Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Duncan woman pleads guilty in shocking animal abuse case

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A Duncan woman involved in a shocking case of animal abuse that occurred last year has pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty, today.

In February 2018, the BC SPCA found an extremely emaciated medium-sized dog tied up in a tight rope and standing on a pile of mud and feces on the property of Duncan couple Anderson Joe and Melissa Tooshley.

The dog, who rescuers named Teddy, had a collar dug deep into his neck, causing a severe infection and making his head swell up to two to three times its normal size. Two days after he was found, he passed from his injuries.

Joe was charged with one count of causing unnecessary pain/suffering to an animal and one count of failing to provide necessaries for an animal. In June, 2018, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Unlike her co-accused, Tooshley, who is facing one charge of failing to provide necessaries for an animal, pleaded guilty to the crime.

While the court case is ongoing, an online petition was started after the allegations came to light that calls for the Crown to issue the maximum penalty possible to the accused: five years in prison, a $10,000 fine and a lifetime ban on owning animals.

As of February 27th, the petition had over 213,000 signatures.

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Adam Chan
Former Staff Writer at Victoria Buzz.

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