Helping northern communities
A couple of self-proclaimed animal lovers are doing what they can to help control the animal population on reserves.
Caillin Rodonets teaches safety courses and spends time on reserves in northern Saskatchewan.
On average there are at least 100 stray dogs running around on the First Nations she says — and that’s a problem.
“There have been rescues that I have talked to that have (seen) 500 stray dogs running around on a single reserve,” said Rodonets. “It’s a huge health and safety problem.”
“YOU KIND OF HAVE A BLEEDING HEART WHEN YOU LOOK AT (THE STRAY DOG PROBLEM).”
CAILLIN RODONETS
“We wouldn’t let something like that go on in a city, right? So we want to work and try eliminate this problem.”
Last May, she decided to do something when she came across an injured dog on a reserve near North Battleford.
The animal was missing a paw and was in pain, so rather than leave the animal to suffer she called her friend Cady Shaw.
“I told her I wanted to bring this dog back and maybe get her healed up, maybe take her to a vet and find someone who may be able to take her on,” said Rodonets. “I couldn’t just leave her there.”
Shaw took the dog in and ended up adopting it.
“That was supposed to be it,” said Rodonets. “Then two to three weeks later I went to teach another safety class, on a totally different reserve, and there was a little puppy under my truck.”
Rather than ignore the issue, the two young women decided to try do something about it.
“There is a big problem with overpopulation and dogs that are sick (and) malnourished,” she said. “They have worms, mites, parasites, diseases all these things that kind of come together and you kind of have a bleeding heart when you look at it.”
They already knew the rescued dogs could make good pets so they formed CC RezQs Regina Inc.
“We really didn’t think it was going to turn out to what it has today,” said Rodonets. “It was just going to be a casual side project.”
Since October, 15 dogs have been rescued and socialized. Ten of them have found forever homes.
“We are adopting out our 11th one next week,” said Rodonets.
There is a process each animal goes through before it’s adopted.
“We take them to a vet, quarantine them for a bit and we work on training them,” said Rodonets. “And we teach them the basic commands before we send them out.”
So far, everyone has been very happy with their animals, she said.
In addition, to rescuing the dogs the pair also raises money to purchase dog food for reserve dogs.
She said many of the animals do not have owners or a home so they will often revert to basic survival instincts and gather in packs. These packs can pose a health and safety risk for community members.
One form of pest control involves the extermination of unowned animals.
Rodonets would like to see the end of such practices and said there are other groups in Saskatchewan also working on the problem, but they all need help.
More information on how to support the group’s efforts is available on the CC RezQs Facebook page or by emailing ccrezqs@hotmail.com.