This box of puppies was among dozens of dogs collected in La Loche on Tuesday. (submitted photo/Wendy Fyrk)

By Nigel Maxwell and Angela Brown

Rescue operation

Over 100 dogs rescued from La Loche

Jan 31, 2024 | 1:31 PM

A community-wide dog cull in La Loche has officially been called off, thanks to the efforts of some passionate volunteers.

Wendy Fyrk was among three front line rescue workers who made the six hour drive on Tuesday from Prince Albert to La Loche and rescued over 100 dogs. The village had offered local residents a $10 voucher in exchange for a surrendered dog, which they could cash at the village office.

“That is not bylaw enforcement, that is barbaric,” Fyrk said.

According to a post on the village’s social media page, the cull was necessary to deal with a large number of uncared for dogs in the community, and explained the dogs are unfed, unhealthy and have no shelter during cold weather days. The statement also noted they’ve been unsuccessful in hiring an animal control officer to help manage the problem.

(submitted photo/ Wendy Fyrk)

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Local residents, seeking a $10 pay out, were observed simply tossing their dogs over the fence at the drop off location. (Facebook)

Describing their response to the planned cull as a knee jerk reaction, Fyrk said within 24 hours they planned out their rescue operation and with a trailer donated by Flaman, drove to La Loche. Along the way they stopped for gas at Beauval and Fyrk noted they were met there by the mayor of La Loche, who told them if they could keep this going, they could solve the town’s problems.

“And she was told this is not our problem, and this is not the solution,” Fyrk said.

Upon loading the dogs into the crates, the volunteers then brought the dogs to a shelter in Martensville, where they will be vetted, fed, and dispersed to other rescue shelters.

Reflecting back on the fact that numerous northern communities are dealing with the same problem, Fyrk gets frustrated explaining these companion animals essentially are picked up and left to fend for themselves. Over time the dogs gather in groups and are forced to fight for their lives.

“It’s not an animal problem, it is a human problem 100 per cent,” Fyrk said, adding it could all go away if more people were responsible.

Going forward Fyrk explained unless the northern village becomes more proactive, they will face the same problem in less than four months. And noting work in Prince Albert such as limiting homes to two dogs and having them spayed or neutered, Fyrk explained that sort of care is simply not being done in the northern communities. She noted a common excuse is a lack of access to veterinary care.

“The blame is always shifted around to someplace else,” she said.

Amanda Black, a volunteer with La Loche Paw Protection Corp., helped spearhead the rescue operation this week and expressed her happiness with the end result. She also confirmed Mayor Georgina Jolibois had made a couple of calls to look for alternative measures to try to save the dogs.

“I’m ecstatic to get all the dogs out safe, and I know that nobody is going to be injured,” she said.

After the trailer pulled away, there were only 10 dogs left behind, and Black confirmed they are all in her yard. She was concerned some dogs that were outside during the roundup could have been somebodies’ pets that were picked up by people who wanted the $10 reward, Black said the owners could have come to get their animals back if they were taken.

“If they cared about their pets, they’d come and get them,” she said.

Saving Grace Animal Society, based in Alberta, has helped La Loche previously with dog rescue but wasn’t involved in this week’s effort. Co-executive director Erin Deems explained more needs to be done in rural communities to avoid getting to the situation where large stray dog numbers become a problem, adding that “people are breeding them faster than we can save them.”

Deems also recommended communities take action by “donating to rescues and adopting more animals, so we can get more of these stray animals fixed and into rescue.

According to a recent update on the village’s social media page, this Friday’s planned cull was officially cancelled.

meadowlakeNOW Staff have made several attempts to reach the village administration for comment but as of the publishing deadline had not received a response.

With respect to the rescued dogs, the Paws Republic Centre for Pets is in need of supplies. Donations can be made by way of emailing donate@streetzrescuefoundation.com.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @meadowlakeNOW