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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Town staff in Wrigley say there are so many stray dogs in the community, wolves are using them as a food source.

Tanya Sooley, a visiting veterinary technologist, works to get Ivy ready for the sterilization clinic at the Midnight Sun Complex in Inuvik. - NNSL file photo

Band manager Brad Enge said the problem is "severe." He estimates there are at least 50 stray dogs roaming the streets and trails in and around Wrigley.

As a result, wolves frequently enter the community and tend to stay near town, hunting ownerless dogs that travel up to 15 km outside of the community.

"We're relying on the laws of natural selection to control the dog population around here," he said. "They (wolves) come right into town here. They've been seen on the streets across from people's houses. That's why it's a public safety hazard."

Community members are concerned about the dogs.

"There was an elder walking this past summer on a road and was more or less stalked by a pack of dogs," Enge said.

The elder had to throw rocks to scare the pack away.

Dog feces has also become a problem, especially in playgrounds and on walkways. Dogs are also competing with ravens for garbage at the landfill.

"They find plenty to eat," said Enge.

Rabies and other diseases are also of concern.

Enge said the community is working on a plan to deal with the problem.

"I've only been the band manager since August, it's one of the first things they asked me to look into," he said. "I've looked at many different options."

But many of those options are expensive and Enge said the community needs an immediate solution. Wrigley does not have a bylaw officer or a dog control officer. He said the most feasible option is to hire someone to gather the dogs, allow residents time to claim any pets and shoot any that remain unclaimed.

He said unless some action is taken, an attack on a human is unavoidable.

"It's just a matter of when a dog may attack and inflict injuries or death on a person who can't defend themselves," he said.

Enge said the community is going to try and allocate finances toward the problem during its 2013 budgeting process.

"We have to come up with a satisfactory resolution before something bad happens," he said.

In Lutsel K'e last week, at least one community member was working to gather 10 stray dogs and send them to the NWT SPCA in Yellowknife, said Tom Beaulieu, MLA for Tu Nedhe, which encompasses Fort Resolution and Lutsel K'e.

"I got involved because I'm the MLA for that riding," he said. "The SPCA was working with a local person to ship them here to Yellowknife so they could foster them out."

Beaulieu said he has only heard a few complaints about stray dogs in his communities over the past five years, but he knows it is a problem.

"There are dogs all over town," he said.

Shawnette MacNeil, manager of the NWT SPCA, said the organization is trying to rescue animals and work with communities to help mitigate problems before resorting to shooting dogs.

"I don't think its something they all want to do," she said. "I think this is a last resort."

She said she believes more needs to be done to support organizations such as the SPCA.

MacNeil said shipping a dog from its home community is just the beginning of a rescue.

It costs between $250 to $450 to rescue a dog, including shipping, vaccinating, spaying and neutering.

The organization relies completely on donations and fundraising efforts to pay these costs.

She said ensuring dogs are spayed or neutered is the best way to control the population.

In Inuvik, bylaw officer Kevin Kientz said enforcing bylaws and fines, as well as bringing in veterinarians to do spay and neuter clinics twice a year, has greatly improved the town's stray dog issues.

"We used to have quite a problem, but our problem has diminished considerably," he said.

Volunteer group Arctic Paws has organized two spay and neuter clinics in the community that has serviced more than 130 dogs this year, and another clinic is being discussed.

Also, the town's bylaw requires all dogs to be licensed and allows officers to impose fines if strays need to be impounded. Unlicensed dogs carry heftier fines.

Fines range from $50 for a first offence to $200 for a third offence and include a $20 per day kennel fee for dogs kept overnight.

Kientz said he works actively with the NWT SPCA and the Pawsitive Match rescue organization in Edmonton and Calgary to ship unwanted dogs out of town.

If a dog does need to be put down, a bylaw officer and the town's senior administrative officer must be in agreement before the dog is shot, Kientz said.

"Shooting of an animal is a last resort," he said.

MacNeil said communities are encouraged to contact the SPCA to see if they can help.

"They can always get in touch with us directly," she said.

News/North contacted Robert McLeod, minister responsible for municipal and community affairs, to ask if there are any plans for territorial funding options to help communities combat stray dog issues. McLeod did not respond by press deadline.

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