Fort Liard woman cares for stray dogs, sends them to SPCA in Yellowknife
Laura Diamond-C says stray and wild dogs pose a threat to animals and people in Fort Liard
A woman in the small community of Fort Liard, N.W.T., says she's sent over 130 dogs to the NWT SPCA in Yellowknife to keep them from potentially attacking other dogs in the community.
Laura Diamond-C says wild or stray dogs come into town and sometimes kill other male dogs when female dogs go into heat.
The most recent was her neighbour's two-year-old dog Thunder, who had to be put down after being mauled by a wild dog Wednesday night.
"It hurts my heart to see younger dogs get killed that way," she said, adding other community members have brought her their dogs after being "seriously injured" in the same way.
Though Diamond-C cares for the stray and wild dogs, she's worried a community member may get hurt.
"I'd say the situation with the wild dogs coming in ... is horrendous," Diamond-C said. "I should probably put posters up at the store to keep your kids and pets at home."
Diamond-C started sending the stray dogs to the SPCA last October.
She catches the wild dogs in town with snares and other traps. She'll also take in dogs from other community members — including 24 from one of her neighbours who Diamond-C says became overwhelmed by all the pets, which were mostly puppies.
The animals are sent to Yellowknife, with Diamond-C covering the cost and arranging transportation. She'll find them rides with friends or other locals headed to Yellowknife. She posts requests for rides and other news on her Facebook page, the Fort Liard Dog House.
While waiting to find rides, the dogs stay with her, where she pays out of pocket to feed and care for them. Community members have stepped up to donate food. The local band manager gave Diamond-C a $150 credit for dog food at the local store.
Diamond-C wants the hamlet to hire a bylaw officer to help deal with the situation.
CBC's requests for comment from the hamlet were not returned.