26/05/2024
Animal control's infancy began in April 2022 when 14 concerned citizens gathered to come up with productive solutions for the dogs. We created a non-profit committee and began putting our ideas together. With little knowledge to start we reached out to connect with resources to assist the group. We also agreed, that the stigma associated with the "dog catcher" needs to change. Yes, we have difficulties with dogs packing, and this isn't going away anytime soon, its going to take work!. With the team we have now, we have new bylaws in place, and are moving forward with dog capture training and enforcement training. We are more then willing to help NVBN to move forward with the new bylaws.
Since we began, we immediately started removing unwanted dogs from town. It was a little slow to start, as every shelter near and far was over capacity, no one wanted to be the dog catcher and there was just general confusion with agencies as to who does what. The first year we removed approximately 15 dogs. In the past 2 months we have removed 60+ dogs. We hosted our first dog wellness clinic in February, and we completed a first ever dog demographics study for Buffalo Narrows. Next we would like to promote community education and work within our schools.
We signed a 3 year MOU with the University of Saskatchewan (The western College of Veterinary Medicine's Northern Engagement and Community Outreach, AKA NECO). They are here to provide improved access to veterinary services, education, youth engagement, and preventative care services to improve dog health and community health and safety. Without NECO's support we would not have come this far!
We had not a penny to start with, as issues arose we funded transports and paid fees out of pocket. Fundraising will always be a top priority because there is no money out there to operate pounds. Very soon we will need dog food, medication and bedding. Many letters were written and we began networking and building partnerships. Our major local agencies believed in us enough to invest and we are thankful for the help from the NVBN, Metis Local 62, Economic Development, Nex Gen, and Innovation Credit Union. We secured a 10-13 dog kennel holding system with two-way doors and have funds to start our pound.
We had one barrier after another which has delayed things, we have many policies that guide our group such as the Northern Municipalities Act, The Criminal Code of Canada, The Animal Protection Act of Saskatchewan, A Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations, The Dangerous Dog Control (Northern Saskatchewan Regulations). Our hands were tied while we waited for our municipal government to get things in order.
We have put in a lot of travel and administrative hours in the past 2 years. Where one door closed on us, another opened. Although extremely tough at times to deal with backlash and social media pressure, we continue to press on because we know our dedication to the cause will pay off soon!
Today, we have plans to build the pound from scratch, the NVBN has given us land that has access to power and water. In the interim we have regional dog meetings coming up where we get to meet with other leaders to see how they operate.
We ask for your patience as we navigate the unknown, Buffalo Narrows has never had a group come this far, we are doing our best to work with each problem as it arises that is within our capacity to do so. We would like to thank the community members that have been showing pet owner responsibility.
If there are any questions please feel free to inbox us.
Animal Control
