Tying dog to moving trailer leads to changes

CALGARY Charges have been laid against a man in his 40s after photos of a dog tethered to a trailer being towed on city roads went viral on social media.

On Oct. 28, images showing a large dog riding on the bed of a flatbed trailer began appearing on social media.

The photo shows the dog — cowering on the trailer’s wooden deck — appearing to be secured to the trailer via a leash tied to the front rail.

On Saturday, 40-year-old Rocky View County resident Volodymyr Irodenko turned himself in, and now faces numerous municipal, provincial and criminal code charges in relation to the matter.

The criminal charge — causing damage or injury to animals while they are being driven or conveyed — is an indictable offence that could see Irodenko face two years in prison if found guilty.

The Calgary Humane Society’s Brad Nichols said the dog, which shelter staff believe is mostly a Leonberger, has been removed from the owner and is now in their care.

“The owner has not been forthcoming with either the name of the animal or the breed,” he said.

“He’s doing OK — frankly, these offences don’t necessitate physical suffering or injury, it’s really the recklessness associated with the act itself.”

He said transporting dogs on the bed of flatbed trailers can be deadly for the animal — especially in colder weather.

“On a flatbed trailer, there’s no protection whatsoever from wind, from debris, the elements,” he said.

“There’s certainly an expanded fall hazard as well.”

Had the dog been bumped off the trailer, the result would have almost certainly been fatal, Nichols said.