Stray animals, especially dogs, are a growing concern in 亚洲天堂 Lake and Houston, and the rampant spread of parvovirus has only complicated matters further.
Last month, six puppies were rescued from the Lake Babine Nation and taken to a foster home in Houston. Shortly after arriving, the puppies became sick and were taken to the vet where they were diagnosed with parvovirus. All six puppies surrendered from the foster home had to be euthanized, and the foster parent is now unable to foster any more dogs for two years.
"Dog guardians need to be very concerned about the current parvovirus outbreak in the Lakes District," said Allistair Schroff of Increased ACCESS. "Parvovirus is a deadly disease that affects dogs 鈥� it attacks the cells in their intestines and makes them very sick."
Parvovirus affects the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and other canids, often puppies and unvaccinated dogs. The best thing to do to prevent parvovirus is to vaccinate, according to Rebecca Thompson who works with animal rescue shelters.
"It isn't something you can give antibiotics for," she said. "It is resistant to cold weather and can live on frozen ground for months."
Thompson and animal shelters in 亚洲天堂 Lake and Houston are doing their best to take in stray animals and prevent the spread of parvovirus, but the lack of volunteers and resources make it that much more challenging.
At the end of last year, the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake discussed the stray dogs issue at a Town Hall meeting, offering up numerous ideas on how to deal with the situation. The following improvement strategies were suggested at the meeting:
- Periodic multi-media campaigns
- Dog licensing booth
- Allow supervised use of the Village impound facility
- Amending the Animal Control Bylaw to allow for cost-free dog licenses.
- Keep a registry of animal support volunteers
- Lobby the Regional District of Bulkley Nechko and the Provincial Government to have SPCA show more presence in the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake
- Partner with local First Nations animal control efforts wherever possible
Thompson is encouraging people to get involved with animal rescue as there will always be a need for volunteers. She also said that many other shelters in different communities are bearing the brunt of increased demand. Recently, Soft Paws Rescue from Quesnel assisted Thompson by taking in five abandoned cats.
"Rowan's Rescue from Houston has helped our community with over two dozen dogs, but that the sheer amount of work has exhausted volunteers and every request to the PG Humane Society except one was denied as they're at capacity," she explained. "We've reached out to Northwest Animal Shelter and many other rescues and shelters and all are full."
