Gunning for Duke: Wild dog and his pack are the terrors of Cowichan Valley
By Ethan Baron, The Province
April 26, 2009

DUNCAN -- He is a massive, powerfully built dog that leaves the native reserve under cover of darkness. He picks up other dogs along the way to the Cowichan Valley's bucolic sheep pastures. There, the pack lays into the woolly flocks, ripping out throats, tearing out guts.
Farmers are gunning for him. So is the SPCA, albeit with tranquilizer darts.

He is the holy terror of this green valley, but he used to be a pet with a home. He used to be called Duke.

An American bulldog estimated to weigh nearly 50 kilograms, Duke once lived on the reserve with a couple. But when they split up three years ago, they left their house -- and they left Duke.

Relatives moved in, but as far as they were concerned, their new home did not include a dog.

Duke was left to make it on his own, like dozens of other dogs roaming the seven Cowichan Tribes reserves near Duncan, on Vancouver Island.

"They have dogs running everywhere, which nobody admits ownership of," says Sandi Trent, manager of the Cowichan & District SPCA. "Nobody spays or neuters."

Many of the dogs end up in the SPCA shelter. Last year, the facility took in 151 dogs surrendered by owners, and 102 strays. More than 80 per cent of the dogs came from the reserves, Trent says.

"We've been seeing such a deluge of these animals coming in," Trent says. "It's financially draining and it's emotionally draining and sometimes you feel like you're just banging your head against the wall."

Shelter staff euthanized four reserve dogs last year, either because they were dangerously aggressive or had suffered grievous injuries.

"I just picked up a pit bull cross that another dog had attacked and left ripped open in the field," Trent says.

Dogs on the reserve that have owners are frequently chained up. When chained females go into heat, they can't escape marauding males, and some have been badly wounded, Trent says.

Those who take some ownership of reserve dogs often dock their tails with a home method: elastic bands or plastic zap straps, according to Trent.

In the past five months, the SPCA has taken in eight puppies with elastics or straps on their tails, and two

of the dogs had spinal infections because the bindings were left on so long, Trent says. She expects more of these infection cases as the weather warms.

Many of the reserves' neglected dogs suffer from severe mange and lice infestations, and carry parasites, including worms and giardia, she adds.

Of five feral puppies who were living with their parents behind the Old Farm Market along the main highway, three remain, after two were killed by vehicles, Trent says.

Three years ago, the SPCA gave 100 vouchers to the Cowichan Tribes, each good for a free spay or neuter, she says. Only three vouchers have been redeemed.

Cowichan Tribes officials have not co-operated with the SPCA's attempt to work with them on the problem, and the band's animal-control officer lacks the resources to deal with it, Trent says.

Most of the stray dogs that come into the SPCA facility from the reserve make excellent pets, affectionate and well behaved.

"When they get into a family home, they're like velcro dogs," Trent says. "They've never known anything like it."

The problem is, most of the dogs are pit bulls and Rottweilers, or mixes of the two breeds.

"For the average Joe Public coming in to adopt a family dog, they're the absolute last dog that they're wanting to adopt," Trent says.

She's hoping she'll soon have Duke in the shelter. About two weeks ago, the SPCA's cruelty officer shot the dog with a tranquilizer dart, but the dog escaped into the bush and an hours-long grid search failed to locate him.

SPCA officers can enter the reserve to deal with dogs treated cruelly, but are not permitted on the reserve to capture livestock-killing dogs.

Cowichan Tribes Chief Lydia Hwitsum acknowledges that the band has not had a strong relationship with the SPCA.

"There's a lot of room for improvement, and we should probably try and focus on that," Hwitsum says.

She says questions remain about where the roaming dogs are coming from.

"I haven't seen the dogs. I don't know," Hwitsum says. "I can't really comment whether they're coming from the reserve or not. I need to ask some questions myself."

She admits treatment of dogs on the reserve needs to be addressed. "Now I have to really focus more in trying to figure out how best to tackle this issue and build some relationships," she says. "There's probably some educating that needs to be done."

Social and economic problems affecting the reserve are obvious. While surrounding communities present sprawling, pastoral acreages and large, well-kept homes, on the reserves many yards are full of trash and broken-down vehicles. Unemployment is rampant. Many young men bear prison tattoos on their arms and faces. Hwitsum clearly has a lot on her plate.

"There is a wide range of issues that we deal with in Cowichan," She says. "Health, education, youth programs, elders' programming, cultural programming."

But the dog problem still warrants attention. "Cowichan does take it seriously," Hwitsum says. "We also do have limited capacity and resources."

Nick Douglas, a band member who breeds pit bulls on a reserve just outside downtown Duncan, says a lack of awareness concerning proper care of dogs appears to be the primary issue.

"I don't think there's a huge neglect problem, maybe laziness," Douglas says. "Definitely the [lack of] spaying and neutering is a huge problem."

Many band members are unaware of the SPCA spay-or-neuter vouchers available, he adds. And the band's elderly animal-control officer can't cope with the problem on his own, he adds.

"We could use [an additional] person in that office doing that job," Douglas says.

Meanwhile, sheep owners furious at the attacks, which started occurring last spring, are hoping for a chance to shoot Duke, and not with a dart.

Scott Stevenson, who has lost all of his 10 sheep to dog attacks, took a shot at the marauding dog not long after it escaped the SPCA dart. Stevenson used his moose-hunting rifle, which he said can nearly take the head off a neck-shot deer. Duke was 100 metres away.

"I should've had it," Stevenson says. "I had my chance there. I could've sprayed it across the field. That thing has so many horseshoes up its butt, it's not even funny."

Attempts by the SPCA and the Cowichan Tribes to catch Duke in a live trap have failed, with the dog even seen relaxing on a garbage heap by one trap. "He's too smart for a trap," Stevenson says.

The black-and-white dog still comes by his old home on many mornings and afternoons, the current tenants say.

Celestine Charlie, who lives in the house with her kids, says Duke plays with their dog, Buddy, and eats his food.

"He's a quite friendly dog," Charlie says. "He hangs around when the kids are playing around, but he keeps a distance."

Duke's days of slaughtering sheep are likely numbered. The biggest question is, with angry farmers and the SPCA on his tail, who's going to get him first?