Majority of reported dog bites in northern Sask. happening in La Loche

The village of La Loche accounts for 57 per cent of the reported dog bites in northern Saskatchewan municipalities.    

That's according to numbers from the Saskatchewan Health Authority from the last 10 years.

Between 2009 and 2018, 558 of the 979 dog bites reported in northern municipalities were in La Loche.

La Loche sees an average of 56 dog bites a year.

The rest of the province's northern municipalities see a combined 42 dog bites reported in an average year.

It's really desperation.- La Loche community safety board chair Stephen King

Robert St. Pierre, mayor of La Loche, said there have been some serious attacks on residents by loose dogs in recent weeks, including one on a young woman who suffered a badly injured leg.

Proposed cull cancelled

The village council had scheduled a dog cull for this week.

But it was cancelled after some backlash on social media.

St. Pierre said the village was hoping to work with dog rescue organizations on an alternate solution.

The chair of the village's community safety board, Stephen King, said the proposed cull is an indication of how serious the situation has become.

"Well, it's really desperation," he said. "None of us liked the idea of having to put down animals."

King said having a person go around the community to destroy stray dogs goes back several years.

Dogs shot in community shortly after school shooting

He said there was even an instance where someone was shooting dogs in the community in the months following the school shooting in La Loche.

He said some of the teachers who were in the school that day lived in the area where the dogs were being shot, and "were obviously very upset."

"Obviously, with the communities suffering from PTSD and the the negative effects of the shooting, it wasn't a great idea," he said.

Meanwhile, King said he is not surprised by the frequency of reported dog bites in the village.

He said there are groups who are providing vet clinics or finding new homes for loose dogs. But it's not enough to deal with all the strays.
    
"They need people to support their efforts," he said. "And when I say support, I don't mean a like on Facebook. I mean dollars donated to them to help them with this problem."

King said he wouldn't be surprised if there were a thousand dogs in the village. He said he believes the village council will need to start a dog registration system.

Desire for more vet clinics

Danielle Gauthier is with the Animal Clinic of Regina, which has been hosting periodic vet clinics in the northern village, spearheaded by veterinarian Dr. Lesley Sawa, since 2004.

Gauthier said La Loche residents do not have the services that people in the south enjoy.

"Their closest veterinarian in La Loche is four hours away," she said. "Not only logistically that's not easy for a lot of people, I know I couldn't take eight hours out of my day to take my dog in for vaccinations or sterilization."

She said her group would like to devote at least one day to strays in La Loche.

Up to this point, their clinics have treated dogs with owners.

She said they have seen a big increase in the number of examinations, vaccinations and sterilizations.