

The Canadian Press





MONTREAL -- Quebec provincial police say a man has been arrested for animal cruelty in the case of a dog that died after being found buried alive south of Montreal this week.

Sgt. Ingrid Asselin says the man in his 40s came to investigators himself, was questioned and released with a promise to appear at a later date.

Asselin says police are still investigating and awaiting various test results on dog, a Boxer mix.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the dog was extremely dehydrated when it was brought in for treatment this week.

The local SPCA director said it appeared the dog was strangled and hit on the head with a blunt object.

The dog was considered in stable condition but died Wednesday afternoon.

The SPCA says a man walking in a field in Saint-Paul-D'Abbotsford on Tuesday heard whimpering and a dog's paw sticking out of fresh topsoil.

The animal had been wrapped in a sheet, but it was unclear how long it had been in the ground.