Dogs killed in Kivalliq and Kitikmeot too

I was reading the article on Inuit dogs (Dec. 22) and it’s so true what Thomassie Alikatuktuk had to say about the the RCMP report when he said they are not telling the truth.

I agree with him 100 per cent.

As a young boy in 1960, I witnessed the killing of husky dogs on the shore of Eskimo Point, which is now called Arviat.

The RCMP told the man that after he killed all of his dogs that they would provide him with better transportation and told him that he would be getting a new ski-doo, which never happened. I’m sure the owner of those dogs was waiting for a long time, but the ski-doo he was suppose to get from RCMP never came.

The man I’m talklng about is no longer living and to date I still think of him and talk about him. The report also said the RCMP donates their dogs to the people who did not have dogs, and yet they have no evidence on killing the dogs?

This is the first time I’ve heard they did not make a report, and I’m sure they have a report but don’t want to look in their files somewhere in the Ottawa office. How unfortunate that they forgot to write down what years, what months, and in which communities they did the killing of Inuit dogs.

According to the the news, 10,000 dogs were killed for the safety of the people? What about now? Their must be 20,000 dogs roaming around in Nunavut settlements and some of them are useless. Are they not a danger to the public?

And now the RCMP wants to reach Baffin and Nunavik. What about Kitikmeot and Kivalliq?

I just hope that we are not forgotten too. All Inuit were dog users for hunting and sometimes for pleasure, and to date some of them still use dogs for hunting and pleasure. As for myself I will just wait for my new ski-doo.

(Name withheld by request)
Arviat