An abandoned puppy has found a loving home and RCMP are investigating after a homeowner recorded two individuals throwing a living puppy from a moving vehicle.
Desirée Graham told the Pipestone Flyer she saw the April 2 video posted to social media by her acquaintance, Cara Johnson, which shows a white SUV pull in front of Johnson's mother's home in Ermineskin Cree Nation make a u-turn and then throw a small puppy from the passenger side window as it pulls off.
"We reached out to offer help in any way we could, and ended up agreeing to bring the puppy in temporarily to provide a safe place for her," said Graham. "She did not sustain any injuries from them throwing her out the window. And besides being a little underweight, she was given a clean bill of health.
"Which then turned into us loving her and couldn’t fathom the idea of her not joining our family."
Graham said the six-week old puppy, who they named Shadow, is recovering in a happy home in the Wetaskiwin area.
"She’s settling in wonderfully and is already a cherished member of our family," she said. "We are excited to give her a loving home, and she’s already bringing so much joy to our lives."
Alberta RCMP media relations manager Troy Savinkoff said police received three separate complaints about the video and were investigating the matter.
Savinkoff said if police are able to find the two suspects, they could face a charge of cruelty to animals.
"At this time we still haven't identified the individual(s) involved in the case, but there is an investigation," he said. "We'll find the vehicle involved, and find the person who was in the vehicle who tossed the puppy.
"The dog could have been easily injured, given the circumstances."
Savinkoff noted the incident was not likely related to a spate of issues involving stray dogs biting people in the area, though noted cases like this could contribute to the problem.
He added that once animals are released, they tend to become a separate problem from people abandoning pets.
"When you have dogs in the community, they're having their own puppies and growing their own communities without public assistance," he said. "Potentially, the start of those would be unwanted animals from homeowners, but once they're not fixed and become stray animals they reproduce on their own and populations can grow quite quickly."
