Rescued poodle was dumped in locked suitcase on hottest day of the year

RICHMOND, British Columbia (KTVU) - He was found locked in a discarded suitcase, in a wooded ravine on Sunday, in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond.

It was the hottest day of the year, 84 degrees outside, when a passerby heard whimpering coming from a hard shelled suitcase, which appeared to be moving.

The suitcase was double locked and when it was finally pried open, inside was an extremely frightened Toy Poodle sitting in his own feces and urine.

It appeared the animal had been locked up for three to six hours, according Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) CEO Eyal Lichtmann.

The Poodle was brought to the shelter, where volunteers and medical experts provided immediate care, cleaned him up and treated him for extreme dehydration.

Remarkably, despite the trauma he had undergone, the dog bounced back quickly and instantly warmed up to the staff at RAPS, Lichtmann told KTVU.

The adorable dog, estimated to be about 6 years old, won over the hearts of the entire staff which chose to name him Donut for his sweet nature and rich brown color.

"He's the friendliest dog you've ever seen," Lichtmann said. "Now he wants to play the whole time, he loves licking everyone and is a great cuddler," Lichtmann added.

RAPS is working with the animal cruelty division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which is following a lead in the case, according to Lichtmann.

Animal care officials said while they don't know why anyone would do such a cruel act to this sweet, innocent animal, they're guessing he was likely stolen from his owner.

Donut was well groomed and recently groomed, according to Lichtmann.

"Someone spent a lot of money taking care of him," Lichtmann said and speculated perhaps he was stolen as part of some type of revenge tactic carried out by the perpetrator.

At this point, there have been no reports of a missing dog matching Donut's description.

There is no reason why this type of cruelty needs to happen, RAPS officials said.

"Anyone can surrender their animal for any reason at the Richmond Animal Shelter," they said.

The active and happy dog will be housed by RAPS while the animal cruelty investigation is ongoing. The shelter plans to eventually adopt him out to a safe and loving home.