Richmond RCMP asks people to ‘leave Hugo and his owner alone’ amid ‘unfounded’ dog abuse complaints

People in Richmond are being urged to “leave Hugo and his owner alone” after the RCMP says allegations of animal abuse were “investigated and determined to be unfounded.”

Mounties say they have received a number of calls about a home since June 19, when posters were put up around Richmond claiming the dog, Hugo, was being abused.

“I want to stress to the public that these allegations have been thoroughly investigated and are completely unfounded. Hugo is a healthy dog,” said Richmond RCMP Const. Adriana O’Malley.

RCMP in Richmond, B.C., are telling the public to leave a pet owner and their dog Hugo, shown in this undated handout photo provided by the City of Richmond, alone after the resident was “mercilessly harassed” over unfounded claims of animal abuse. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-City of Richmond
**MANDATORY CREDIT **

O’Malley says the allegations against Hugo’s owner were that the pooch was not being given food or water, and was being left outside. The Constable says she understands why people have expressed so much concern over the dog but adds the situation has gone too far.

Although Hugo’s owner preferred to remain anonymous and protect his privacy, he told CityNews he’s had people knock on his door, drive by slowly making accusations and even egg his house since the posters went up on Monday.

“As a dog owner myself, I can understand that when you hear or see something that is alleging that an animal is being abused, that can be extremely upsetting. But what we want the public to understand is that there are proper ways of going about dealing with this. Let the proper authorities investigate,” O’Malley told CityNews.

“It’s important for people to understand that not everything you read is true. Just because it’s posted on social media or it’s put on a poster, doesn’t mean that it’s actually true or accurate.”

Officers stationed outside dog owner’s home: RCMP

Due to what it describes as “the constant harassment of the resident,” the RCMP says it has assigned officers to be outside the home to prevent any issues and to tell anyone inquiring that the claims of abuse are unfounded. Police presence is expected to continue.

“Our officers observed a steady stream of people coming by, some of whom were aggressive and confrontational with police,” said O’Malley. “We need the public to understand that Hugo is fine and not encountering any abuse.”

In addition, the RCMP says it is investigating “a mischief” to the property.

O’Malley says police are not investigating mischief against the person who initially posted the signs, as people were not urged to contact the RCMP or carry out criminal acts. However, she says Mounties would like to speak with the original poster to highlight the impact the allegations have made.

“This has taken a significant number of resources and continues to take a significant number of resources,” she said.

The RCMP’s plea comes a day after the City of Richmond issued its own notice about the complaints.

In a Facebook post, the city echoed what the RCMP said, adding a “timely and thorough investigation” into the complaints against the owner was conducted and determined to be unfounded.”

The city is urging people who see the posters about Hugo to “please remove them immediately.”

“Pets are people too,” the city said in its Facebook post. “It is all of our responsibility to ensure that they are safe and well.”

It is asking people who see an animal in need to contact city staff.

With files from Sarah Chew