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A 30-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with animal cruelty after his social media posts showing an abused dog were reported to police.

Facebook photos posted in February showed the tawny-coloured pit bull-type dog with its muzzle tied shut with captions bragging that the dog had been given cannabis edibles to eat. The posts sparked outrage online.

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Ottawa police identified the suspect and on Feb. 25 attended a home in the 2800 block of Cedarwood Drive. They also located the dog, which was taken into care by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Aron Yardon, 30, was charged that day, but police did not release his name until Thursday.

The charge comes as enforcement of animal cruelty laws in Ontario are in limbo. In January, a judge in Perth ruled the OSPCA’s authority to enforce animal cruelty was a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. On Monday, the society said it would stop enforcing the law when it contract with the province expires on March 31.

The charter challenge was brought by a property rights advocate Jeff Bogaerts of the Ontario Landowners Association in Lanark and supported by the animal rights group Animal Justice.