This pack of dogs have been spotted throughout La Ronge in recent weeks. (submitted photo/Kandis Riese)

By Derek Cornet

public safety

‘This is a people problem’: La Ronge grandmother concerned about pack of dogs

Jul 31, 2023 | 4:35 PM

A long-time resident of La Ronge is concerned about a pack of dogs that have been roaming town in recent weeks.

Kandis Riese posted images on social media last week of a pack of five dogs downtown, asking fellow tri-community residents for suggestions on solving the problem. In an interview with larongeNOW, she explained she’s not only concerned for the safety of humans, but for the well-being of the dogs as well.

“I’m concerned for the safety of people when dogs are travelling in packs like that or even a single dog by itself. You don’t know what it is capable of,” Riese said.

“There are lots of dogs that are just on their own. I’m not talking about dogs who have escaped loving homes and who just kind of venture out. You can tell when a dog is taken care of and loved, a dog that is well fed etc. and cared for, and then there are dogs that aren’t and you don’t know how they are going to respond when they see a child, for example.”

Riese noted wandering dogs isn’t a new issue in La Ronge as it has been an ongoing problem for years. She said the issue has gotten so out of hand, however, she’s started to drive to places she used to walk. She feels uncomfortable in her own yard, and she is concerned about going out for walks with her five-year-old granddaughter and risking coming into contact with stray dogs.

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Last summer, she saw a grandmother get knocked down by a dog at the Patterson Park beach. Riese said, thankfully, other people rushed over and helped her get up.

NAR blames pet owners for not containing their dogs. (submitted photo/Kandis Riese)

“I don’t have a clue what the solution is. I have all the respect for Northern Animal Rescue (NAR) and all the volunteers for what they do. This is a people problem, not a dog problem,” she said.

“It’s about people who aren’t being responsible for their dogs and then it impacts the rest of us. As far as a collaborative effort, absolutely. The more people who are willing to work together to find a solution and any solution that is found. It’s not the dog’s humans who pay the price, it’s the dogs.”

Riese mentioned a collaborative effort to solve the stray dog issue in La Ronge is needed. She added the method of collecting dogs and sending them to other communities to become someone else’s problem isn’t working.

“It is unfair that if nothing is done, it is the dogs who pay the highest price because someone will take it into their own hands,” she said.

NAR, the organization responsible for dog control in La Ronge, released a public statement about the pack of dogs spotted wandering lately. They wrote that their animal care officer has been working to pick up the dogs and have previously returned a number of them to their homes within the tri-communities.

“Unfortunately, we cannot control if the owners of these dogs keep them contained,” the statement noted. “Our pound is currently at capacity with dogs and we have been unsuccessful in finding placements or fosters for our current impounded dogs.”

NAR also noted the dogs have been identified as coming from Lac La Ronge Indian Band neighbourhoods, which employs its own dog catcher and does not have a service contract with NAR. larongeNOW reached out to the Lac La Ronge Indian Band for comment, but no response was received by publishing.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com