Kinngait resident Leonie Mathewsie was looking out of her window when she saw the unthinkable happen on Dec. 3.
“I saw a dog crawling, surrounded by other dogs. They all ganged up on the poor dog and ate him,” says Mathewsie.
Stray dogs in Kinngait have become such a problem, the authorities have difficulty controlling the situation.
“They’ve been chasing the cop truck too, there’s about five of them together,” Mathewsie said of the roving canines.
Temela Pitsiulak, a fire department captain in Kinngait, said the community’s police force has no control over the situation.
“We have no bylaw officers to catch the dogs and RCMP won’t do anything about dogs when you need them. The dogs always get reported to the RCMP and they can’t do anything about it,” Pitsiulak said.
The firefighter fears the situation is only getting worse, as the population of strays in the community keeps increasing.
“There are so many stray dogs and most of the dogs in town don’t even have any owners,” he said. “They are born strays and grew up strays.”
The captain told Nunavut News it was not the first time dogs have turned cannibalistic in the community.
“We have so many stray dogs in town, we’ve had them for so many years now too. A lot of these dogs are killing other dogs and they almost attacked a person last night. The same dogs who killed a dog just hours later almost attacked an adult. We need help before the dogs kill a person. People of Kinngait can’t go out without having fear of dogs,” Pitsiulak stated.
He’s not the only local resident getting worried about the strays. Pitsiulak said that there was recently an Elder on the local radio asking for help to get rid of the dogs in Kinngait.
Mayor Timoon Toonoo said he has not noticed aggressive dogs in the community. Such problem would fall under the responsibility of a bylaw officer, a position the community is struggling to fill.
“I think this is a problem of the past, but if people are saying there is aggressive dogs in the community, bylaw officers would have to take care of the situation. We put the SAO (senior administrative officer) position up but nobody is applying. We can’t find anybody,” said Toonoo.
ᑭᓐᖓᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᓕᐅᓂ ᒫᑎᐅᓯ ᐃᒐᓛᒃᖁᑦ ᓯᓚᒧᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖅᖢᓂ ᑕᑯᓂᐊᕋᓱᒋᖏᑕᒥᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑎᓴᐱᕆ 3-ᒥ.
“ᑕᑯᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐹᖑᖅᑐᒥᒃ, ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᓄᑦ ᐊᕙᓗᔭᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ. ᑲᑐᔾᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᓯᒥᓄᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᓄᑦ ᓂᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒫᑎᐅᓯ.
ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᒻᒪᕆᓕᖅᐳᑦ, ᑲᒪᔨᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕋᓱᐊᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᖃᓕᖅᐳᑦ.
“ᐸᓖᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑎᖓᓂᒡᓗ ᒪᓕᖃᑦᑕᖅᖢᑎᒃ, ᑕᓪᓕᒪᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑲᑎᖓᓪᓗᑎᒃ,” ᒫᑎᐅᓯ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᖅᖢᓂ.
ᑎᒻᒥᓛᒃ ᐱᖅᓯᐅᓛᒃ, ᖃᑦᑎᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖄᖓᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᕐᓂ, ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥ ᐸᓖᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᓕᒃ.
“ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓂ ᐸᓖᓯᖑᐊᖅᑕᖃᖏᒻᒪᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᓕᕆᔪᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐸᓖᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕈᓐᓇᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᖄᓚᕕᐅᒐᓗᐊᖅᖢᑎᒃ. ᐸᓖᓯᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑕ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕋᑎᒃ ᐸᓖᓯᓄᑦ,” ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᒃ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ.
ᖃᑦᑎᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᑉᐱᐊᓱᒃᐳᓪᓗ ᐊᑲᐅᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᒋᔭᐅᓪᓚᕆᒃᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ, ᐊᒥᓱᖑᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᖃᑦᑕᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᑦ.
“ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᕿᒻᒥᖅᑕᖃᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖅᓴᐃᓪᓗ ᐃᓄᖃᕋᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᓐᓂ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. “ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᐊᕐᔪᒃᑖᕆᔭᐅᓂᑯᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᖢᑎᒡᓗ ᑕᐃᒪᖓᓂ.”
ᖃᑦᑎᕆᔨᓄᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖄᖅ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᕿᒻᒥᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᖅᑐᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᖅᓯᒪᒋᕗᒍᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖑᖏᑉᐳᖅ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᑕᑯᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ.
“ᐃᐱᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᕿᒻᒥᖅᑕᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ, ᐊᑯᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓕᖅᖢᑎᒃ. ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᕿᒻᒥᐅᖃᑎᒥᖕᓂᒃ ᑐᖁᑦᓯᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑕ ᐅᓐᓄᒡᓗ ᕿᒻᒥᒧᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᔪᖃᓴᒃᑐᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᓐᓄᒃ. ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᕿᒻᒥᒥᒃ ᑐᖁᑦᓯᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑖᓐᓇᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᔭᐅᑲᓴᒃᑐᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᕿᒻᒥᒧᑦ. ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᓕᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᑐᖁᑕᐅᔪᖃᓚᐅᖏᓐᓂᐊᓂ ᐃᓄᖕᒥᒃ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᕐᒥᐅᑦ ᑲᑉᐱᐊᓱᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑕ ᓯᓚᒧᐊᕆᐊᒃᓴᖅ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᑲᑉᐱᐊᓱᒃᖢᑎᒃ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᒃ.
ᑕᓐᓇᑐᐊᖑᖏᓚᖅ ᑲᑉᐱᐊᓱᒃᑐᑦ ᕿᒻᒥᓂᒃ. ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᒃ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓐᓇᖅᑕᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᓚᐅᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᒍᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᕿᒻᒥᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᕐᓂ.