It's safe to say that Matthew Uqayuittuq, of Baker Lake, wasn't always a dog lover.
Uqayuittuq was bitten by a dog when he was 10 years old while visiting a neighbour to borrow a bag of sugar.
He was taken to the health centre for a tetanus shot and from that point he was very afraid of dogs.
Uqayuittuq said years later, he bent to the wishes of his kids who really wanted a pup of their own.
He said he ended up getting a female husky mix and his interaction with that pup slowly ended his fear of dogs.
“When I was working at the mining camp in 2009, my family got me a husky-German shepherd cross named Hercules,” said Uqayuittuq. “He was the runt of the litter but he became pretty big. We'd take him inside when it was really cold out and he'd stay on an 8x10 carpet and not move anywhere.
“In March of 2014, my son had him out and asked me afterwards if I wanted him back in the house and, for some reason, I said no. About 20 minutes later, our neighbour ran to our house to tell us our dog was being attacked by a fox.
“Wildlife and bylaw got the fox and sent its head out and then, two days later, they told me I had to quarantine [Hercules] for 14 days.”
Uqayuittuq said over the next 14 days, Hercules went from a big strong dog to scrawny looking.
Ultimately, Hercules had to be put down and it really hurt Uqayuittuq, who had grown quite fond of the dog over the five years, or so, they had him.
Uqayuittuq said he and son were sad and moping around the house a lot after losing Hercules, and his wife told him a month later to go get another dog.
He said he ordered a pup from a little town outside of Winnipeg in April 2014 and he and 'Cliff' are still the best of friends today.
“He was eight weeks old when we got him and the first week-and-a-half that we had him, I'd sleep in the living room with Cliff on my chest and that's when we really connected.
“I started walking with him a little bit right away and the rest, as they say, is history. In the 10 years I've had Cliff (a German shepherd/Rottweiler mix) we've walked countless miles. Some mornings in the summer, we'd leave walking around five in the morning and wouldn't come back until seven or eight at night.
“We became close very quickly. As he was growing, the first time my wife was cutting my hair at home he started growling at her.”
Uqayuittuq said Cliff is still hanging in there, but his left hip is starting to hinder him a bit.
He said the two of them have become incredibly close over the years and he dreads when the day comes that Cliff will leave him.
“I've become very comfortable with dogs over the years.
“I don't like to think about it at all, but I know it's going to be a very difficult time for me when Cliff's time comes. The love in Cliff for me is hard to describe, but it's a very true love.
“It's been 10 years of fun and love with Cliff.
“It's going to be a very sad time for me when Cliff leaves, but it's a small price to pay for all the years of love and fun we shared together.”
