Dog Locked in Crate, Strapped to RV, Traveling on Highway During Record Heatwave

Several drivers traveling on a British Columbia highway reported seeing a crate, strapped to the rear luggage platform of an RV, with a distressed dog locked inside.

Heather Peters was traveling along Highway 1 near Abbotsford, B.C., at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 27, when she spotted a dog crate strapped to the back of an RV.

“I was like, ‘Oh please dear God, please do not let there be a dog in there,’ and of course, I pulled to the side and we were at a light on Sumas Way, and there was a dog panting. His tongue was sticking out to the side. He was a big German shepherd,” she told GlobalNews. Peters immediately contacted police and followed the RV to get a license plate number and photograph.

That same day, Lisa Bohn also spotted the vehicle while traveling with her husband on Highway 1. “We both looked at each other and said, ‘Is that a dog carrier on the back of the trailer?’ Caught up to it and sure enough, there was a dog in that carrier on the very back of the camper trailer.”

Bohn said the dog kept trying to stand up and falling over and appeared to be soaking wet. She broke into tears after reporting the cruelty to police.

And again, this time at 8:30pm, the RV was sighted and police were called. Though they were unable to locate the vehicle on the day of the sightings, police traced the license plate and found the vehicle registered to a business.

Investigators eventually located the dog’s owner and secure a warrant to seize the animal. On Wednesday, June 30, the BC SPCA took custody of the German shepherd.

“The dog is safe and is being cared for by the SPCA in an undisclosed location. The dog is not available for adoption at this time as we have to follow the legal steps in the process before he is ours to rehome,” the BC SPCA said in a statement. The agency is recommending animal cruelty charges against the dog’s owner.