Child’s death in dog attack leads to roundup, killing of strays in Salluit
70 to 90 stray dogs were caught and killed in village after 4-year-old boy’s death, says village treasurer
A man reported missing after leaving Salluit on a snowmobile has been found safe after a two-day search, Nunavik police say. (File photo)
A four-year-old boy in Salluit died after being attacked by four dogs while he was walking to his grandfather’s home, Nunavik Police Service confirmed.
In response, more than 70 stray dogs have been captured and killed in the northern village since the Jan. 11 attack and the effort to round up stray dogs will continue, according to the village’s treasurer.
In an interview, police Capt. Patrice Abel said the incident happened midday and that two of the dogs were known to the child and were not strays but had been left untied outside.
Officers were unable to determine whether the boy did something to provoke the dogs before they he was attacked, he said.
Abel said officers investigated and that the Crown prosecutor’s office concluded there was no criminal intent or negligence on the part of the dogs’ owners.
Northern Quebec coroner Geneviève Thériault told Nunatsiaq News the child was in cardiac arrest when he was brought to the Salluit Health Centre. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
The identity of the child and of the dogs’ owners was not released.
Two days after the boy’s death, Salluit village treasurer Adamie Saviadjuk posted on Facebook that the municipality would proceed with catching and killing all unleashed dogs.
He said a team armed with guns would carry out the work and asked people to remain indoors.
On Facebook, Saviadjuk said on Jan. 13 that 70 to 90 stray dogs were caught and “we will not stop terminating stray dogs.”
Public safety related to stray dogs has been an issue in other northern communities.
In February 2023, Nunavik communities Kuujjuaraapik and Whapmagoostui both implemented dog registration rules.
And in March 2023, a four-year-old girl from Igloolik had to be flown south from Nunavut to undergo multiple surgeries after being seriously injured in a dog attack.
Condolences to the family. Stray dogs are often a key indicator of a failing society, and strays are everywhere in the north.
This week in data pulled straight out of one’s arse…
“Stray dogs are often a key indicator of a failing society”
Too funny
Also if you want to fix the problem, start charging people who give away puppies on Facebook.
Community start doing something only when this happens not before something happens time for the hamlets to walk up or the bylaw offices.
Every community in nunavut has so many stray dogs and nothings being done. there’s numerous times i’ve seen a by-law officer just driving by a stray dog and not even trying to catch it. is that very common for every community?
It’s even worse than you think; That last community mentioned, read the article. They have a stray dog problem and they STILL destroy (according to the head of the hamlet) 300 dogs a year.
The lack of respect for what made the Inuit who they are is astonishing. (Remember, pre-inuit cultures didn’t have dogs, the Inuit did, allowing them to out-compete and colonize this territory )
I don’t know who you mean by pre-Inuit cultures, but the Tuniit (Dorset) had dogs…
From my research, the tuniit/dorsets cultures show very little evidence of having dogs in their archaeological finds. At the most, they find the odd dog bone with the tuniit suggesting that they did not have them in any great numbers or use them to the extent that Inuit did which makes my statement still correct.
Along with other things, Dogs allowed the Inuit to travel further distances to gather resources unavailable to the tuniit. For example, the metal cores of meteors were much easier for the Inuit to travel to in order to make iron tools.
Have you excavated the ponds next to the Tunnit stone houses?
These ponds were used as a dump where their bones and everything would be dumped to stop scavengers from regularly coming into their camp sites.
I’m fascinated by the statement that since your research has yet to yield that particular evidence, it remains true.
Wow…
Check out the book ‘Ancient People of the Arctic’ (1996) by Robert McGhee.
In the past and lost again Susie and Jobie. Never mind the ancient times, this is now. The dog population takes over today, due to, a lost of determination and motivation to look after life in a more general, yet specifically to culture. Modern is failing the ancient, if anything.
Ummm, wouldn’t any of the people who occupied the arctic before the Inuit settled and colonized it be considered ‘pre-Inuit’?
Seems pretty clear.
There’s no change in the dog management in Nunavik. It’s been the same since I don’t know when. Maybe no management since the dog slaughter, which is much needed now. People are so reactive. Not proactive. Wait unti a kids gets mauled, then shot the dogs, again , again , and again. Next.
its great that the dangerours animals were destroyed ,children safety is top priority , let them be able to walk freely and play freely as well, some places on this planet ,by-laws do not do whats right, they catch these muts,put up for adoption, even if a bullbaiting animal they call put bull kills a human ,it gets sent to a warm animal shelter ,fed ,patted with a bed to ly on, CRAZY by-laws ,now if a bear attacks a human its shot dead on the spot, so what your community did was the smartest thing ,get rid of those breeding strays ,let the children play
Except this is 100% the fault of humans. Unfortunately this will happen again and again until nunavummiut learn to be responsible dog owners.
What’s the point of having by-laws that say dogs must be registered, vaccinated, fixed and leashed when these by-laws are never enforced ?
It’s nunavik. You meant to say nunavimmiut. Salluit Is nunavik.
What’s wrong with salluit dog owners? Dogs should be banned there. Like come on. 70 to 90 strays culled and still culling? Nunavimmiut wake up.
The same thing that is wrong with nearly every Nunavut community. Negligence and zero ability to think ahead. Everyone wants a puppy. Its the same people getting puppies over and over and then they grow and they get tossed out. They never get fixed and what happens? Dogs go by their instinct and go create more dogs and suddenly you have big population on your hand.
Places like the NWTSPCA can only take on so many dogs, airlines can only ship so many dogs. People have put an effort into saving dogs, bringing up vets to fix dogs every year and people just don’t even bother getting them fixed. Batch after batch of puppies.
Here in the West, there’s almost zero dog teams anymore, there’s very little use of a dog as a bear dog anymore and that means there’s nearly zero working dogs. Dogs mostly just exist now because they are cute as a puppy for kids. They then grow up and get tied to a box where they will get to walk in a 4 foot arc for the rest of their life until they die.
Its a pretty sad state of affairs.
This is 100% the fault of people. The stray dog problem will never end until the citizens learn to have respect for the animals. This is all over the North, in every single First Nation and Inuit community. So much for respect for nature. Big fat lie.
Dogs are not disposable toys for kids. Dogs are a big responsibility. They must be fed, watered , exercised, vaccinated , newtered /spayed ( if not used for specific breeding purposes). This is very expensive. If you are on welfare, you cannot afford a dog. Dogs are a long term commitment; they live on average 12-13 years, some longer depending on the breed. Dogs are sentient beings, meaning they have feelings. So a mistreated dog is a very unhappy dog. Inuit IQ tells people not to mistreat animals yet so many dogs are mistreated everyday. Dogs are not outdoor ornaments either, tied up on a short chain all their miserable life, never going anywhere. Hamlet enforce your bylaws. Someone else is going to get mauled again, it is inevitable the way things are right now everywhere in the north.
It truly is sad. Some will say, oh that’s a southerns perspective. No, it’s a humane perspective. The dogs are not being worked anymore. We live in the days of skidoo. Maybe back in time when dogs got to run frequently, but now they don’t and they live their entire life on a few feet on a mountain feces.
this community is doing the right stuff, we all should look at this but BH Liberals? Problem……
Yes, salluits dog problem is the “liberals fault” smh. People need to take a good look in the mirror sometimes
Poor management of life in the community. It shows up in many ways and the dog population and savage outcomes are one of the consequences of not looking after your life in many many ways. It’s the same in most Nunavik communities. Social media has many stories and dog pages and idiots in heated arguments about he said she said, I didn’t say anything, documenting the mess.
No mention in this article about the young child that was mauled to death in a remote community of Kangirsujuaq Quebec. Owners of the dogs remain angry at the dog catchers for catching and killing their dogs that are roaming freely. It breaks our hearts when a child is killed by irresponsible owners who allow their dogs to roam around town who could be starving and they are looking to eat anything.
Also you may be misconstruing my statement. The statement is dogs make Inuit distinct from the other people’s before them.
Of course nobody did anything til it is too late
“Not my problem or loose d”ogs….
Here is what stray dogs are. They have no owners. There are some on in every community. Nunavik needs a dog sherrif.
Iqaluit had this problem before.
It’s interesting to note that the police in Nunavik seems ignorant of Quebec’s law that prohibit stray or loose dogs across the province. As far as I know, Nunavik is still part of Quebec and normally Quebec laws apply. The animal welfare law was changed about 3 years ago stating that all dogs in the province must be leashed, whether on private or public property. The exception is for private properties that are fenced where dogs can be left unleashed; if not fenced, dogs must be tied when on private property. Fenced dog parks are also allowed, Municipalities can enact more stringent laws but cannot be less than the provincial law.
I am aware that the issue of killing dogs is a very sensitive issue for Inuit and caused lots of grief in the past but it’s up to KRG and the province to determine what to do about the provincial law, Meanwhile the law applies and should be enforced by the police and this child would not have died if it had been applied. BTW, Kativik police aren’t the only police force ignoring the act, it’s mostly ignored province wide but that not a reason to not apply it. The provincial government is the main culprit for not applying the act.
To the friends, family, and community of Salluit my condolences. Measures that can be implemented to keep the dogs from attacking people would be for councils to approve each fall (cold weather drive starving huskies to madness) and inform people there will be a kill on stray dogs, give a day or 2 notice, even advance notices weeks earlier that it will be coming (for anyone who may be away). On the day have people go out to kill stray loose dogs. Have a cash reward program open to the public for stray animals culled throughout the winter. The best laid plans of men and mice rule applies nonetheless.
A bunch of 220 conibear sets at night. Repeat until the air is quiet of dogs.
This story is sickening, terribly sad. But far too common. It has been said that keeping dogs is a sacred part of the cultural tradition. But that’s said without recognizing that cultures have to change. If dog owners don’t want their dogs shot, then they have to be tied up. Or shot according to the “colonial practice” of our time.
Ever seen these “Husky dog teams” in some Nunavut villages?
Chained three feet, fed a bone once a month, totally ignored,(cause… y’know…. they’re dogs….)
Then we complained….”Qallunaaq did this. Qallunaaq did that….boo.hoo.hoo”
Man up like an Inuk and take responsibility for your own actions.”
Angu-timmagiq.
It’s to a point where ordinary people are having no choice but to do something about the dogs around the community. Self defence and protection. So, we are witnessing police not doing anything, KRG, municipalities not doing effective measures. Dog owners not cooperating. Are people in a situation whereby , it’s a wild jungle out there in the community? What do a reasonable person have to do? I think I know the answer, but any reasonable suggestion from the box of chattering?