Vigil tonight for slain Melfort dogs

SASKATOON — The suspicious deaths of three dogs near Melfort spurred tonight’s candlelight vigil in a Saskatoon dog park, but the event will remember many more victims of animal cruelty, says the organizer.

“Animal cruelty and how we address it is important,” said Doug Ramage, who founded the canine charity Konan Coalition. “For some people, dogs are a part of the family.”

Aaron Cooper and Amanda Holowachuk found three of their dogs dead in a ditch near their acreage south of Melfort on Oct. 21. Simba, Effie and Robin were let outside for their usual post-supper run, but they didn’t return and were found off the acreage. One had been fatally run over with a vehicle, and two had been shot to death.

RCMP are investigating, but so far there has been little information about what happened. The couple believes the dogs were chased and intentionally killed.

“It made me angry, and I don’t know these people and I can’t imagine what they’re going through, but I thought it was important for people to show support,” Ramage said.

The main vigil starts at 7 p.m. at the Sutherland Beach off-leash park. Ramage said he’s hoping vigils will spring up at all of Saskatoon’s dog parks tonight.

Cooper and Holowachuk plan to attend. More than 250 people confirmed attendance for the event notice posted on Facebook. The couple and New Hope Dog Rescue, an organization that Cooper and Holowachuk have supported by fostering rescue dogs, are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Donations have pushed the reward, which is in addition to the standard Crime Stoppers reward for successful public tips, to almost $500.

“We are not giving up looking for this person,” Cooper said. “There have been some subtle hints about what direction to look in, but it’s just speculation.”

Tisdale RCMP Sgt. Bob Findlay says a few public tips were investigated but led nowhere.

“We still have hope that someone will come forward with information to help,” Findlay said Monday afternoon, adding these types of investigations are difficult.