Atim Maskikhiy: Dog Medicine Gallery - Healthy Dogs Healthy Communities

Exhibition Essay by Dr. Jordan Woodsworth

“Atim Maskikhiy” is an art exhibition is curated by Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, Director – Northern Engagement and Community Outreach, Western College of Veterinary Medicine. The artists featured in this exhibition are Andrea Cowan, Caron Dubnick, Donna Langhorne, Hilary Johnstone, John Halkett, Larissa Muirhead, Miriam Körner, Molly Ratt, Myles Charles, Nancy Lafleur, Terri Franks, Sammi Kopeck, Abigail Clarke, Annalisa Heppner, Jade Roberts, Jasmine Grondin, and Wendy Cleveland.

Many northern, remote and Indigenous communities in Canada report challenges with care and control of dog health, welfare and populations. These communities also typically experience inadequate access to health and welfare services for dogs. To influence change in access to services and outcomes at the dog-human interface, it is critical to understand the dog-human relationship in these communities and the strengths and opportunities in current approaches to dog care and control.

In 2018, a team of veterinary scientists from the University of Saskatchewan and community members from the La Ronge tri-community area came together to conduct a community-oriented qualitative case study on this topic. Over the next 5 years and through conversational interviews, youth journals, and analyzing legislation and other documents, an illustration of the multi-dimensional nature of dog-human relationships emerged. An extended medicine wheel model was created to depict these findings, with each domain of the wheel representing an element of dog roles in the community and the contributors to the health of the human-dog relationship.

While evidence generated through research is an important tool in making change, the messages don’t always reach a broad audience. Change-making requires broad awareness of an issue, stimulating discussion and problem solving at multiple levels. Using art as a tool to connect people to research is an innovative approach used in this project. Leveraging funds awarded to the research team by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) and the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR), twenty pieces were commissioned from seventeen artists in the La Ronge area.

Artists

Artists were asked to use their medium of choice to communicate their interpretation of our findings about the roles of dogs, the health of the dog-human relationship, and the importance of that relationship within their lives and their communities.

The result of these commissions is the Atim Maskikhiy/Dog Medicine Gallery. With the help of local creative Brandon White, all works have been digitized and are available on the Healthy Dogs Healthy Communities research website. Along with their digitized works, each artist is featured in a vignette describing their piece and how it expresses their understanding of the roles of dogs and their relationships with humans.

Visitors to the gallery can expect an array of artistic traditions and sentiments about the dog-human interface. What ties these works together is the notion that dogs are valued members of communities, homes and families. While their roles and relationships with humans have changed over time, their importance to their people has not. Northerners love their dogs, and while the lifestyles of these dogs might not always match those of pet dogs down south, the bonds are no less strong.

This project was undertaken with the ultimate goal of stimulating change. The gaps in access to dog health and welfare services are unsustainable and must be addressed to support community and animal health long-term. The needs of dogs must be met at individual and community levels to ensure dog health and welfare, and this will require creative changes to practice and policy.

As you tour the gallery, think about dogs in your own life and reflect on the importance of that bond. Imagine the experience of not being able to access the things you need to keep your dog healthy and safe in your own home and community. We hope that your experience at the gallery sparks an interest in advocating for better access to services for dogs and people in Northern, remote and Indigenous communities in our province and beyond.

In all places and for all people, Dogs Have Love Medicine.