THUNDER BAY - Staff and volunteers at the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society have been working around the clock following several animal rescues throughout the region, including 10 dogs that were in immediate distress.
On Tuesday, staff and OSPCA agents with the Thunder Bay Human Society rescued 33 dogs throughout the region after being informed of animals at large and in distress by rescues in local communities.
Twenty dogs were rescued from Shoal Lake #39, Kenora, and Whitefish Bay. While the team was in Whitefish Bay, they received reports of dogs in immediate distress from the OPP in Longlac.
“They were in immediate emergency distress and we needed to remove them from that situation and we brought them into our care,” said Cassandra Nordal, fundraising coordinator with Thunder Bay and District Humane Society.
The OPP Greenstone detachment reported the dogs were discovered by snowmobilers just south of Longlac. Several were found dead and of the 15 dogs, 10 survived and remain in quarantine at the Thunder Bay Humane Society.
The 10 dogs, identified as huskies, are extremely emaciated and mal-nourished. Using a body condition scale from one to nine, the dogs were on the low end of the scale, between one and two.
“Some of the dogs had active wounds, and low body condition scoring as well,” said Jeremy Gardiner, a SPCA agent with the Thunder Bay Humane Society. “There was some neglect going on there for sure.”
An investigation is being conducted by the OPP and OSPCA and the dogs are being assessed by staff and veterinarians in Thunder Bay.
With such a large intake of animals, the Thunder Bay Humane Society was forced to close down for the day on Wednesday.
“There are a lot of diseases out there, especially when it comes to dogs, there is parvo and things like that,” Nordal said. “It would turn into a cross contamination. Unfortunately, we needed all hands on deck for the over 30 dogs that we had. We felt it was the only thing we could do to make this intake.”
Gardiner said agents do see cases like this all the time, but never something quite as bad as the situation in Longlac. Nordal added the number of dogs rescued is unusual.
“In such a short amount of time, this isn’t normal,” she said. “This is something we haven’t seen. We’ve had cases in the summer with cats and massive hoarding situation, but never this many dogs in dire need right now. This is a new one for us.”
Fortunately, the twenty other dogs rescued from the region are doing much better, according to Nordal.
“The 20 dogs we did rescue from the northern reserves, 95 per cent of them are in really good health right now,” she said. “Our goal is to get them properly vet assessed and get them up to 100 per cent good health and then they will be up for adoption. At this point in time, not right now.”
Nordal added that with such a large influx of animals needing care, the Humane Society on Rosslyn Road is reaching out to the community for help.
“Because of us closing down for the day and going up there, we weren’t expecting the amount of dogs we have, we are asking for any kind of monetary donations, blankets, sheets, anything to help out,” she said. “Our dog room is filled, our education room is filled with dogs right now.”
