Whitehorse bylaw services is investigating the discovery of a dead dog that appears to have been savagely beaten.
The body of the black Labrador cross was found last Monday in a dumpster next to Copper Road Veterinary Clinic.
The dog’s injuries left animal activist Jordi Mikeli-Jones sick to her stomach.
“I didn’t sleep for three nights, just because of the images in my mind,” she said.
The president of Kona’s Coalition said this is a case of “systemic, long-term cruelty to this animal. I didn’t get a number of how many scars, but there were significant numbers.”
Mikeli-Jones was able to get some of the details of the dog’s injuries from the veterinarian who completed a necropsy.
She said the dog, who is between six months and one year old, had “severe blunt force trauma” and a bullet through the back of her head.
“She had multiple fractures throughout her body. All four legs and the jaw were broken.”
Mikeli-Jones has named the dog Jane, as in Jane Doe.
Bylaw officer Kyle Morrison said his office is still waiting to get the official vet report back.
“Once we do get that vet report back, we’ll be able to determine the cause of death as well as if there is animal cruelty,” he said, “and at that point in time whether bylaw can still proceed in the investigation or if the matter needs to be turned over to the RCMP.”
Since news of the dog’s death broke late last week, Kona’s Coalition has started a fundraising campaign for reward money.
So far they have raised about $5,000.
People who want to donate to the fund can visit Kona Coalition’s website or go to the group’s Gofundme campaign online.
The group is also printing off flyers they hope people will put up around town. Those are available at the Kona’s Coalition offices on Elliott Street inside Triple J’s Music.
Mikeli-Jones said the dog was not starving.
“She’d eaten a meal before she was beaten to death. So in the vet’s opinion, she had been cared for, she had been fed. She was not emaciated,” she said.
If the reward money goes unclaimed, Mikeli-Jones said it will go towards other work by the coalition.
“We had been planning to tackle legislative reform in 2016. It’s one of our main goals under our mandate,” she said.
The idea would be to advocate for stiffer Whitehorse bylaws and also possibly improve the Yukon Animal Protection Act that covers the rest of the territory.
“At the city level, we need to look at better enforcement and stiffer penalties.”
According to Whitehorse’s bylaws, the fine for animal cruelty can range from $500 to $10,000.
People can also be banned from owning another animal for up to two years.
The Canadian criminal code has the same maximum fine for a number for charges related to animal abuse.
Under the criminal code, jail time is also an option.
Anyone with information can contact Kona’s Coalition.
Contact Ashley Joannou at ashleyj@yukon-news.com