Healthy Dogs Healthy Communities
one of the things we’re taught, one of the things dogs teach us or one of the things dogs give us is unconditional love…And so one of the things with dogs is they have this, well, love medicine…which is the most powerful medicine in the universe (Interview # LLRIB_7)
Elder Story: 'Dogs Have Feelings' w Elder John Halkett
Elder John Halkett shared that what he would most like to see would be a program in the schools that taught children how to interact safely with dogs, and how to give dogs a purpose that would best match their individual physical and personality traits.
[Ch3, pg 43]
Additionally, elder adults living alone or in extended care facilities experience a greater quality of life and improved mental and emotional wellbeing in the presence of dogs
[CH1, pg2]
Varied Opinions on ‘Rescues’
I do worry sometimes about the whole rescue aspect and where these dogs are actually going. I know that some of the area – for me, where the issue comes down to the rehoming. And this is why I had a lotta problems with the fostering – is not being able to follow that dog to find out where it ended up. Like did it end up getting a good home? (LaRonge_6)
The culture of ‘saving’ or ‘rescuing’ dogs reflects colonial policies that have caused generations of suffering amongst Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island.
Ch4, Pg. 20]
Northern Dog Behaviour
I know that's kind of cruelty too, to make your dog tied up for the whole…for his whole life. (K7 Interview)
Co-evolution of Humans and Dogs
When designing community-led solutions for dog challenges in northern, remote and Indigenous communities, it is important to consider traditional Indigenous relationships with dogs, and how these might inform re-establishment of healthy, balanced dog-human connections. [Ch4., Pg34]
Dogs played crucial roles in the traditional ways of life of the Woodland Cree. When asked about how using dogs for pulling sleds was relevant or useful today, there was a strong message that relationships with dogs connects people to land-use.
If dogs can connect us to the land, to culture, and to our emotional selves simply by doing what they love to do, perhaps they are a gateway to improved health in many domains. With this possibility in mind, we can start to build rationale for considering healthy dog-human relationships as a determinant of human and community health.
(Ch4., Pg.14)
Traditions & Relationships with Dogs
Multiple authors, in their work with underserved communities towards addressing dog health, have made note of the changing roles of dogs in communities
(Baker et al., 2018a; Schurer et al., 2015a)[Ch.2,Pg.22]
Dogs have value as means of spiritual and physical protection, hunting companions, and as emotive family pets <br><br><sup>(Constable et al., 2010; Senior et al., 2006). </sup>
A preconceived idea our team had about the role of dogs was that they were invariably regarded as ‘pets’. This was expanded and even refuted by some of our Indigenous participants, who described sometimes being discouraged from developing emotional connections with working dogs:
So when we were raised with the dogs, we weren’t allowed to touch the dogs unless we were caring for them. They were not pets. Their lives were harder than ours. But also we couldn’t get attached to the dogs because as soon as they got hurt or old…. they were shot.’ (LLRIB_4)
The bond between humans and dogs in Indigenous communities is strong and maintains a traditional grounding despite colonial policies that have tried to erode dog-human bonds
(Constable et al., 2010; Howe, 1993; Wilks & Williamson, 1998)[Ch.2, Pg.22]
Dog Roles: Family Members
In some cases, dogs are regarded as loyal companions and almost as equals in their relationship to humans. One participant shared that her relationship with her dog has changed over time, ‘[s]o that role change becomes more of a – I guess more of a companion? And more of a…not even co-exist. Co-live?’
[Ch4, Pg 17]
[Dogs are a] furry part of the family. Yeah, for me it’s like a child. But obviously a child that never really grows up [laughs].
So with a puppy it’s like your baby, right? Instead of having a real human baby. So there was a lot of joy and a lot of the happiness of a mother… (LaRonge_5)
Abuse/Neglect
While there are many dog welfare challenges in communities without regular access to veterinary care, it is important to identify those that are preventable or manageable, even in the face of barriers to access. Participants were aware of some of the barriers to attending to suspected abuse and neglect, and the connections to broader societal challenges. [Ch 4., Pg.33]
There [is] a lot of animal abuse and neglect in this community due to very deep-root[ed] reasons. And I know a lot of time the RCMP they’re so short-staffed that animals become the bottom of their priority list. Or even with NAR there can be a lack of funding to address these issues. And also even if you call the animal protection officer, what I’ve heard is there’s only four or six in the whole province – so it becomes really hard for them to come up right after they get a phone call (LaRonge_5)
Donna – Rescue, Support Dogs
Pause here to listen
Some participants recognized that poor [dog] welfare is not always equivalent to lack of love or caring, but could be more related to lack of resources and education. Ingrained racist beliefs around the negligence of Indigenous peoples contribute to harmful actions under the guise of ‘rescuing’ or ‘saving’ dogs.
[Ch4, pg32]
Dogs Seek Health
Participants communicated that dogs need to express ingrained behaviours to be healthy, and that relationships are healthiest when humans can fit dogs’ instinct-based behaviours into our lives in ways that are safe and socially acceptable.
