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There are about 150 humane so-cieties or SPCAs across Canada. Some have million dollar budgets, large shelters and well-developed education programs. Then there are those with makeshift shelters or no shelter at all, no paid staff and very limited resources. In both cases, it’s the people – staff and volunteers – who really make the organization work.
That couldn’t be more true in the case of the Beaufort Delta Regional SPCA in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The society was formed as a charity in May 2001 and currently has 40 members. Linda Eccles manages the society, shelters animals in her trailer home, teaches humane education in the schools, obtains financial support or services from airlines and other corporations, lobbies local politicians for support to introduce an animal welfare act, investigates animal abuse cases and takes on numerous other tasks – all as a volunteer! Linda says, “Some days it’s very hard to see what I see, for example when animals are trying to cling to life and sometimes pass away in my arms. But, for them I work even harder to stop the abuse, so that the next may be the last.”
Despite Linda’s amazing dedication and resourcefulness, this is an organization in need of help. In Inuvik, a town of about 3500 people, there is no veterinarian, stray dogs are abundant, dog attacks are common, many dogs are kept outside with no shelter, tied on chains sometimes no longer than a foot, and spay/neuter is a foreign concept. The pound is no bigger than a medium-sized garden shed with a dirt floor and frequently piled with so much feces that the bylaw officers who clean it are forced to wear face masks to prevent their eyes from burning. Unclaimed dogs are
tied to a post and shot.
Despite these deplorable conditions, Linda has persevered. She has made arrangements with airlines, veterinarians and other humane societies to give more animals a better chance to be adopted. Canadian North airline ships animals to the Edmonton SPCA and Calgary Humane Society. Seventy-two animals have been sent to date and all were adopted. Air North provides airfare for a veterinarian to come from Dawson City to conduct spay/neuter clinics at a reduced rate. Both airlines have also provided transport for animals needing emergency care. Linda is
also seeking support to travel to other communities in the north to provide humane education in the schools and investigate complaints of animal abuse.
Animals in the Beaufort Delta region are very fortunate to have Linda working so diligently on their behalf. If you wish to help the SPCA, their address is P.O. Box 2202, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0.
