Simple ways of dealing with dogs

It was very disappointing to hear of the killing of Mr. Steven’s dog. Unfortunately, I was not at all surprised.

I have been living in Iqaluit for a year and have seen countless incidents of animal cruelty and abuse. It is common to see stray dogs roaming the streets, animals left out in severe storms, and dogs tied up constantly, never being exercised.

In the last two days, I have personally witnessed two such incidents while walking to work. One involved a young boy throwing rocks at a small dog running up to greet him. The other involved an incident where I watched a man, while his wife looked on, hurling a rock at a dog who was chained up.

Here are some suggestions that I have for residents of Iqaluit:

1. If you don’t like dogs and don’t want to care for them properly. don’t get one.

2. If the dog does not belong to you, leave it alone. Don’t tease it, throw rocks at it, or kill it. There’s a very good chance that this dog is loved by its owner.

3. If the dog is a threat to you in any way, call animal control

Jennifer MacIsaac
Iqaluit