July 7, 2006
Council takes another kick at bad canines
Kilabuk wants wandering mutts shot and shipped to dog-eating countries

JACKIE WALLACE

Three weeks ago Sheamus Armstrong was working in his yard in Apex when he heard a child screaming.

His neighbour's dog was attacking a five-year-old boy.

"So I picked up a stick and ran up to help him," said Armstrong. "When I got within 100 feet the dog took off." The child was taken home by a group of friends and later needed stitches.

"This dog is always barking," said Armstrong. "It's tied up for the majority of its life, but it broke its chain this time. It was a good thing I showed up because the dog was being quite vicious."

The dog days of summer are here and once again there are rumblings about dangerous canines roaming Iqaluit's streets.

At a city council meeting on June 27, Councillor Nancy Gillis expressed concern that there had been several recent incidents of people being attacked by dogs.

"We go through this every summer and it's got to stop," said Gillis. "I don't want to have to deal with somebody else's dog. That's why I don't have a dog."

Gillis is annoyed by the number of dogs wandering the streets without leashes, even when they are with their owners. She is also concerned that sled dogs are breaking their chains in areas where they are kept because they are not properly fed or watered and are coming into town. She suggested a solution might be to require that sled dogs be penned.

Councillor Simanuk Kilabuk suggested shooting all loose dogs and sending their meat to places where people eat dog meat.

But according to Tyson Kalluk, Iqaluit's animal control officer, concerns about problem dogs are overblown. "There are times when you get two or three dog bite reports, but a lot of them are caused by kids taunting the dogs," he said. "I would say that the amount of dog attacks is still relatively small."

Kalluk estimates the dog population of the city to be between 300 and 400, including sled dogs, and of these he says about three-quarters are registered.

Paul Crowley, who keeps 11 sled dogs in a designated area by the stream, said his and other animals nearby are "well looked after and well fed." Sometimes the chains do break, but it happens very infrequently. I am surprised it is an issue," he said.

Crowley thinks the perception that sled dogs are dangerous is a case of mistaken identity. "A lot of stray dogs are actually huskies and aren't necessarily sled dogs," he said. "Generally it's not the sled dogs causing a problem."

But Armstrong isn't comforted that dogs are registered. "There are quite a few vicious dogs in Apex," he said. "Most dogs are tied up, but a lot of them are vicious. They're mostly kept as guard dogs."

He worries about his young daughter's safety and says his girlfriend is terrified to walk around without him because she is afraid of being attacked.

Councillor Brad Hall thinks there is a lesson to be learned from the unpleasant scene that Armstrong witnessed. "It's a word of warning to all dog owners who have their pets chained up to ensure that the chains are reinforced properly."