[Ch.5, Pg.15]
Animal Emotional Wellbeing
Elder Eleanor – Full Time Vet Needed
Working Vs. Companion Dogs
Other participants expanded the definition of working dogs to include more modern interpretations:
So we had two kinds of dogs – we had sled dogs that worked, they’re working dogs. And then we had what you’d call pets, and those are the old sled dogs that couldn’t work anymore. So they’re old sled dogs that couldn’t do their work anymore because of age, then became like, family members. One of the jobs they did a lot of was look after kids, they watched kids, right. They spent time with kids. They’re always gentle
Jayme's Working Companions
Members also indicated that talking not only to adults, but also to youth would be important, as youth have a different level of contact with dogs in the community than adults; youth tend to be in contact more often and tend to be the caregivers of dogs quite frequently, especially in the reserve neighbourhoods
[Ch.3, Pg.40]
‘Photos provided by Nisto Ihtāwina - Early Years Family Resource Centre’ during a Youth Vet Clinic
Put simply,
I think we should open up a clinic for animals in La Ronge (Youth_J.R.).
Roaming Dogs
Not Equal to No Bond
Some participants were very clear that roaming dogs were not necessarily un-bonded and were often important to their humans. When asked about why people might keep their dogs in or let them out when dog pulls were planned, one participant said,
I’ve heard that, that people put them in and then the next day they’re all out roaming again. I guess they love their pets. They do love their pets and that’s why they keep them in. They don’t want them to be pulled’
With this understanding that a roaming dog is not necessarily an unloved dog, it seems logical that this appreciation for the dog-human bond would extend to all areas of the Tri-communities.
[Ch4., Pg. 42]
Roaming dogs = Freedom
The dichotomous views about roaming dogs being positive or negative were illustrated again within the concept of roaming dogs being associated with freedom. When asked if dogs being free to roam was good for the dogs in any way, a key informant replied:
It's good for the dogs but not for the community. (KI_7)
While another said:
There’s gonna be everything to lose. Yeah, nothing to gain. There’s danger to the community. There’s danger to children’ (AR_2)
Another still said:
They get freedom. They get to reproduce. And that’s important to them. They get to have socialization. Some dogs like to be with other dogs and some dogs are owner dogs. They get companionship and they’re obviously not getting it somewhere else. So if people aren’t home – like they’re social animals. That’s the way they are.’ (LaRonge_6)
A final informant said, of the topic:
It’s a danger to the community members. I don’t know how many times I’ve taken my dogs out and had my dogs attacked while being out (AR_4)
It seemed that there was a certain level of tolerance to roaming, but also an understanding that roaming dogs, while not necessarily unloved, could be an indicator of lack of access to resources needed to keep them in:
[I]f a dog’s constantly out, why? Is it somebody needs help fixing their fence? Is it an Elder that doesn’t have access to whatever, right? But I think as a community we should be able to help each other to fix that.
Feelings of Fear or Danger
The dangers of roaming dogs are amplified when they are also hungry and competing for resources.
[Ch4., Pg. 30]
Even in Bigstone and 101 reserves, there's just dogs running around hungry and stuff. I went to the store and bought them a can of food each. I love dogs, but not the ones that are mean and chasing people for no reason(K.C.)
Clearly, solutions to address the contributing factors and negative outcomes of dogs roaming are needed for the Tri-communities, and participants highlighted many of the important areas to consider.
When dogs are culprits in causing harm to children or other community members through bites and other aggressive encounters, it can be intuitive to conclude that removing dogs is the answer. However, in a community with frequent reports of aggressive dog-human encounters (Dhillon et al., 2016), having a bonded dog that will provide this sort of protection can be crucial in providing children the safe environment they need to learn and play:
[M]y sister was sliding in our backyard, and there was this one dog that came up to her, [and] our dog Pumpkin saved her from being bitten (S.N.).
Many public health approaches to dog management emphasize the dog-human interface as a place of risk, downplaying the benefits of the bond between dogs and humans and the strengths brought to both within the interspecies relationship.
[CH2, Pg22]
Dogs as Teachers
A participant introduced the idea that dogs can be teachers for humans. In many cases, adult participants connected having dogs to children learning empathy and unconditional love, and to be responsible by contributing to their families and communities.
[Ch4, Pg. 20]
...The benefit of a child having a dog in their life is phenomenal. The amount it teaches them in empathy and understanding and just unconditional love that they sometimes don’t get elsewhere, we can’t take that away from them. (AR_2)
Dogs as Gifts
Participants shared that gifting dogs is linked to traditional cultural practices, and could be another important way in which living alongside dogs can provide cultural connection and grounding for Indigenous people in the La Ronge area:
My mom said when she was tiny, they had lots of pups that were being born, and every kid was given one pup as a responsibility to care and love your dog, and to feed them, and to raise them
Several team members also talked about dogs being given as gifts, particularly to children. This was discussed as being a problem because they were seen as ‘the kids’ dog’ and sometimes it was observed that the adults in the home weren’t taking responsibility for the animal’s wellbeing.
Ch4, pg 22]
Mental Health & Dog Management
Nemo
Dogs as Loyal Companions
Some participants still distinguished between ‘good owners’ and ‘nice neighbourhoods’ where dogs might roam, versus apparent ‘strays’, or unidentified dogs that might roam in the neighbourhood but were not recognized by residents there.
[Ch4., Pg.42]
Dogs Only As Good
As Their Humans
Social relational health is the belief that poor dog ownership reflects a person’s value or ‘goodness’ as a human being. The wording of this code was ‘bad dog owners = bad people'
[Ch4, pg37]
Lesson Plan: Rabies
[Link]