “going well;” but when he arrived to pick Drogo up at the end of his two weeks, Bhullar said he was “shocked” to see the bones of his dog’s ribs.
After expressing his concern with kennel staff at the time of picking up Drogo, he was told that it was “normal,” given the change in the dog’s environment and that Drogo had been eating his food.
When Drogo, however, did nothing but sleep, vomit and pass diarrhea during his first day back at the family’s No. 5 Road home, Bhullar took his pet to an animal hospital in Vancouver.
And after being assessed by a vet, Drogo was put on an I.V. before x-rays showed an obstruction in his stomach.
“The vet said Drogo was severely dehydrated and I needed to find out what had happened at the kennel,” said Bhullar.
Bhullar said he called BC Canine owner Phil Moriarty, looking for answers. “I was told that I need to stop blaming him,” Bhullar added.
“There was no accountability, no concern. I just wanted to know what had happened. He said ‘show me the vet records and then we’ll talk.’”
The vet told Bhullar he could either do surgery to remove the object from Drogo’s stomach or wait until he vomited it or passed it.
“He said he would hate to do unnecessary surgery on such a young dog that had lost so much weight,” explained Bhullar.
“He estimated, given the weight loss, that Drogo had to have swallowed the object four or five days earlier.”
Thankfully, Drogo passed the object, although, given the number of bowel movements, staff couldn’t determine what the object was.
“Almost straight away, he was eating again,” said a relieved Bhullar.
In the days and weeks after getting Drogo home, Bhullar said he has repeatedly tried to contact BC Canine via email and the phone, with no response.
“I was advised to at least get the vet bills paid ($940) and refunded the kennel fees ($775),” said Bhullar.
“Last week, after seeing the story about the other dog, I decided to report it to the SPCA.”
Marcie Moriarty, BC SPCA’s chief prevention and enforcement officer, told the News that, prior to both complaints, there has been “no investigation of BC Canine.”
After the first complaint at the end of January the B.C. SPCA has “received subsequent calls,” said Moriarty.
“Any complaint we receive is fully investigated.”
Moriarty said Bhullar’s complaint has been assigned to an SPCA officer.
The News tried to reach Phil Moriarty at BC Canine, but was told he was in a meeting. He has yet to return the call.
A 29-year-old Vancouver resident filed a complaint with the SPCA two weeks ago, alleging BC Canine neglected and starved his dog.
