Molly, the shepherd-cross who made headlines after being rescued from abuse last November, has joined her new owner after being cleared to leave care.
BC SPCA Nanaimo and District Branch Manager Leon Davis said that after a backslide over Christmas Molly had rallied in January and recently got the all-clear from vets to join her new owner, who wishes to remain anonymous.
“It’s a testament to her resilience and to the amazing care given by vets in Nanaimo and Port Hardy,” he said.
When she was first rescued Molly’s chances of survival looked bleak. She was emaciated and dehydrated, with her collar embedded in her neck. At the time the BC SPCA described the case as “one of the most horrific animal cruelty cases” it had seen.
But now the prognosis looks good for Molly, with no lasting physical damage expected, Davis said. He praised the initial responders at the North Island Veterinary Hospital for their care in the case, saying, “they did an amazing job.”
Molly is in good spirits psychologically too. “She just loved people,” said Davis of her time in care. “She’s just a calm, wonderful dog.”
He said that, despite her ill-treatment, Molly does not appear to blame humans for her starvation and neglect. “There’s not that connection between neglect and people,” Davis explained. “Abuse, yes, but dogs don’t associate neglect with people.”
While Molly may not have made that connection, others certainly have. The BC SPCA recommended charges against Molly’s former owners, which were subsequently approved by Crown Counsel on January 13, 2014. Charged are Rupert James Wilson and Crystal Dawn Bee. That case is now before the courts.
A petition created by Animal Cruelty Legislation Advocates Canada and hosted on change.org asking that a guilty finding in the case carry the maximum punishment and a ban on owning animals has been signed over 50,000 times.