Loose dogs cause loss of life on northern reserve

Media flocked to North Tallcree First Nation, 45 km south of Fort Vermilion, after loose dogs killed a five-year-old boy Nov. 16.

Immediately after the incident, the band office temporarily closed to allow community members the chance to grieve and ward off further inquiries.

Sweetgrass Newspaper offers condolences to Ruby Ribbonleg and her family for the loss of her son, Lance. Seeking answers to prevent further loss of life, especially those of our valued children, we polled other Aboriginal communities to see if loose animals are a problem and, if so, how is the situation managed?

While fatal attacks by dogs in Aboriginal communities are not common, residents who spoke to Sweetgrass complained dogs, horses and cattle frequently roam at large, wander onto roads and cause accidents, some of which are fatal. On Nov. 10 a truck ran into horses near Duffield, about 60 km west of Edmonton. Three weeks earlier, a small car hit a horse. Paul First Nation member Dennis Paul lost his young son in 2003 after a collision with a horse near the reserve.

Southwest of Tallcree, at Woodland Cree First Nation, a resident who wished to remain anonymous spoke to Sweetgrass, explaining the band has no dog bylaw, although there have not been any serious incidents involving dogs. "They should have (laws). When you take a walk in summer all you hear is dogs barking at you," the resident commented.

Across the province, at Fort Chipewyan, where a ten-year-old girl was fatally attacked about 14 years ago, Bud Buchanan, Director of Mikisew Tech Services, stated, "If it's not in a cage or on a leash, there's a dog catcher here...and if there's a nuisance dog, we'll go pick it up."

Fort McKay's Chief Jim Boucher explains his community has a policy in place "to protect people from wild and roving dogs. They do have to be taken care of." If not, "we take care of it."

Further south, at Cold Lake First Nation, former resident Alexis Grandbois claims dogs are often "dumped" on reserves by outsiders, and this adds to the existing problem.

Near Edmonton, at Enoch First Nation, Bylaw Manager Thelma Pariseau says they have a "vicious dog" clause but are still wrestling with what constitutes a "vicious" dog and how to deal with such issues. She adds, "there's been a few (biting incidents)" but "nothing serious" that she's aware of.

At Hobbema, in central Alberta, Samson Band bylaw enforcement officer, Wade Okeymaw, stated the band does have a dog bylaw and receives reports of the "occasional" dog bite, but "nothing serious." He says he has not heard of any problems on the other three nearby reserves.

At press time, two of the five known attacking dogs at Tallcree had been destroyed. Management has no bylaw controlling stray or wild dogs, although a Band Resolution from 2000 states that dogs found untied would be taken into custody if unclaimed, and could be destroyed.