Dying dog abandoned in northern B.C. woods

Police say an elderly, sick dog was abandoned in a forest near Terrace, B.C. where it lay for about two days before it was discovered by a dog walker.

"He had been left to die in the woods in a box," said RCMP Cst. Aaron Muzzerall of West Pacific Traffic Services.

The dog, a black and white male shih tzu, was discovered in a diaper box near Copper River outside Terrace. It was rushed to Kitimat veterinarian Howard Thwaites.

Thwaites said the animal was dehydrated and urine-soaked and suffering from fleas and an eye infection. The vet also discovered a large throat tumour. The dog, thought to be about 12 or 13, had to be euthanized.

Grace Waddell, who runs a Prince George animal rescue that takes in elderly dogs, was dismayed to learn that someone had abandoned a feeble dog.

"It's a really sad end to a life that didn't have to end that way," Waddell said.

"There are a lot of things you can do other than abandon your dog in a taped up box along the highway," Waddell said.