When Issy, a dog with severe burn wounds, was flown to Winnipeg one weekend from a remote First Nation community in Manitoba, Jonas Watson was the person to call.
Dr. Watson treats mostly dogs and cats at the hospital, but has also provided care to snakes, ferrets and goldfish. “If somebody comes in with a sick budgie, even if you’re a little bit outside your comfort zone, you should do what you can to help that person because otherwise they may not have anywhere else to go,” says Dr. Watson, who has two dogs and a cat of his own.
Dr. Watson says that dog overpopulation is a problem in the province and quality of life for some of the animals is worsened by the cold climate, where newborn puppies can freeze to death. He adds that unvaccinated dogs can spread diseases to humans, and that sometimes stray dogs can harm humans. Some First Nation band councils have resorted to what Dr. Watson calls “shoot days,” where stray dogs are killed to control the population.
In one case, “Jonas [was] on his knees and he [was] doing surgery on a dog on a woman’s kitchen table,” says Katie Powell, founder and president of SADN.
Anyone doing it for the people?
Can I double love this tweet !