He did what he could to save man's best friend, but now Tre Smith, a Toronto Humane Society inspector, is in the dog house.
Two weeks ago Smith was alerted to a Rottweiler named Cyrus
trapped in a sealed and roasting car during a blistering heat wave, with internal temperatures approaching 70C. With the creature near death, he broke the window, sending the owner out to answer his car alarm. With a choice between letting the dog die and hanging on to a man accused of animal cruelty, Smith made a difficult decision. He handcuffed the man to his car and left him there to tend to Cyrus.
"He (the suspect) was threatening and abusive and for my own safety and for the safety of the other people around me and for the safety of Cyrus, I needed to tend to Cyrus to save his life," Smith explained.
By the time police arrived, the captive man was bleeding, having been allegedly attacked by angry bystanders who witnessed the incident. "The police hadn't got here just yet but they were almost here, and I had to leave because the dog was non-responsive, had stopped breathing and I had to stimulate the dog just to bring him back," he recalled then. "So I had to leave for the life of the dog."
But that decision has now cost Smith dearly. The
Ontario SPCA suspended
his agent's license pending an internal review. He
can still work at the Humane Society, but can not investigate animal cruelty cases.
Smith isn't taking the decision lightly.
"I'm shocked and stunned and deeply saddened," he said.
Smith also has the backing of witness Andrew McGowan.
"He did his job 100%, and I was there for the whole thing," he said.
The good news in all this is that Cyrus is making a remarkable recovery. To find out more about his progress,
click here.