ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) in Alberta is implementing a pilot project to implant contraceptives in stray, feral dogs on the Tsuu T'ina Nation. The implant costs $68, compared to the $250-$500 it costs to spay a female dog.

CALGARY - Implanting contraceptives in stray female dogs could be a solution to the problem of packs of semi-wild animals roaming First Nations communities, says a Bragg Creek veterinarian.

Dr. Judith Samson-French is coordinating a pilot project to test the new birth control technology on dogs living on the Tsuu T'ina Nation next to Calgary. She hopes one day it might reduce the population of unwanted dogs and prevent attacks, such as the one on the 10-year-old boy mauled to death on a reserve in Saskatchewan on Saturday.

The contraceptive implant, called Deslorelin, was introduced in 2004 by Peptech Animal Health, a small biotech company in Australia. It suppresses reproductive hormones in animals for 12 to 18 months and is used in zoos, said Samson-French.

She estimates there are at least 700 dogs on the Tsuu T'ina reserve, but fewer than 20 per cent are wanted