‘Overwhelming’ odour investigation leads to animal cruelty charge

A 19-year-old man is facing animal cruelty charges after Guelph police found a dog suffering from neglect inside his apartment.

The manager of an apartment building on Vanier Dr. grew concerned about an overwhelming smell that was permeating an entire floor. He knocked repeatedly on the door of the unit where he believed the smell was coming from but when he was unable to get inside, he thought the tenant may have passed away.

When police officers entered the apartment they found a small white Samoyed puppy surrounded by dozens of rotting piles of feces.

Police say the dog’s hind appeared matted to the point it could no long pass its own waste.

The Guelph Humane Society was contacted and came to take the dog into their care.

The tenant, 19-year-old Zhenlin Lius Huang, was arrested inside the apartment and charged with mischief and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.