Effort launched to evacuate stray dogs from Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

Volunteers in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., are pleading with other residents of the 800-person hamlet to help evacuate 10 stray dogs they say were in danger of being culled.

One volunteer says she's convinced the hamlet not to kill the dogs, provided the animals can be flown out of the community.

Carol McCormack wants to see the dogs sent to the N.W.T. SPCA. But with plane tickets to Yellowknife costing around $600, McCormack is asking people who already have flights booked south to take a dog with them, which would bump the cost to transport the dogs down to $100. 

A Band-Aid solution to a larger problem 

Nicole Spencer, a board member for the SPCA, says the shelter is willing to cover the cost.

But she says it's just a Band-Aid solution to the common problem of strays in small Northern communities.

"Ideally we need to get dogs out that are unwanted and then go in with a vet and spay and neuter as many dogs as possible," she says.

McCormack admits roaming dogs are a source of fear in the community.

"You hear elders say that they are afraid to walk outside or children are afraid," she says.

People interested in traveling with a dog are asked to visit a Facebook page called "Delta Pets: Wags & Tails."