New development in dog retrieval efforts near Burns Lake

According to the Lakes Animal Friendship Society (LAFS), progress is being made in an effort to capture one of the abandoned dogs near Priestly Hill. It was first reported that two dogs, a brown dog and a husky, were abandoned in the area back in January.

The LAFS stated in a Facebook post that a woman who lives in the area has experience working with dogs, and has reported that the brown dog appears to be at her home. According to LAFS, the woman wishes to remain anonymous.

“She is very knowledgeable about dogs and is working to gain the trust of this very fearful pup, whom she calls Kally. She is giving Kally good food and has set up a bed in her wood shed, but at this point Kally is still quite scared of people and prefers to sleep in the bush nearby,” the LAFS said in the Facebook post.

READ MORE: Update on abandoned dogs near Burns Lake

The LAFS has been using a donated trap in efforts to capture the dogs since March, though the trap was recently taken down when Northern Lights Wildlife Rescue in Smithers, the organization that donated the trap, needed it to be returned temporarily for the capture of a bobcat.

“We dropped the trap off [on April 12], and now we wait until the dog is comfortable enough to be safely caught. We want to do it right the first time,” said LAFS Director Alistair Schroff.

It is mandatory in order to set a trap that it be checked at least twice on a daily basis.

Lakes District News spoke to the anonymous woman about some of the tactics she is using to gain the dogs trust.

“The process could go on for a long time, one of the things about gaining a dog’s trust is letting them drive the bus so to speak at first, and as it goes along you have to start slowly reigning them in. It’s about finding balance between the freedom the dog requires when it’s in that instinctive state of fight or flight, and transitioning them to the state of wanting to be a part of a pack,” she said.

“At this stage Kally is making that transition, he’s no longer as malnourished, and at this stage I can begin to connect the dots for him that the food trails being left out is coming from a source; me,” she continued.

According to the LAFS, Kally is doing well with the regular feeding, and does not appear to have any injuries. In another recent Facebook post, the LAFS urged other people to refrain from leaving out food for the dog, as it is of the utmost importance that Kally develops trust with the woman that has made contact.

The woman may also be interested in adopting the dog once it is captured.

Unfortunately, there has been no sign of the husky since mid-March.