Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK
A new non-profit group will be offering affordable pet vaccinations and sterilization surgeries later this month – a service many say is needed to curb the large number of stray animals roaming the streets of Inuvik.

Angela McInnes, left, gets ready for a dog walk with her daughter Raven Firth. She is a volunteer with Arctic Paws, which is offering a spay and neuter clinic at the Midnight Sun Memorial Complex from April 25 to May 6. - Laura Busch/NNSL photo

From April 25 until May 6 Arctic Paws will be hosting Calgary veterinarian Dr. Lucie Levy and a veterinary technician at the arena. General vet appointments will not be available at this time because the purpose of the campaign is for vaccinations and spay and neuter surgeries only.

So far, the Forget Me Not Campaign has accumulated about 64 names on the list for the 56 available surgeries, said Angela McInnes, an Arctic Paws volunteer. Those who don't get in to this month's clinic will go on a wait list for the next surgery clinic.

In order to get on the surgery list, pet owners only need to get in touch with Arctic Paws and sign up, said McInnes. Even those who are not spaying or neutering their animals are welcome to come in for rabies, Parvo and distemper vaccinations.

"We're not going to turn you away, and we're not here to judge you," said McInnes. "Whether or not you can afford it, we're offering the service. Folks that can pay by donation, great. You put in what you can, otherwise it will be covered."

Arctic Paws is a new group, still waiting on its society incorporation and charitable status. The five volunteers who run the non-profit group began fundraising in February, and settled on the name "Arctic Paws" during the third week of that month, said McInnes.

Its mandate is to offer a low-cost spay and neuter program, plus vaccines, to the eight communities in the Beaufort Delta.

These services are desperately needed in the area, where stray animals have been known to cause problems and vet services are normally a lengthy and expensive plane ride away.

"There are too many puppies, and not enough homes, so we needed to do something," said McInnes.

Since she and her family started fostering animals in need in late-November, McInnes said they have seen 17 dogs come and go.

"Rather than condemn people, what we needed to do was empower them," she said. "So, we needed to give them the tools to help cut down on this population problem."

Paul Legge, who is having one of his cats neutered at the clinic, is grateful for the service.

"I think it's absolutely critical," he said. "There are enough strays running around town right now, and the rabies shot is another issue in itself. Once it starts spreading, it happens quickly."

Legge recently adopted two cats, three-year-old George and one-year-old Henry, because their previous family was relocating to a remote community in Nunavut. Since Henry has not yet been neutered or given his rabies shot, Legge said without the upcoming clinic, he may not have been able to keep the younger cat.

"I'm glad to have the service coming up, otherwise it wouldn't be available to me for a while, and I'm not comfortable having the cat too much longer without it being neutered and getting its rabies shot," he said.

The community of Inuvik is rallying behind the new non-profit. So far, the group has received more than $25,000 in donations, which includes over $9,000 in cash and many in-kind donations, said McInnes.

"This is for the community, and the community has jumped right on board," she said.

Many businesses have pitched in, offering flights, freight shipping, accommodations, meals, vaccinations and the venue for the clinic itself. Without these donations, Arctic Paws would not be able to offer these services that are so needed in the community, said McInnes.

Thanks to a donation from the Ladies Auxiliary, Arctic Paws has now purchased an anaesthesia machine, a heart monitor, an oxygen concentrator and surgical packs – everything needed by a vet to perform these surgeries. This equipment is currently being shipped to Inuvik in preparation for the clinic.

"Everything has been purchased, which makes us mobile," said McInnes. "So we can contact any veterinarian to provide the service."

Arctic Paws hopes to use this mobility to bring a similar clinic to other Beaufort Delta communities sometime this summer, said McInnes.

"But we really need to see what we walk away from this clinic with – how much more funds we have."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.