RezQ Dogs moving to new location near Havre

After about a decade RezQ Dogs is moving its operations from Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to a location near Havre to further its mission to help shelter, protect and find homes for dogs from the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Indian reservations.

"We took a dive and took a loan and bought the property," RezQ Dogs Co-founder Anita Wilke said.

Wilke said that they have been looking at properties for the past couple of years, originally looking for a location on Fort Belknap, but were unable to locate a property that fits the organization's needs. The property didn't have to be very large, she said, but it needed to be big enough to house the dogs they have and allow some growth for the future. 

Last year, they started looking for properties off-reservation and found a location on River Road, she said. She added that they found it at the end of the summer and placed a bid for the property at the end of September, closing on the deal Oct. 18.

Wilke and her husband, Jim, have operated the non-profit out of their home since they started, adding facilities as needed over the years.

The main reason RezQ Dogs needed to move to a new location was because of a constant flooding issue they were having on their property near Dodson, she said. 

"It's probably one of the most upsetting things to watch everything you've worked for for years just be destroyed and there's nothing you can do about it, you just have to sit there and watch it. You can't stop it," Wilke said.

She said they have a lot of work to do on the new location before it is ready, and because of the recent moisture and cool temperatures, work on the property has been temporarily delayed until it dries. She said, hopefully, RezQ Dogs will be able to move into its new location by Christmas this year. If they stay in their previous location through the winter they will likely have to deal with more flooding in the spring and may have to evacuate the dogs for their protection again, she added.

"We just really have to be out of here," she said.

By moving to the new property, RezQ Dogs will not have an issue with flooding, she said, adding that it will be great knowing the dogs are somewhere where they are safe throughout the year. 

As the new base of operations, the new property will provide a separation between her family and the organization, Wilke said. The new property is entirely owned by the non-profit and will allow RezQ Dogs and the organization's mission to continue far into the future.

"If we ever decided we are getting too old to do this or something happens to us, RezQ Dogs can be run by someone else," she said.

The new location will allow the organization to expand its operations and build in the future, she said, but for right now, the important thing is to get the basics done so they can move the dogs in.

Some of the work they are focusing on now is installing a septic tank, power lines, fencing and a shelter belt. They planned to have cement pads poured for the outdoor kennels before winter, but now that will have to wait for spring, she said.

The cement outdoor pads would allow for easy clean up and disinfection for the dogs.

The work on the property is ongoing, she added.

"It doesn't seem like a lot, but it all takes time," she said.

Wilke said they plan eventually to expand services and construct a shelter on the property. 

RezQ Dogs officially became a nonprofit in 2010 on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and works to rescue stray or abandoned dogs primarily on Fort Belknap and the Rocky Boy. 

The organization has partnered with the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy animal control as well as Havre's Animal Shelter to save more than 3,000 dogs over the years.

But RezQ Dogs has the potential to do more, Wilke said. In the future, she added, the organization could provide on site spay and neuter clinics, offer dog training classes and a number of other services.

"I think that's something that the community can surely use," she said.

She added that it will take time to get to a point where the organization will be able to provide these services and will take a large number of volunteers.

She said that with RezQ Dogs moving outside of Havre the organization will be able to work more collaboratively with Rocky Boy and the Havre Animal Shelter.

"We absolutely love what (Havre Animal Control Officer) Pete Federspiel has done with the shelter and how he has transformed it," Wilke said.

She said she is excited to work closer with Federspiel and his wife, Kim, who is a member of the Friends of the Havre Animal Shelter. Wilke added that both the Havre Animal Shelter and the Friends of the Havre Animal Shelter have been great partners in the past.

She said she wants to keep the operations small for the time being. She said that it is more important to provide proper care and shelter for the dogs they have.

She said 99.9 percent of the dogs they work with are not vaccinated or have never seen a veterinarian. She added that this opens a lot of opportunities for dogs to get sick and to contract a number of dangerous diseases and if things are not done right, dogs could die.

"That's always kind of been our focus, is making sure we can do this right," she said.

RezQ Dogs will also be continuing it's Helping Every Animal Related To Safety - HEARTS - campaign next week with a Pizza Hut fundraiser, raising money for RezQ Dogs operations and construction costs for the new property.