TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON - If Albert Blake hadn't stopped at the post office, his dog might still be alive.

Linda Eccles, executive director of the Beaufort Delta regional SPCA, said she would support a petition challenging the hamlet's bylaw. "They give too much power to the dogcatcher," she said. - NNSL file photo

"His name was Lucky, to begin with, but he wasn't too lucky that day, I guess. I hate to say it," said Blake.

Temperatures soared above 20 degrees the afternoon of July 30, so Blake, a Fort McPherson wildlife officer, tethered his dog to his pickup truck outside of the Environment and Natural Resources office while he went to check his mail.

When he returned about 15 minutes later, Lucky was gone.

Earlier that day, McPherson's bylaw office had received a complaint about an aggressive black dog on the loose and the dogcatcher had been dispatched to track it down.

In the meantime, Lucky – better known as "Hey" – a 10-year-old black and white Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, had apparently come loose and was walking toward the post office.

Witnesses, including Blake's cousin, say they saw the dogcatcher pick up Lucky and drive away.

The bylaw officer's log from that day notes that at 5 p.m., the dogcatcher picked up a black dog tangled in its chain near the Northern store and, at 5:44 p.m., he took it to the dump and shot it. Shortly after the incident, the hamlet's bylaw officer resigned. She could not be reached for comment.

"I protect wild animals from this type of situation," Blake said. "It's totally inhumane."

Fort McPherson's dog bylaw gives the dogcatcher authority to kill a dog that is running at large and is believed to be a threat to public safety.

Robert Mantla, the dogcatcher at the time, said he had no comment on the situation involving Blake's dog. He did say there have been a few reports of aggressive dogs on the loose recently, but not as many strays as last year.

"I phone them (the owners), let them know with letters, but still there's a lot of dogs – not a lot, but a few – running around that people are terrified of," Mantla said.

"If the owner doesn't tie his dog up after three warnings or something, I'm not too sure about the bylaw; I still gotta go over that… if it's more than a month I guess, we keep them…usually tied in a compound somewhere on the outskirts of town."

But Blake said everybody in town knew his dog as playful and non-violent. He said Lucky had gotten loose only once before, a few months ago, but one of his relatives had looked after the dog.

"Everybody knows he's my dog. Everybody's seen him on the back of my vehicle all the time," Blake said.

"Every day I still wake up thinking about my dog. He's my bush dog. I stay in the mountains and I usually have my dog; he watches for any wildlife. I find myself getting up and walking about and realizing I don't have a dog and there might be a grizzly sitting behind me, waiting," he added.

"I'm pretty upset about this."

He is considering taking legal action against the hamlet and is enlisting the support of SPCA representatives from NWT and the Yukon.

Linda Eccles, executive director of the Beaufort Delta regional SPCA, said she's behind Blake if he decides to circulate a petition challenging the hamlet's bylaw.

"They give too much power to the dogcatcher," she said.

"They were wrong in taking that dog and shooting it ... I think that people should have proper warning."