By Meagan Walker, OVC’2018
The Grey Bruce Aboriginal Qimmiq Team (GBAQT) is a team of Ontario veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and healthcare personnel who volunteer to provide humane canine population control and community education in remote First Nations communities in Northern Ontario. The group is led by OVC graduates Dr. Linda Bolton (OVC’84) and Dr. Allison Hooper (OVC’ 85).
In photo: Meagan Walker, OVC’2018.
The dog population on some of these reserves
outnumbers the human population 2:1. Stray dog populations present
significant problems on First Nations Reserves such as mauling, pack
aggression, and spread of zoonotic disease.
This year, GBAQT
teamed up with the OSPCA and another spay/neuter initiative (Beat the
Heat Kenora) to provide a humane means of population control in
Whitefish Bay, ON.
A tremendous amount of work is required to get
these projects started. It is important to respectfully partner with
the communities who are interested in seeing a change. Throughout the
year, Drs. Bolton and Hooper are in communication with the reserves,
arrange for a temporary license with the CVO, and organize the
transportation of equipment and volunteers – definitely not an easy task
but they do an incredible job!
This February, I had the
opportunity to travel to Whitefish Bay, ON (about 5 hours north of
Thunder Bay) with the GBAQT team. During our time in these communities,
we performed spays and neuters, provided parasite treatments,
vaccinations, and animal identification and educated the community on
humane animal care and bite prevention.
It was amazing to see
such a dedicated group of volunteers working towards something they are
truly passionate about. Surgeries were performed on folding tables, IV
poles were taped to counters, and oat bags were used as warming packs,
but a lack of clinic luxuries did not slow the team from spaying and
neutering 79 dogs.
The members of the communities expressed so
much gratitude for our work, acknowledging the long trips we had made
and the time and money we had volunteered. The success of these trips
depends not only on the skills we provide, but also on the willingness
of the community to change. Sustainable solutions for population
control must be combined with education on responsible dog ownership as
well as humane care.
I could not have asked for better mentors on
this trip. I learned so much watching these incredibly talented
individuals work, and was able to witness first hand the differences
they are making to these communities.
Visit www.gbaqt.org to learn more about the organization!
In photo: Meagan Walker, OVC’2018 and Amanda Saldivia- Woo, OVC’2017.