Who let the dogs out?: Rankin Inlet firefighters take charge of bylaws and rescue pooches

Volunteer firefighters in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, are adding another task to their roster: saving pooches on the loose.

"They're not aggressive, vicious dogs," says Fire Chief Mark Wyatt, who's now also in charge of managingbylaw. "They're just dogs that seem to get off the leash, the owners had let them out or they've escaped. Or they're out enjoying their free time."

The hamlet has an issue with pups on the loose.It's alsolacking bylaw officers who could enforce the recently revised bylaws that address how dogs should be cared for.

So, to fill the gap, Wyatt's team of firefighters are temporarily taking over, driving around in bylaw vehicles and enforcing bylaws since last month.

Other than patrolling school zones, one of their first tasks was rescuing loose dogs and reuniting them with their ownersthrough social media.

"We get them on Facebook fairly quickly [and] we usually find the owners," said Wyatt.

Dozens of dogs have beenrescued in the past month by the firefighters-turned bylaw-officers.

The firefighters are also working on building a dog pound with the Rankin Inlet Healing Facility for dogs that need to stay overnight. It's a new project that aims to stop stray dogs from being chained up at the dump.

'Very commendable'

"It's very commendable," said Page Burt, a lay vaccinator in the hamlet, fromNanuq Lodge, where she often gives shots to pets. She has been working together with the firefighters as they work to round up loose dogs.

Eventually,we'll be enforcing helmet laws, speeding.- Mark Wyatt, Rankin Inlet Fire Chief

Puppies on the loose, in particular, are an issue in the community, according to Burt.

"People tend to adopt puppies as toys. I think we've had five puppies that have been brought [to me] just in the last month or so. People are saying, 'Oh, it's biting my baby,'" said Burt. "The first time the puppy nips and breaks the skin, the puppy gets tossed out."

Burt says it's important for people to know that dogs must be spayed, neutered and vaccinated.

Wyatt says in the long term, he wants to make sure the pups are vaccinated, registered and tagged. "I think that would really help to solve the dog problem here."

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He alsohopes his department willsoon be enforcingall hamlet bylaws.

"Eventually, we'll be enforcing helmet laws, speeding, and things like that as well," but "the immediate goal is to deal with the problem with the dogs," he said.

Rankin Inlet residents can reach the interim bylaw officers by contacting(867) 645-2598, or, if it's an emergency, (867) 645-2525.

The community is currently seeking to hire two official bylaw officers. The application deadline is Friday.

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