Over the July 23rd weekend, two Hay River dogs were found with serious injuries.
Two dogs were recently found at separate times in Hay River, each with a small hole in their chests. Their injuries are believed to have been caused by being shot with rubber bullets.
Kori Bourne, the Manager at the Hay River SPCA centre, explained that neither dog is expected to be a stray.
“One of them was actually somebody’s pet on the reserve, and then the other dog I think is somebody else’s pet as well, but they haven’t come forward to claim the dog. It was a local resident over on the reserve who noticed that the dogs had been shot and asked us to come over and get the dogs.”
At this time, it is unknown who is responsible for these injuries. Kori explained that rumours have been floating around, though she did not want to make any comments, as she is unsure which rumours may or may not be true.
Kori also provided some advice for how people can keep their dogs safe.
“The only thing I can tell people is just be really diligent when keeping your dog on a leash, or keeping them within eyesight of you at all times. Don’t let them just roam around loose outside. As for stray dogs, there really isn’t a whole lot other than, if you notice a stray dog, call the shelter or call the bylaw officer and see if somebody is able to pick the dog up and bring it in, and then we can hold the dog until we either find its owner, or we put it up for adoption.”
Kori finished by saying that both of the injured dogs had been sent in for surgery, which can often be quite expensive. She encourages people to donate to the NWT SPCA if they are able to.
