‘Meeting people where they’re at’: Northern communities developing strategies in wake of public health issue

“Rabies is a dangerous disease that has no cure, and we get varied worried if dogs are biting people and they themselves are not given their immunizations to rabies.”

Historically, dogs were integral to the workings of the northern communities they lived in and for generations served as protectors, transportation and even entertainment.

“There’s been this longstanding impact of the work of colonization to separate, especially Indigenous people, from their tradition,” said Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, director with Northern Engagement and Community Outreach and chair of WCVM Committee on Indigenous Engagement.

The veterinarian, educator and researcher, who is one of two programs in Saskatchewan that provides in-community spay and neuter clinics, explained that the advent of modern transportation and the relocation to reserves changed the balance of the relationship – and that includes passing on traditional management strategies.

“People still want to live alongside dogs, but dogs don’t necessarily have the same kind of roles that they once did.”

Now, amid what has become a northern health crisis, the vet is calling on provincial leaders to have vision.

“One of the really big barriers very often is accessing the monetary resources to actually implement these things,’ she said.

A dog rescued on James Smith Cree Nation. (Submitted/Chantel Neudorf)

“So, I think that that is a bit of a call to action to our politicians and decision makers in this province to think about the massive impact that dogs have on human health and safety within communities that don’t have regular access to the same resources that we do in cities and towns to manage animals.”

According to the director of the Northern Pup Project Inc., an organization that has partnered with James Smith Cree Nation, it’s about seeing the whole picture and “Meeting people where they’re at.”

“That is where it’s made the biggest difference, is getting to know people and building those relationships and trust,” she said.

Neudorf explained that she’s been involved in the organization for three years and a month ago, the band partnered with them to make a long-term change on the reserve.

“They are now funding and implementing rules regarding dogs and population and care and supporting us in helping to educate the community,” she said.

In a recent post on social media, the chief and council said that they were taking immediate action to protect their community following a spate of children being attacked by loose dogs.

“Effective immediately, all dogs must be tied up or contained on your property,” read the post, noting it was the owners’ responsibility to secure their pets.

“Any dogs found roaming freely will be dealt with accordingly to ensure the safety of our members, especially our children.”

The team works to pick up dogs deemed problematic before re-homing efforts are made. Neudorf said the team is also working to get the remaining dogs spayed, neutered and vaccinated.

“Yes, we love the dogs but it’s to work with the community and make it a safe place for everyone,” she said.

“We’re really, really happy that it’s a community that is open to change and working with us and that the chiefs are on board with this and fully supporting us.”

The efforts are starting to pay off. Within the last month, they haven’t had to pick up any females or puppies for their foster home.

“That’s huge,” she said.

Part of the issue facing the north is that the number of veterinary professionals available to people living north of Prince Albert is the lowest nationwide.

“That plays a really big role in some of the things the communities are experiencing with dogs and some of the dangers and fears associated with dogs,” said Woodsworth.

The general lack of resources, she said, has compounded the issues.

“There are a lot of communities where food isn’t even accessible and things like the material to build fences and all of those different things are really tricky,” she added.

Last week’s animal surrender in La Loche was indicative of what northern communities across Canada are experiencing.

“When communities are resorting to…the mass removal of dogs or dog culls, they’re doing so because they’re in crisis and they need to protect human health and safety,” the vet said.

Woodsworth explained this is the last resort and never taken lightly. Finding a solution to the issue will take time, but there are positive steps being taken.

“We really need to be doing these things in a way that’s collaborative and community-engaged and ultimately community-driven,” she said.

For the newly registered charitable non-profit working in JSCN, that is exactly the goal.

“It’s really starting to get going,” said Neudorf.

A puppy on James Smith Cree Nation. (Submitted/Chantel Neudorf)

“I think I still have a list of about 27 dogs that need placements – and that’s growing – there’s definitely a lot to do – but we’re getting there.”

To help in the efforts, the organization has also been hosting multiple fundraisers, the band has given funding, and the next step is to work with Bernard Constant Community School.

“We’re going to be getting the kids involved in education and safety and helping with the feeding,” she said.

In addition, they also have plans to include an education tent at this summer’s pow-wow and set up feeding stations around the community.

“We’re going to start the process of getting all of the dogs collars and tags and so the owners are starting to take more responsibility.”

According to Ooi Poon, the SHA believes that when communities have access to regular veterinary care, it improves the health of society as a whole. He said within public health control, they’re working to educate, track dogs, owners, and medical attention to those who’ve been bitten.

In a broader context, medical health officers work with community partners and other professionals.

“If you speak to a community member and they might say, ‘You know, it’s time for us to have a culling’ and then if that’s something that they want to do that’s what public health can support,” he said.

Ooi Poon said education is key and they aren’t there to provide punitive action. If a dog happens to bite a child, they will ask the owner to confirm that the dog is theirs before they monitor it for the 10-day period required for rabies symptoms to start.

“It’s meant to be an issue of safety,” he said.

Following the planned cull last weekend, there was much vitriol on social media that also resulted in death threats. Woodsworth explained that in the world of animal welfare, there’s an undercurrent of racism that flows through it.

“There is a real tendency for white folks who don’t live in communities where this is an issue and don’t have a ton of experience in these communities on a day-to-day basis to develop these generalized perceptions about Indigenous folks based on what they see with dogs,” she said.

“Instead of blaming the way that the system has and continues to fail the communities over and over again,” added the educator, calling the issue the communities have been grappling with a “canary in the coal mine.”

“It’s an indicator of deeper and larger social challenges that are widespread in this country and are kind of the stuff upon which the country has been built,” she said.

Meanwhile, because of the spay and neutering programming that has been implemented on JSCN, Neudorf said they’re seeing a noticeable difference.

“There’s so much to do but the fact that the population control is getting under control…the work in the last year has made a huge impact.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: juleslovett.bsky.social

by Julia Lovett-Squires

‘Meeting people where they’re at’: Northern communities developing strategies in wake of public health issue

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