Compound of barking, mistreated canines raises Elder’s ire in KFN

Some residents of the Kátł’odeeche First Nation are concerned over at least 20 largely ignored penned canines who howl all night.

Darlene Labrun’s 88-year-old father, lives just about 100 feet away from where these dogs are held in the Old Village neighbourhood.

The Elder has been struggling to sleep due to the constant barking and howling that has been a near constant presence, even late into the night, Labrun told CKLB Radio.

She says that these dogs have become a constant burden on her father’s peace of mind.

Labrun said: “He’s not getting any rest. He loves to enjoy his property, mowing the lawn, going outside, puttering around and stuff like that, and he just can’t enjoy the quietness that he used to be until these dogs showed up.

“We were there at one time where it was 30C and he can’t even open a window or door to let any breeze through, because of the constant noise.

“It was the same last year. They were constantly howling all hours of the night, one o’clock in the morning, four o’clock in the morning, 24-hours a day. My husband, on our last visit, couldn’t take it, so he parked at the church and slept in the truck to get some rest.”

In her official complaint to the Kátł’odeeche First Nation Chief and Council, Lebrun states the canines are owned by a man who used to race sled dogs in the winter, but has not done any racing in several years.

The dogs have been in the community for upwards of three years now, and Lebrun’s concerns is that many of the elders in the community, not just her father, are also experiencing the same stress.

A man who lives in Kátł’odeeche, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the dogs are not properly taken care of.

Said the man: “It’s not good at all. Those dogs are chained there all day. They have a three-foot-long chain that ties into a dog house. I know he doesn’t feed them because at the start of the summer, me and my cousin went fishing, and we ended up giving all of our fish to the dogs. I put them in two bins, and they sat there for at least two days, and those dogs watched us put them there. For two days they sat there and nobody fed them.

“They don’t go for walks, they sit there all summer, and the only time they’re used is when they’re used for the sled.”

The man continued, saying that other people in the community try to feed the dogs whenever they can.

“They’re throwing scraps, but the food is left outside the gate. No one goes in there to feed them. He’s the only man that does that, and we know when he’s feeding them because they go crazy. I saw him once in two weeks. It’s just horrible, what’s going on.”

Lebrun has stated that she does want some action to be taken from local leaders.

“I’d like for someone to relocate the dogs. From my understanding, the dogs were sled dogs, and they haven’t been sled dogs for a number of years, and now they’re just chained up in a fenced area. Two had escaped on our last visit, so what I’m hoping is, if the owner doesn’t want them, adopt them out. Give them up. That’s what I’m looking for.”

The Kátł’odeeche First Nation has been contacted , but have yet to get back to us.