Yellowknife (Feb 09/05) - The territorial government and the City of Yellowknife should help pay to euthanize dogs, says the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"That is part of our wish list," said Janet Pacey, president of the NWT Chapter of the SPCA. "If the government could help out, that would be great."

The recommendation came after city workers discovered the corpses of six sled dogs in mid-January. The animals had been shot in the face and dumped near a sewage lagoon on the outskirts of Yellowknife.

According to the veterinarian who examined the animals, some died from blood loss or asphyxiation after being shot in the jaw and snout - a method the SPCA described as cruel.

The society said subsidizing "humane euthanasia" through the Great Slave Animal Hospital would help prevent similar slaughters. "Euthanizing an animal (through an injection) of barbiturates is the preferred method," said Pacey.

Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the request falls outside of City Hall's prerogative.

"It is more a matter of personal responsibility for pet owners," he said.

Van Tighem said the city already does a lot to promote pet control.

Pacey suggested the territorial government make barbiturates available throughout the NWT and train one person in each community to properly administer the lethal concoction. "We need to get the word out," she said.

The SPCA also called for changes to federal and provincial legislation governing cruelty to animals.

The Criminal Code prohibits "unnecessary suffering," but justice officials are faced with the difficult task of proving an owner intended to harm their pet, said Pacey.

The federal regulations - originally penned in 1892 and amended in 1953 - mean pet owners are free to kill their animals however they please, the SPCA said. Less than one percent of all criminal complaints result in a charge and only half of those cases end with a conviction, according to data obtained from the SPCA.

The Yellowknife branch of the SPCA and the RCMP announced Friday that an officer has been assigned to act as a liaison between the two groups.

"We realize the SPCA can be a valuable partner," said Insp. Roch Fortin, head of the Yellowknife detachment. "Communication between our organizations is especially important and we want to start building this relationship immediately."

Fortin said the RCMP investigation into the dog slaughter at Fiddlers Lagoon is continuing.