Adam Johnson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 30, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - While the SPCA will be without many of its executive members later this year, outgoing leaders hope new blood can take the organization further.

"It's time for somebody to take the NWT SPCA to the next level," said outgoing president Janet Pacey.

Outgoing NWT SPCA vice-president Robin Weber, left, and outgoing president Janet Pacey hold some puppies headed to Edmonton for adoption. After nearly a decade of service, both animal-lovers have decided to move to the sidelines in the organization. - NNSL file photo

After eight years as president and nine years on the board, Pacey said the clock has been ticking for some time.

"I've been thinking about (stepping down) for years," she said with a sigh. "I have no new ideas."

Not that she's had any shortage before; in her near-decade on the board, Pacey has helped the SPCA create regular adoption notices in local media, produced popular annual calendars and helped to find homes for countless animals.

"I think we have a really great name in this community," she said of her accomplishments.

Unfortunately, Pacey is not alone in her plans; two other board members, as well as the NWT SPCA's vice-president, Robin Weber, are also stepping down.

"I'm getting burned out," said Weber, who has been on the board for 10 years.

Like Pacey, Weber hopes stepping down will give other people the kick in the pants they need to get involved and drive the organization forward.

"That's how I started," Weber said with a laugh.

Pacey and the others put in their notices at the last annual general meeting in September 2007, and will stay on until September 2008.

Both hope a re-energized board can find the time, energy and resources to make a big step - building a full-time SPCA shelter in Yellowknife. It's something Pacey said her "bare bones" board could never manage.

"We all work full-time, and we realize what a gigantic project (a shelter) is," Pacey said. "We just got a little scared - none of us really know anything about building a shelter."

She said the organization has raised a few thousand dollars towards the project, but would need millions more.

"The people we have are just barely (keeping up)," Weber said.

At present, animals are sheltered at Great Slave Animal Hospital. While both Pacey and Weber have found their time on the board rewarding, both have their share of bad memories from their time with the NWT SPCA.

Pacey recalled a violent incident in recent years.

"A few years ago there were dogs killed by a sled team operator," she said. "(The operator) brought the dogs into Fiddler's Lake lagoon and shot them."

She said she saw the frozen bodies being loaded up onto trucks by city workers - something she will never forget.

"It was heartbreaking to watch," she said. "How on Earth can you just take them into the bush and shoot them in the head. It still gets me angry to this day. It will forever, I think."

For Weber, the bad memories are a little more recent. In the last few weeks, she helped to ship 16 puppies from Fort Simpson to Edmonton for adoption.

While she was at the airport, she was talking to a man who had imported a puppy from a backyard breeder down south.

She was aghast that someone would import puppies when so many go un-adopted in the North.

"I thought, 'this is someone who is not getting it,'" she said. "'Why am I doing this?'"

While both Weber and Pacey are stepping down, this definitely won't be the last animal lovers will see of them, as they plan to keep helping from the sidelines.

Pacey said she hopes to keep assembling the NWT SPCA calendars, and use her graphic design abilities to help where she can.

"I don't think they could afford to hire a graphic designer," she said.

The NWT SPCA is holding its next board meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Explorer Hotel.