Dog gets caught in snare on Inuvik walking trail, leg amputated

On Jan. 20, Ellie, an 18-month-old husky originally from Fort McPherson, N.W.T., escaped from her yard in Inuvik.

When she came home hours later she was limping and her foot was swollen. It had been caught in a snare.

The Greenland family, Ellie's owners, treated her with what they had. But her leg got worse, and with no veterinarian within 1,000 kilometres, the family didn't know if they could afford to fly the dog out for treatment.

"The first option that was available to them was to surrender her and give her up to the [N.W.T.] SPCA," said Angela McInnes, chair of Arctic Paws, a local non-profit organization that raises money for community vet visits.

"They would provide her with full treatment but she wouldn't be able to come home, obviously."

McInnes said the family faced a decision between "you have to pay your bills, your mortgage, or send your dog out.

"We tried to look into a bunch of different options with them and the SPCA. It's the little boy's dog, we weren't going to take it away from him and they did nothing wrong."

Arctic Paws raised money through donations and a 50/50 draw to send Ellie to the Great Slave Animal Hospital in Yellowknife, where the dog had to have her leg amputated. The bill came to about $3,000.

Ellie came back to Inuvik Wednesday and is back with her owners.

"We got her in the vehicle, brought her home and soon as we got her into the yard — the biggest smile on her face she jumped out of the car…. You'd think she hadn't even lost her arm, she was so happy," said McInnes.

'This could have happened to anybody'

McInnes says the dog likely encountered the snare when it went wandering along Wolverine Road, the street behind the Greenlands' home, and onto the walking trails there. She says this isn't the first time she's heard of dogs getting caught in snares and traps within town limits. 

"This could have happened to anybody," she said.

"It's a community trail, it's right on the side of the road. It's within town limits. It's not like you are expecting to find traps there.

"It's not that we have an issue with anybody trapping, and traplines are a traditional lifestyle. That's perfectly fine. It's just where it is, within the town limits and people are walking with their kids and dogs out there."

• Fort Providence dog nearly dies after being caught in snare
• Fort Smith woman thrown from snowmobile by misplaced snare

Mayor Jim McDonald says this is an issue the town has talked about before.

"It's certainly a big concern, not just with pets but with kids playing in the area as well."

He said the town had drafted a bylaw and had gone looking for input from local hunters and trappers and the department of Environmental and Natural Resources. 

"I'm not sure how we would go about it just yet, but we are working on it. So we will see where we go from there once we hear back from the different parties that have an interest in it as well," he said.

He says they need to make sure that the bylaw they come up with is enforceable.