The Calgary Humane Society is asking the public for help after a dog in distress was abandoned in the southeast in early February.
The seven-year-old Pomeranian named Coco was left in a backpack at the Calgary Southwest United Soccer Club on Saturday, Feb. 7, the Calgary Humane Society said Tuesday.
The society’s head of enforcement, Brad Nichols, says on the spectrum of abandonment, it’s “egregious” given the poor physical condition and acute medical needs of the dog.
“We have more information about this dog than is typical, so I am confident that someone out there knows this dog and where and to whom he belongs,” he said.
“We are asking the public for any information that may lead us to the person responsible for this cowardly and cruel act.”
Abandonment and medical neglect are offences under the Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code, punishable by up to a $20,000 fine, a lifetime prohibition from owning animals, and two years in prison.
Anyone with information on the dog is asked to call the Calgary Humane Society at 403-205-4455 or through the online report cruelty portal on its website.