Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

nuvik (Jan 24/03) - The feces and urine-stained floor of Inuvik's current dog pound is caving in and a horrible stench fills the air.

It would make you dizzy if you stayed in there long enough.

There is no running water, no sewage drainage and the dilapidated furnace gives out and freezes up on a regular basis.

"As far as sanitation, it's impossible to clean it up," said bylaw officer Randy Shermack.

Because it's part of his job, Shermack is forced to work in these unsanitary and unhealthy conditions every day.

The small blue shed located not far from the Inuvik boat launch has been the source of an ongoing headache for Shermack over the past several years.

And it's not just the fumes emanating from the feces and urine.

"It's been broken into several times," said Shermack.

Some intruders break in because they suspect their dog is in there and want to avoid paying $50 to get them back out. But others are just looking for a place to vandalize, said Shermack.

Dogs often do some damage as well while trying to break out of the cages. And because the floor is collapsing, the animals often succeed in nudging cage doors open.

The town has spent quite a bit of money on repairs over the past year or so.

"People have broken in through the back fan area, through the sides with axes, and through the front door.

"So we've probably spent, I'm guessing, in the neighbourhood of $5,000 or so over the last year just on renovations and cleaning up after break-ins," he said.

"We need a new dog pound. There's no question that we do," said Shermack, barely audible over the non-stop yelping of two stray dogs locked up in tiny cages, tossing around empty coffee cans.

When family pets get lost and put in the pound, Shermack said, owners are usually shocked and outraged at the conditions their dogs were housed in.

"If I was a pet owner, which I'm not, I would not want to have my pet in here.

Shermack has been the town's dog officer for almost three years now. And one of his most difficult duties is having to shoot and kill the strays that nobody claims.

Because putting a dog down by lethal injection is very expensive, using a firearm is the most cost-effective method, said Shermack.

"I've probably, in the last two-and-a-half years, I've probably put down 500 animals," he said.

Each time he had to shoot stray dogs he always takes another animal control officer with him ‹ both for safety and moral support.

"Because after you destroy an animal you need to have a bit of a sense of humour. If you're by yourself, you get very depressed because it's not a fun thing to do."