A dog abuse complaint in Chatham is now in the hands of the provincial animal welfare inspectors.
Cody Dyson said he discovered what looked like two American Bulldogs on Thursday living in undesirable conditions in a backyard near Sandys Street and McNaughton Avenue and filed a complaint with the animal control office in Chatham-Kent. In an email to BlackburnNews, Chatham-Kent’s Manager of Animal Control Benjamin Van Eyk confirmed that he is “aware of the situation“ adding that “cases such as these are forwarded to the animal welfare inspectors of the Solicitor General who investigate allegations of neglect/abuse of animals.”
Dyson posted on his Facebook page the dogs are living in their own feces, they have open wounds, no food or water, and there are flies all over. Dyson told Blackburn News he was helping a friend when he made the discovery.
"Laying in their own filth looking like they're ready to die. It was just an awful, awful sight," said Dyson. "The one dog is pretty skinny, I know they're definitely older dogs. The one looks like he has some weight on him but still looking pretty rough there."
Dyson hopes the dogs find a better home. He said he's already being threatened with a lawsuit but doesn't mind, adding that people need to realize they can't keep dogs in those conditions.
"Getting a little backlash, potentially being sued for I don't if you call it slander or whatnot. It's going to be a little bit of work but it's all for a good cause here," Dyson said.
Dyson said neighbours of the property in question told him they have made several complaints before, but the living conditions for the dogs were reportedly deemed suitable.