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How
We Began My
husband Paul and I had not planned to go into rescue work. We actually knew nothing about it at all. We had made many plans
for our retirement but none of them included living with an abundance of dogs. I had been volunteering at the Muskoka branch of the OSPCA whenI fostered
a dog named Toby. Paul and I were both impressed by his warm, calm and loving temperament. Toby was so willing and eager
to belong and more than ready to be devoted to us. We wanted to adopt Toby ourselves and add him to our pack
of two Airedales but he had already been spoken for. He had to be returned to the shelter in three days. I asked the shelter manager where Toby had come from
since her was such a different kind of dog than we usually saw. I was told that some girl, named Heidi, brought dogs
down from Moosonee and that Toby had been part of the last batch. I immediately arranged to go up and meet her - simply out of curiosity. Paul and I
drove six hours to Cochrane, stayed over night and boarded the Polar Bear Express train the next morning for the five hour
trip to Moosonee. At first I thought I might write an article about our trip for some magazine and why anyone believed that
I don't know as I wasn't a writer and certainly wasn't affiliated with any magazine or paper. I knew in my heart that I wanted
to take as many puppies as possible home with me but didn't dare admit it out loud. I didn't just presume that Heidi would
allow me to so easily. It seemed like such an exalted position and privilege to me.
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Toby We spent three days in Moosonee and visited
Moose Factory, which is just across the river. We got to know the other young teachers who helped Heidi with the dogs
and we witnessed the dismal situation first hand. The rescued dogs stayed in Heidi's house under her care until she could
take them down to Muskoka where her parents lived. She had been placing the pups wherever she could find safety for them -
sometimes in homes and shelters when she could. I was surprised to learn that most shelters didn't want to take the pups
and that Heidi often had to pay to leave them there. It was agreed that sending the dogs to me and having me place them would be more effective and I
was thrilled to become part of the rescue network. At the end of our visit we brought out two pups and we have been rescuing ever since.
I must admit that we thought rescuing puppies mostly meant playing with them
until we could place them in wonderful homes. We hadn't counted on Parvo Virus, parasites, Kennel Cough, Distemper and more.
Nor had we considered severe injuries due to cruelty and abuse. We learned quickly because we had to and we now know how to
nurse orphan puppies through their first few weeks of life and how to prevent cross contamination between litters. We have
heard brutally sad stories and now know more about human ignorance than we ever wanted to.
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Why
We Began Moosonee Puppy
Rescue officially began in May 2003. Once we knew of the conditions in so many northern communities we had to act.
Our purpose became to save dogs from being trapped and shot in the isolated communities of Moosonee, Moose Factory, Attawapiskat,
Fort Albany and Kashechewan. There
are no veterinatian services in these communities so the only method of polulation control is killing. The reason there is
such an over-population is because the locals tend not to allow their dogs inside so they are either left vulnerable
by being chained outside or left free to roam. Over-breeding occurs and puppies are born under houses, in the bush or amongst
debris. One female
and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in just six years.
The dogs that do live face abuse, abandonment, neglect and carelessness.
Puppies are found frozen in snow banks, crying and starving, injured and sick. They are simply dismissed as
being valueless and without worth.
Teachers
and nurses in these communities are the front line rescuers for the most part. Once they know about the puppies they take
them into their homes and care for them until they can be sent out. The dogs from Moosonee and Moose Factory are crated and
put on the train. They arrive in Cochrane where they are picked up by a rescue worker and taken in until they can
make the rest of the journey down to Muskoka. The pups from Attawapiskat, Fort Albany and Kashechewan are flown
by Thunder Air and they land in Timmins. There are times when the trucking company, Lloyd Richards Moving and Cartage,
will bring pups down on one of their runs. We meet the truck at the side of the highway to receive the dogs.
Most often we drive north to pick up the dogs though and sometimes we are met part way by a rescue worker.
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Often the pups we receive are three to four weeks of age. They may have been motherless
for sometime as she was most likely shot soon after giving birth. Rarely do we get a dog over five years of age because they
simply don't escape the "dog shoots" for that long. Sometimes people move and leave their dogs behind so we will get them after they have
fended for themselves in confusion for several weeks. There are many breeds, in addition to Huskies, up north. We rescue Retrievers,
Collies, Shepherds, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Jack Russells, Labs and more. Most are mixes but some are not. Some of the puppies live in our house with
us so that we can socialize them and teach them to trust. Other pups live in a one room cabin we built just for
them. It has a wood stove and doggy doors leading to a fenced in area. We often receive pregnant females or moms with
their pups so the cabin works especially well for them. Mom can be in with her babies or easily jump the gate for
a run in the bush as we are fenced on four acres. The older pups become part of our pack and Huck, Ruth, Lady Rose, Trillium,
Will and Stillwater teach them manners and respect. All the dogs gain confidence quickly and they somehow remain hopeful even
after the abuse, neglect and abandonment they have known.
We find wonderful homes for our dogs through Petfinder.com.
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