'Skin and bones' dog in foster home after being found by compassionate jogger

A compassionate jogger in Richmond recently discovered an emaciated English bulldog mix near a school and brought it to the BC SPCA.

The dog was found near McNair Secondary School by a man on an early morning jog on April 2, 2025.

“The jogger noticed the dog trailing behind him as he ran,” says Eileen Drever, senior officer protection and stakeholder relations. “At first, he thought the dog belonged to someone, but he looked around and saw no one. When he stopped running, the dog just stood there and gazed at him.”

Drever adds when he got a closer look, he noticed the dog was skin and bones, which concerned him.

“He approached the dog and was able to coax him into his car,” adds Drever.

While waiting for the animal centre to open, the man bought the dog some rotisserie chicken and a collar.

The dog was scanned for a microchip, but one couldn't be found.

The dog was placed in a BC SPCA foster home and began a veterinarian supervised feeding plan to help him gain weight. He was also scheduled for a full veterinary workup.

While the checkup went well, the BC SPCA says the dog isn’t out of the woods yet.

“In addition to suffering from starvation the dog has arthritis in his front legs,” says Drever.

“He is not gaining weight as quickly as we would like. He is under the watchful eye of the veterinarian and is getting lots of love from his foster.”

Drever explains emaciated dogs are a challenge to care for and when a dog has a low body condition score like this it can have long-term implications for their health.

“They are often in our care for weeks before we see an increase in their weight. We will do everything in our power to make them healthy and happy.”

The foster reports the dog is a loving and affectionate boy despite everything he has been through.

At this time, it is not known when the dog will be available for adoption.