Yellowknife rallies for Brave
Dog with severe neck injuries bouncing back
after community throws support behind him
Erin Steele
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 10, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A dog that had a rope around its neck tied so tightly it wore down to his trachea is now on the mend and is the new, tail-wagging "head of public relations" at a Yellowknife business.
Brave, as he has been aptly named, gets up from the bed where he's surrounded by stuffed toys Thursday morning to personally greet everybody who walks through the door of Visual Effects, which is owned by John Lodge, the man who is fostering him.
Brave's neck fur is shaved on both sides and incisions the length of a fist are the
only evidence of the neglect he suffered up to just three weeks ago, before a 17-year-old youth cut him loose and contacted the authorities.
"Today, he's feeling great and he's happy and he's getting some attention and he's showing everybody that. And that is the beauty of dogs. They don't think about what happened yesterday. It's done, they can't change it, so they just move on and don't worry about it," said Dana Martin, vice president and animal care director with NWT SPCA.
She says she commends the youth who rescued Brave.
"(The youth) is a quiet individual who definitely noticed something was wrong and acted upon it," said Martin.
"There's an awful lot of adult people in that community who didn't notice and didn't act," she said. She chose not to identify the community because of an ongoing RCMP investigation and to avoid undue discrimination against the community as a whole.
The youth contacted the senior administrative officer who, along with another band member, drove the dog to Yellowknife.
After two weeks at the Great Slave Animal Hospital where he went through surgery and endured "a lot of infection and a great amount of pain," Brave was sent to the SPCA for one evening before heading to his current foster home.
Since the rescue, Martin watched a transformation in Brave.
"When he first arrived at the shelter the very first day that we saw him he was very subdued. Not timid and not fearful, but he was just tired. Just weary," she explained.
"Once he started feeling better, a little more of his real personality came out and he is becoming this happy, well-adjusted, balanced little dog. He is very affectionate, he loves to play and he lives in the moment."
After writing about Brave's ordeal on Facebook, there was an outpouring of support. A couple from Ontario paid for his entire
vet bill which cost thousands of dollars. A woman purchased a dog bowl and brought it directly to Brave's foster home. People keep enquiring with the SPCA about what they can do to help.
"There's a deep need in people that they want to help. They don't know how but they want to do something," said Martin.
One of the important set of helping hands in Brave's recovery is John Lodge, the owner of Visual Effects.
Lodge said he recently started volunteering at the SPCA walking dogs after being impressed with the good work they do. When Martin asked if he might foster Brave until he could safely be around other dogs, he couldn't help but agree. Now he is considering being Brave's adoptive family.
"He listens to me. I take him out for walks and he walks right beside me. He's great around people. He's such a kind, gentle dog," said Lodge, who has been bringing him into the store every day.
Although Brave has hit the headlines, Martin reminds people that his story - though definitely severe - is not an isolated incident.
"He is actually the second dog in two months that has come in with a wound like this ... we've had a number of dogs that have come in within the last two months that are quite starving," said Martin.
"I hope it stays fresh with people that there are still many dogs out there that require extra attention and special care and a helping hand."
Dr. Tom Pisz with the Great Slave Animal Hospital agrees. Although Brave's case was "one of the most severe he has ever seen," he says there are neglected animals coming into the clinic regularly.
"It's pretty much every week we have a neglect case but not to that extreme," said Pisz.
He said skinny dogs and those infested with worms are also very common.
"It's an ongoing battle, but education is what you need," said Pisz.
If you think a dog may be neglected or abused, contact the RCMP.
