UPDATE: After a joint investigation between the Calgary Humane Society and the Calgary police, a man has been charged in this animal abuse case.
After a tip was received from the public, the investigation was initiated police said. On Friday, the dog was taken to a designated forensic veterinarian for an examination and they found injuries consistent with the alleged abuse.
As a result, Calgary police have charged Lawrence Chow, 40, of Calgary, with the following:
- Causing unnecessary suffering to animals
- Injuring or endangering animals
- Uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm
- Assault with a weapon
Another dog was also seized from the home, according to police. That dog will remain in the care of the Calgary Humane Society. Chow is no longer permitted to have animals in his possession Chow said.
Further charges could be pending, police said.
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The Animal Rescue Foundation has now taken a dog back into their care after a Facebook post was made showing alleged animal abuse from the dog’s foster parent.
On Thursday, August 17, 2023, a post was made that contained photos of a dog with its mouth tied shut and details describing the abuse of the animal by the individual walking it in Inglewood.
Later that day, the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) was made aware of the post, and quickly identified the dog as one of their own, named Amber, who was in a new foster home’s care.
In the Facebook post made by the Straight Shooters Indoor Range, Amber was photographed with her mouth tied shut, being kicked down, and having her head held down by the individual’s boot. While witnessing the abuse, employees at the business approached the individual to request that they stop harming the dog, and untie her mouth as it was an extremely hot day.
After discovering the post, ARF worked quickly to secure Amber and ensure her safety from any further abuse. Amber was recovered from the foster home within an hour of ARF identifying the dog.
“Amber’s well-being is our top priority. She has been evaluated by our team and we will continue to monitor her closely. We only support the use of force-free training methods and have zero tolerance for any mistreatment of animals,” they said.
“Our thorough foster screening process is designed to filter out individuals, to the best of our ability, whose values do not align with ARF. Ongoing support and training are offered to all foster homes.”
ARF is cooperating with the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) and the Calgary Police Service to investigate and pursue the incident further. CHS is taking the lead on the investigation.
A report was made with CPS and they will be investigating, alongside CHSA and ARF.
Due to the ongoing investigation, ARF and the CHS are unable to comment further on the situation.
The Fostering Process
Susan Chen, Program Manager at ARF, described the process of becoming a foster home for animals.
“After they apply online, we do a series of questions with the applicants before interviewing family members, and then doing a face-to-face meeting. We do go to the applicant’s home but usually do not enter it as many people are uncomfortable with that. We then make sure that the yard has adequate space for the animals,” she said.
“After the animal is fostered, we consistently do meetings with the foster parent, which includes bringing the animal to our facility to let us assess the health and condition of the animal.”
Once the animal is in foster care, the adoption process can go forward. After an application is sent in and approved for adoption, ARF schedules initial visits between the adoptive family and the foster animal.
After the initial visits, the animal is sent to the adopting family’s home for a day to see how the animal settles, and if everything goes well, the animal is then officially adopted.
ARF said they provide ongoing support and training to all foster homes.
Editor’s note: The original story reflected that CPS informed LWC they were not investigating. They later indicated to us that they are, in fact, investigating.
