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 An Ottawa man made his first appearance in court on June 16 to face charges laid by the OHS against him for allegedly choking his seven-week-old Rottweiler puppy, Sadie.
In April, a witness called the OHS emergency line reporting overhearing punching and choking noises and someone screaming at the puppy.
The OHS officers called to the scene rushed the dog to the OHS for emergency medical treatment.
"She was in a serious, life-threatening state. She was so unstable, we weren't sure she was going to make it," said Dr. Shelley Hutchings, OHS chief veterinarian. Hutchings said the puppy showed signs of brain trauma. Her pupils wouldn't respond to light and she was hemorrhaging in the whites of her eyes.
The little puppy was immediately treated with oxygen, IV fluids, pain medication and drugs to stop her brain from swelling and to clear fluid from her lungs. She was in shock, her body was limp, she couldn't stand and could barely breathe. She wouldn't stop crying and whimpering.
As seen in a number of recent serious cases, Sadie's age seems to have helped her pull through. Young animals often heal better than their older counterparts.
The investigation was hindered by the fact that the accused, Dylan Sardinha, 23, was evicted by his landlord and OHS officers had to hunt him down to lay the charges.
The charges against Sardinha, two counts under the Criminal Code of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, will likely take a year or more to work their way through the courts.
The rambunctious Sadie, after treatment and a lengthy stay in the care of the OHS, has been adopted into a safe and loving new home.
Only because of you is the Ottawa Humane Society able to rescue, treat and rehome innocent animals like Sadie and bring their abusers to justice. |
