Animal welfare officers are investigating after a shih-tzu was found severely burned behind a supermarket in Pickering last week.

Someone walking by found the dog tied to a garbage can behind the No Frills on Kingston Road and brought him to a humane society in Whitby.

Veterinarian Cheryl Birss told CityNews the dog had burns to about 50 per cent of his body.

“The dog lived with these burns for a few days before we were able to receive and give him some pain management. You can just imagine how painful that could be. I’ve been comparing it to, if it was a human being, they would be put into a medically induced coma because of the discomfort.”

Under the provincial Animal Welfare Act, anyone who harms an animal could be jailed for two-years and fined as much as $60,000.