Inuvik (Apr 22/05) - Linda Eccles and her devoted crew of Beaufort Delta Regional Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals volunteers have been fighting to protect abused, neglected an unwanted pets in the region for the last four years and finally someone has come to their aid.

The fortunes of the organization Eccles chairs have been looking up since the Kitchener-Waterloo SPCA launched Project Arctic Dogs in early March.

The first cross-province/territory arrangement between animal shelters in the country will see the resourceful Kitchener chapter not only help with donations and education for Eccles and her team, but it started a media campaign across the southern Ontario region to raise funds to help Northern animals.

We're all in it to help the animals, whether here or there, said spokesperson Mark Womack of the KWSPCA.

"Why let them struggle when we can help?"

After sending out dozens of pleas for help at the end of 2004, Eccles explained that officials from Kitchener contacted her, saying they recognized the need for a shelter in an area with such a harsh climate.

So they invited myself and another volunteer down in March for 10 days of training and workshops, she said.

"It was invaluable."

Aside from sending her home with the commitment to continue aiding the organization until a full fledged shelter is in place in Inuvik, she also learned how to fundraise, provide medical procedures, create education programs and help her community help its pets.

"The main issue here is lack of education about mistreatment of animals," she said.

Culturally, dogs were used here for means of travel and for work, so now that people have moved into towns, animals are often simply tethered behind a home and neglected, she explained.

People also don't realize that all dogs have to get shots regularly, boosters when they are puppies and parvo and distemper shots yearly.

"In Fort McPherson alone we had an outbreak of parvo about a month ago and had to put down a whole bunch of dogs," she said.

With the new support, she and her saviour volunteers may not have to foster animals in their own homes or send sick pets off on planes for long.

A new web page is coming, along with a fundraising campaign, bingos and eventually a shelter.

"They've helped take us from shaky ground, albeit with programs in place, to showing us how we can access funding and be sustainable," she said.

Inuvik's pets have a lot to be thankful for.