By Derek Cornet

NAR compound damaged by feral dog, closed until further notice

Oct 12, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Northern Animal Rescue (NAR) is on the hook for nearly $1,000 worth of property damage after a feral dog the organization was caring for escaped a kennel and chewed holes through the walls in a municipal building.

The decision to hold NAR accountable for the damage was made Oct. 10 at a regular town council meeting. During the discussion, council examined photos of the destruction, which showed drywall ripped out of place and shredded on the floor. As the facility utilized by NAR is owned by the town and shared through a special contract, council ultimately determined NAR was responsible to repair the damage.

“I feel sorry for them. I really do because it’s a non-profit that’s trying to do something, including for us,” Mayor Ron Woytowich said. “But, if this was any other building and they rented the building from someone else, the owner of the building would say the same thing.”

According to NAR chairperson Genevieve Candelora, the organization accepted a feral dog, who they called Tom, last month which proved to be difficult to work with. She said Tom was trapped by the Village of Air Ronge and surrendered to NAR after no one called to claim him. They cared for Tom up until earlier this week, but it was determined his lack of progress and aggressiveness was too challenging and he was euthanized.

Before that occurred, however, Tom was left alone at the facility last weekend and overnight he found a way out of a kennel and into a common area. Candelora said he then proceeded to damage the walls on both sides of the main door, as well as urinate and defecate throughout the space. Tom was discovered the following morning by NAR’s animal care officer, who was later informed by the executive not to clean the facility and leave due to a concern for asbestos.

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“As far as us being responsible for paying for the damages, we’re understanding of that if it needs to be done,” she said. “We still feel it’s the responsibility of the town that if there is asbestos, it is dealt with properly, so we can resume our duties in the pound safely.”

The facility has since been closed until further notice, but Candelora noted NAR is still responding to loose animals in the Town of La Ronge. She added NAR wants the space repaired as soon as possible and deemed safe, so they can return to normal activities sooner rather than later.

A test received by the Town of La Ronge on a sample of drywall mud taken from the space confirmed a one per cent presence of asbestos. The impacted area has also since been cleaned, but it’s undecided if council will spend more money determining if there’s still asbestos in the space. Council did decide, however, to add both the town’s pound and the Mel Hegland Uniplex to the Saskatchewan Asbestos Registry.

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno