Constance Lake First Nation to hold first animal wellness clinic in at least 10 years

Organizers expect to treat up to 100 animals in Constance Lake First Nation in August as the community — which lacks access to vet care — hosts its first animal wellness clinic in at least a decade. 

The clinic, which runs Aug. 8 to 11, is a partnership with the SPCA and was funded by Pet Smart Charities Canada, said band councillor Joanne Bird, who organized the event.

"I'm very excited.  It's been a long time coming," Bird said.

"We have a great number of people that signed up wanting to get their cats spayed and neutered. I'm so happy. This is what I've been aiming for since I started helping the community with dog issues."  

Bird first took an interest in animal welfare a year ago after witnessing children trying to break up a fight between dogs, she said.

Shortly afterwards, Bird and her family helped care for an injured dog and found a rescue willing to take it in.

That rescue helped to connect her to the SPCA when she inquired about doing a spay/neuter clinic, she explained.

The clinic is one of a growing series of initiatives by Matawa First Nations to better control dog populations in communities and better care for animals and community members, said Judi Cannon, the animal services lead coordinator for Matawa First Nations Management – a role the organization just created in February.

First Nations face almost insurmountable roadblocks to accessing vet care, Cannon said.

And the issue has taken on an even greater sense of urgency now that the animal rescues across the country that have helped reduce dog populations on reserves have found themselves packed to capacity and unable to take in more animals.

Vaccinating animals in remote First Nations is vital for protecting the health of both animals and people, Cannon said.  

"They are living intimately with wildlife so that leaves the pets very vulnerable to a bite from wildlife that … could have rabies," she said.  

"If there is, say, a fox that bites a dog that bites a child and has rabies, that is all preventable."  

But looking after animals in First Nation communities is also good for people's mental health, Cannon said.