Rescued northern Ont. dogs to be reunited with displaced owners or find new homes

PetSave funded flights to evacuate 70 dogs from Kashechewan. Lost Boys Hope handled the rescue. Sterilization bought time to prevent overpopulation.

PetSave in Greater Sudbury recently funded three flights to evacuate dogs from the Kashechewan First Nation. Most residents of the remote fly-in community were evacuated in January after a state of emergency was declared due to its failing water system.

In a video shot by Lost Boys Hope, a Barrie dog rescue that evacuated 70 dogs from the Kashechewan, on July 3, the group says it worked with the First Nation’s chief and council along with a liaison to identify surrenders and strays.

“These are what we call, with a chuckle, we call these dogs northern designer dogs. They are a mix of Husky, Shepard, Labs – that sort of stuff,” said Kelley Ward, the Barrie rescue’s founder.

PetSave got involved in March when it sent up a veterinarian to vaccinate as many dogs as possible and to temporarily sterilize the male dogs.

“Implant them with a non-surgical sterilization drug that will actually buy us six months of sterilization on the dogs that were injected. So that there wouldn’t be any mass overpopulation created,” said PetSave founder Jill Pessot, noting it bought them six months to make a plan.

PetSave did not have enough room for the evacuated dogs but put up the $54,000 needed for the flights – partnering with Lost Boys to evacuate, quarantine and look after adoptions.

“We adopt everyday and we take in dogs everyday but our volumes are just far higher than the demand,” said Pessot.

“This is a great way by working with our southern partners we have worked with several southern rescues and this is the key to getting dogs out of northern Ontario.”

Some of the dogs will ready for new homes next week.

“After the two weeks we get them into the vet, they get spayed and neutered, they get micro chipped and then they will be up for adoption,” said Ward.

One dog, Lily, arrived after having puppies. After being spayed she will be returned to Kashechewan, to her owners who stayed in the community.

Additionally, this week three of the evacuated dogs will be taken to Niagara Falls to be reunited with their owners who have been staying there since being displaced.