Tuesday, February 8, 2011 A Pitt lacrosse player hopes his deciation to the country’s national sport will take him to school State side.
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Investigation
Day-old puppy abandoned in shoebox
‘Peanut’ the puppy has been fighting for her life since she was found Friday, but a vet is optimistic she’ll recover. by Amy Judd ajudd@mrtimes.com
Dr. Adrian Walton was exhausted on Monday morning. The Dewdney Animal Hospital vet had been up all weekend, every two hours, to feed a tiny abandoned puppy, no bigger than a fully-grown hamster, that was found discarded Friday afternoon. Peanut, as the puppy has now been named, was found under the bench of a 207th bus stop and brought to the Maple Ridge SPCA. The black and white, mixed-breed puppy weighed only 157 grams and was in a shoebox with a fleece blanket, that was wrapped in a garbage bag. “The people [who found her] heard some whimpering,” said Maple Ridge SPCA manager Mark Vosper. “And they brought her to us.” “It was cold enough that if it would have been an hour more, she would have stopped vocalizing and no one would have found her,” said Walton. Vosper brought her to the vet right away, and
Amy Judd/TIMES
Peanut was feeding every two hours, but has since been upgraded to every four. Maple Ridge SPCA manager Mark Vosper gave Peanut a feeding at the Dewdney Animal Hospital Monday. Walton said she was hypothermic when she arrived. “She had seizures Friday evening,” he added, “likely because she hadn’t eaten a meal since she was born.” The vet said that he is very concerned about the mother of the puppy, as Peanut was the only one found, and dogs do not normally have just one
puppy in a litter. “The emergency hospital got a call for a dystocia case, [difficulty giving birth], but they couldn’t say if it was from Maple Ridge or not,” Walton siad. “My guess is that we have a dead mother.” Peanut has now gone home with Vosper and he
will be fostering her while searching for a surrogate mother. BC SPCA animal cruelty investigators are now on the case, and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the owner of the puppy or any of the other puppies. “She is out of danger and she is now eating
every four hours,” said Vosper. “There’s loads of vets in town, everyone knows the SPCA,” he said, “so there’s no excuse is there. “ Anyone with information is asked to please call the Maple Ridge SPCA at 604463-9511. Vosper noted that the Maple Ridge shelter
in Albion is open and fully operational during construction of the new Community Animal Centre. BC SPCA conducts nearly 7,000 cruelty investigations a year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work. More on how to help online at: spca.bc.ca/support.
Development
Four Albion options tabled meet with them to discuss options for development of the Albion Flats. The ALC is willing to meet with council to provide feedback, given the complex nature of the Albion Flats and the significant amount of
by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
The Agricultural Land Commission is offering a rare opportunity for Maple Ridge council to
work that’s been done. While Maple Ridge planning director Jane Pickering said this opportunity is not unheard of, it is a rare chance being offered council.
continued on page A20…
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Maple Ridge Councillor Craig Speirs stood on 105th Avenue where he believes a dividing line between development and non-development should be. Maria Rantanen/TIMES