RezQ Dogs dealing with Fort Belknap dog roundups

A Dodson dog rescue is handling an influx of dogs from Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, but the rescue’s founder said it is dealing with an issue that shouldn’t exist.

“Dog roundups are not the answer to a dog overpopulation,” founder of RezQ Dogs Anita Wilke said. “It’s not a dog population problem, it’s a people problem.”

Recently, Fort Belknap’s tribal council announced tribal officials would be dealing with stray dogs on the reservation by, capturing or shooting them, Wilke said. She added that this will not solve the problem. Irresponsible dog owners letting their dogs run loose, without spaying or neutering their pets, has resulted in the overpopulation, she said.

Fort Belknap officials had not responded to calls asking for comment by printing deadline this morning.

Even after the roundup, the problem will repeat itself until reservation officials consistently enforce the laws or put new policies in place, Wilke said.

She said free clinics that spay and neuter pets are available a few times each year, but the problem is getting people to show up. Promoting these events, encouraging the public to attend so they can utilize the service, is an important step that needs to happen to prevent dog overpopulation, she said.

Wilke said she did not know what had prompted the decision to start shooting dogs.

“As far as I understand there is nothing, no bad bites, no mauling or anything like that,” she said.

She added that the roundup is just a quick fix and will not solve the problem.

Havre Animal Control Officer Peter Federspiel said, to his understanding, there is a dog problem in Fort Belknap but RezQ Dogs is taking in as many dogs as they can. He said the Havre shelter is not taking any of the dogs but is monitoring the animals RezQ Dogs has in town, providing blankets, food and toys for the animals.

Federspiel said RezQ Dogs volunteers are coordinating with the Friends of the Havre Shelter, a nonprofit organization that arranges fundraisers for the shelter. He added that the Havre shelter does not use volunteers.

Federspiel said the situation in Fort Belknap could be handled better by having constant enforcement of the laws that are already in place.

Havre has constant enforcement of its laws, he said, adding that once a stray animal is taken by the shelter it has a five-day wait period in which owners can claim their pet.

If nobody claims an animals, it goes for adoption, Federspiel said. He added that Havre does not have any time limits for the animals at the shelter. He said animals are only euthanized if they are severely injured or show extremely aggressive behavior.

Federspiel said that he is a registered euthanize tech in cases that they do have to euthanize an animal, so that it is done humanely.

He said state statute requires animals be killed humanely. Technically, shooting the animal is still humane under state statute, he said, but added that there are better ways of doing it.

Wilke said the roundup began last Wednesday and, so far, in cooperation with the Fort Belknap Animal Control, RezQ Dogs has taken in 16 dogs.

She added that these dogs are very nice and most of them are puppies, although many are malnourished.

RezQ Dogs is a nonprofit organization that officially started in 2010 in Fort Belknap, Wilke said, adding that the organization has worked with Fort Belknap animal control to save more than 3,000 dogs over the years.

She said the rescue has reduced the number of dogs euthanized from 98 percent to less than 2 percent, although they cannot take dogs that are aggressive or pose a risk.

The rescue holds adoptions and transfers some dogs to shelters all across Montana, such as Missoula, Kalispell and other areas, she said. The organization also has foster locations in Havre for dogs.

She said she and her husband, Jim, are huge animal lovers and after seeing the condition of stray and abandoned dogs in their area over the years they had decided to create RezQ Dogs.

“My husband and I saw what was happening and thought there had to be a better way,” she said.

She added that it is hard to think about all the dogs killed every year, knowing that most of them are puppies.

She and her husband had worked with a Chinook veterinarian before 2010 and then decided to do something on their own, she said.

The organization mostly focuses on Fort Belknap but tries to help at Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation as much as possible, she said, adding that in the past year they have rescued about an equal number of dogs from both reservation.

Wilke said their organization could not work without the volunteers they have.

Right now that includes 25 volunteers in Havre, most of them volunteering after Fort Belknap announced the dog round-up, she said.

“(Havre) has been a very supportive community for us and we very much appreciate the people of Havre for supporting what we do,” Wilke said.

RezQ Dogs is not currently looking for volunteers although Wilke said that is possible to change in the coming weeks. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/RezQDogs/.

The dogs will be examined, vaccinated and eventually sent off to foster homes and to other rescue operations in Montana and other states, Casey Solomon said during a meeting last week.