As the investigation continues into the deaths of six Ladner canines while in the care of their dog walker, the B.C. SPCA could recommend charges in the coming days.
Spokesperson Lorie Chortyk said investigators already have information from some of the necropsies and could be recommending animal cruelty charges to Crown counsel as early as next week.
"We're hoping that it will be done quickly," she said yesterday.
Chortyk said instances of dogs becoming sick or dying after being left in a vehicle on a hot day are, unfortunately, quite common, but this is the first time she's seen a case on this scale.
"It's a very unique case in having someone who is paid to look after animals," she said.
On Monday, the search for the dogs, which have become known as the Brookswood 6, came to a grim conclusion. Originally believed stolen from the dog walker's truck at a Langley park, the dogs' bodies were recovered from an Abbotsford ditch.
The search began early last week after the dog walker reported the six canines, including her own, were taken from the back of her truck.
The distraught owners, who all live in Ladner, rallied, following leads, distributing flyers, offering a reward and calling in Petsearchers Canada, a Vancouver-area pet detective and bloodhound tracking service.
On Monday, Petsearchers announced that, in fact, the dogs had died, likely from heat exhaustion, after being left in the back of the truck.
The SPCA has taken over the investigation into the alleged mistreatment of the dogs, while the Langley RCMP is investigating possible public mischief charges.
While they wait for the legal process to take its course, the dogs' owners are hoping to incite some changes to Canada's animal cruelty laws by starting an online petition to make animal cruelty an indictable offence under the Criminal Code.
The petition has already garnered more than 4,000 signatures.
There is also an online fundraising drive, initially started to help cover the costs of the search for the dogs, that will now help fund memorials for the canines as well as legal fees.
Donations can be made by visiting www.gofundme.com/97yjh4.
The petition can be found at www.thepetitionsite.com and searching Brookswood 6.
