Victoria city councillor and animal lover Charlayne Thornton-Joe spent the day locked in a dog kennel Tuesday as the BCSPCA issued a $2,500 ransom to her family and colleagues as a term for her release.
Thornton-Joe spent three hours in the kennel, waiting with its resident dog Maximus as donations started pouring in.
After initial success, she chose to have her ransom raised from $2,500 to $3,500, and managed to collect $3,510 by the time of her release.
“The SPCA reached out to me because they know I’m an animal lover, and they wanted to test how big my love for animals is,” Thornton-Joe said.
The funds raised will go towards a range of services the BCSPCA provides, including investigations into animal cruelty, emergency rescue and treatment of injured animals, sheltering and adoption of homeless animals and low-cost spay/neuter programs among others.
The BCSPCA’s annual Paws for a Cause walk takes place Sept. 7 at Clover Point. Registration opens at 10 a.m. followed by the walk at 11:30 a.m.