The recent suspected poisoning of two dogs in our community is serious. Not only is poisoning a cruel act, but also a criminal one. All animal cruelty should be reported to the RCMP at (250) 692-7171, or to the BC SPCA Animal Helpline (855) 622-7722. It is important to provide as many details as you can, and provide your name and contact information. You can make an anonymous complaint as well. Everyone who sees the situation should report it. Don’t assume that other people will report, make the call yourself.
While we don’t know the circumstances behind the poisonings, one thing is certain – it wasn’t the dogs’ fault.
This is an important discussion point for our community as we see more and more problems with stray dogs. A dog problem is almost always a human problem. At the root, a person was not being a responsible pet guardian. Being responsible means keeping the dog on leash or safely at home in the house or yard (not on a chain). It means keeping them properly fed so they are not hungry and looking for food. Exercising and training the dog to be sociable, not growling, barking or chasing people or pets. Spaying or neutering the dog to reduce the risk of fights, bites and more puppies.
There are already too many puppies, and not enough loving homes. When there aren’t enough loving homes with proper care, dogs are more likely to be a nuisance or even a danger to the community. When the problem does not go away, people may feel they have no option but to take matters into their own hands. Then the animals suffer, and we suffer.
This is the opposite of what we want – a community of care, for all. To improve the level of care, you need to deal with overpopulation. And the best way to do this is prevention, through spaying and neutering of pets. Low-income families in the Burns Lake area can access the SpayAid Program and get this done for a very low cost ($50 per animal).
Animal control plans along with resources to help families to be good guardians are very important. We also need effective bylaws and enforcement to back these plans up if absolutely necessary.
We need to let our leadership – First Nations councils, municipal councils and other elected representatives – know that we expect them to take a more active role in keeping everyone happy, healthy and safe. It’s not the dogs’ fault, so let’s do better.
Alistair Schroff is with Increased ACCESS (formerly Lakes Animal Friendship Society).
