An Ottawa woman has been charged with animal cruelty after her puppy died of starvation.
Workers from the humane society's animal protection team found the decomposing body of the nine-month old dog inside the front door of the woman's community housing unit.
The dog's body was withered. Workers say its ribs, vertebrae and hip bones were jutting out.
It was determined that the dog had no fat stores or recognizable food in its digestive tract, other than what appeared to be pieces of a pair of jeans that were left out.
"It's gut wrenching to think of how this young dog suffered, slowly starving to death, waiting at the front door for the owner that never returned," Ottawa Humane Society Inspector Miriam Smith said in a news release.
"Owners must take responsibility for their pets—it's the law. You must ensure that there is someone looking after your pet if you are unable to do so."
Madeleine Girard is charged with cruelty. It's alleged she abandoned her pointer-mix dog causing it to suffer without food or water until it died of starvation.
