Chippewa teen who set up pet food bank gears up for veterinary school

Members of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation are bidding a bittersweet goodbye to Zhawanoogbiik Danielle Riley this week, an 18-year-old who's devoted much of her life to helping animals in the Indigenous community near London, Ont.

In a few weeks Riley will pack up and head for Lakehead University, located 1,300 kilometres away in Thunder Bay. And while she'll be missed, it's a trip friends and family are happy to see her make. That's because it's a crucial step to fulfill her childhood dream of devoting her professional life to helping animals. 

"I'm able to see these wonderful beings who have no judgment come from a state of fear and illness to a state of wellness and happiness. [It] is very rewarding," she said. 

At Lakehead, she will study veterinary medicine with a focus on large animal care. Since the pandemic, Riley has run and operated a pet food bank on the ranch where she lives with her family.

It's a place where people can pick up free pet food but also — through relationships Riley has built with outside organizations — access sterilization surgeries for their animals and other services.

The help is provided without judgment or questions to pet owners in the community.

Riley started to set up the clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when people often acquired pets to stave off loneliness during lock down. Many of those same pet owners have since found themselves unable to meet the time and financial commitments of caring for their pets.

"We had dogs getting malnourished. We had cats getting surrendered,'" said Riley.

Riley's plan is to come back to the ranch and continue the work she started, armed with a degree in veterinary medicine and new knowledge in animal care. 

Her main focus will be large animals, an area of veterinary care where she said the need for care outstrips the supply of vets.

"I know that from owning horses, it's very difficult to find vets for large animals," she said. "So being able to bring that piece of education and come back is going to help our community and the surrounding area." 

On Thursday many friends and well-wishers stopped by the family ranch to provide what they affectionately called a "Rez dog send off." Those who came include staff and volunteers from the London & Middlesex Humane Society and the Animal Rescue Foundation.

Riley's plan is to return to her community in about eight years time with new ways to enhance animal care both on the reserve and off and build a clinic on the property while also keeping the food bank open and operating.