'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
Wanted: A companion who enjoys long walks, cuddles and kibble?
Winnipeg's shelter dogs are looking for love, or at the very least a date, and the City of Winnipeg Animal Services is delivering a unique "Doggie Date" program to help.
"It's fun and it's innovative," Leland Gordon, general manager of Winnipeg Animal Services, told CTV News.
"People can take these dogs to their homes. They can take them to green spaces. We've even had people take them camping or to their cottages."
Gordon said the shelter dogs can join humans on their animal adventures for a day, a weekend or even a week.
"It's great for the dogs because they get out of the animal shelter and get a break. They get to socialize, meet other animals," he added. "It's also great for participants, promoting healthy living by taking the dogs for walks ... It's a win-win."
"Daters" can choose one of the available dogs from posted photos or request to be matched by Animal Services staff. The applicants are screened and must leave a $300 deposit, the equivalent to the adoption fee.
Animal Services provides the leashes, collars and food for the date.
And just like a dating app, city staff members use their website and social media pages to showcase the dogs on the dates. It gives others an idea of how the dog interacts and behaves outside the shelter.
Leland Gordon, general manager of Winnipeg Animal Services. (Leland Gordon/City of Winnipeg Animal Services)
"We get to show off our dogs, people make these funny videos of the dogs, and then they share those videos and pictures," Gordon said. Some show the dogs at soccer games, at a home or around other pets.
Tara Chatel found her second pet "Bo" through the doggie dating service. She now volunteers regularly taking other dogs on "dates."
"It just gives them that 'home' feel," she said, "and I think it's a good break for them away from the kennels."
On this day, Chatel is with Mack. A large, mostly black mixed breed, who has been in the shelter for a month now. Mack is wearing an orange "adoption" vest on his walk around The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. Some people stop Chatel to pet the dog and ask questions.
"I think there's a misconception that shelter dogs have behavioural issues," she says.
"I've spent a lot of time with these dogs and that's not the case. They are so loveable and they have so much to offer, they just need time to decompress. Some of them haven't had training since they were puppies, but that doesn't mean they aren't trainable," Chatel said, adding Mack can sit, shake a paw and lay down.
Many Canadian cities have seen a spike in the number of dogs surrendered to shelters. Winnipeg's numbers have also increased over the past four years.
Pre-pandemic, Animal Services regularly accommodated about 20 dogs. Now, Gordon says there are 30-40 dogs in need of help every day. The financial challenges facing families are adding to the problem.
"People really need to think long and hard before they add a dog to their family. Dogs are lifelong commitments … So it's important people are financially stable and have a stable home," he said, "and if they aren't ready, do a 'Doggie Date.'"
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.