Dog dragged down rural Alberta road, man says

A central Alberta man says he saw an older man dragging a puppy behind a motorized bike late Sunday afternoon on a rural road near Blackfalds, north of Red Deer.

"It was just like a rag dragging behind him," said Justin Reid, who was driving down the road around 5 p.m. to check out the ice on a nearby river. "And we pulled up beside him, and he come to a stop, because we were screaming at him.

"And he finally pulled over and I walked to the back of the bike and unhooked the dog. And the dog just laid there, motionless, with his eyes open."

A veterinarian later told Reid the dog is about six or seven months old and will probably survive.

But out on the road that day, after Reid unhooked the animal from the three-wheeler, the man hooked it back up again, he said. That's when Reid called 911.

"He repetitively kept getting back on the bike and I kept unhooking the dog," Reid said. "After about five to six circles of that, I took the key out of the bike, and he grabbed the dog on the choke chain and flung it up over his shoulder."

The man, who Reid estimates was in his 80s, then left the dog with Reid and went back to his house. RCMP quickly arrived and examined the dog's condition. 

"They checked out his paws that were all worn off, and his tail was all busted open and he had some road rash on him," Reid said. "But the vet says he's going to be all right."

RCMP confirmed Tuesday that they turned the investigation over to the Alberta SPCA, who talked to the dog's owner.

"It is our understanding that the owner had intended to exercise the dog," said Morris Airey, director of animal protection services for Alberta SPCA.

Airey declined to provide specifics about the animal's condition but said it would likely make a full recovery. The dog has been seized and remains under the care of a Red Deer veterinarian, he said.

"We have already placed the dog under seizure. We are confident that it is under veterinary care. We need some time to carry out our investigation."

Justin Reid said he took the dog home that night with the RCMP's permission. The next morning, he brought the animal to a veterinarian.

Reid said he would like to adopt the dog, but Airey said it is still too early to make a decision on the animal's fate.