Yellowknife (Apr 19/06) - Sixteen dogs and six cats have been adopted from the Great Slave Animal Hospital over the past few weeks, including two-year old husky-cross Sumatra, who has been waiting there since November.

Ashlee Shermet is with two-year-old Sumatra, one of 16 dogs that have been adopted over the past few weeks. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

A vet clinic spokesperson said a woman who works for a publishing company in Toronto saw Sumatra's picture in Yellowknifer two weeks ago and wanted to give her a home. Sumatra will be leaving for the largest city in Canada on Friday.

"It only (happened) in the last couple of days. It's a great story," said clinic employee Roxanne Gravel.

The large influx of stray or unwanted dogs had filled almost all of the animal hospital's 24 cages recently.

Now employees are no longer worried about having to euthanize the animals - something they were worried about only a few weeks ago.

"As long as people are 100 per cent sure they'll keep the dogs for the rest of their lives, we think it's great," said Shauna Kneesch, a receptionist at the animal hospital.

Kneesch said unfortunately, there is no guarantee people will keep the dogs after they take them home.

During the space crunch, people wanting to give up their animals were been turned away by the hospital because it didn't have any more space.

There is nowhere else to keep animals in Yellowknife, as the SPCA does not have a shelter and plans for one are a long way off. "We are hoping to fundraise enough to have a shelter in 10 years," said Janet Pacey, president of the SPCA here in the city.

She said due to unforeseen circumstances with obtaining land, the SPCA is behind on the project and doesn't have a date scheduled for construction.

Dog trainer Andrea Edmunds of Diamond Paw Dog Services recommends getting obedience training if your dog is a handful, rather than getting rid of it.

"I had a lady call that her dog was out of control," said Edmunds.

But with some basic obedience training, Edmunds said she can give dogs and their owners tools to communicate better.

She said 90 per cent of a dog's behavioral problems can be fixed with obedience training.

Regular vigorous exercise and being consistent with your animal will also help with behavioral issues.

"A tired dog is a happy dog," she said.

For those looking to adopt, but cannot afford to pay the $200 to get the dog spayed or neutered, the SPCA offers an interest-free loan that is paid back over the course of a year.