The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
March 29 marked six months of operation for the Flin Flon, Creighton and Area SPCA shelter on the corner of the Cliff Lake Road and Perimetre Highway. Opening day last September found the shelter with a full house. Numbers have fluctuated and overall it is a very busy place, indicative of fulfilling the great need in our area. Every dog, puppy, cat, and kitten arrives with a story worth telling. In the month of October, during an exceptionally cold spell, two little kittens were rescued and brought into the shelter. Two employees of Hudbay, on their way to Trout Lake mine, had noticed ravens circling and swooping down on the two young babies who had been abandoned in the bush along the Trout Lake road. The men, who are referred to as 'our everyday heroes,' could not leave them there so scooped them up and brought them in. They arrived emaciated and hypothermic. Staff worked quickly to warm them with hot water bottles and get warm milk into them. They clearly would not have survived another -10 C night. To add to their problems, the kittens had tried to satisfy their starving tummies by eating leaves, grass, and twigs. This caused some digestive problems for them but thankfully the problems were rectified after a few days of care. Because it was getting close to Halloween, the two were named 'Trick' and 'Treat.' Today they are beautiful young cats, still together as they should be and living in a home where they are well cared for and loved. They will never be cold and hungry again. Because of limited space, the SPCA policy is to accept only those dogs and cats in dire situations, that is, the ones out on the street hungry and cold. Working closely with the animal control officer, we have accepted dogs and cats from the local dog pound serving Flin Flon and Creighton who have 'run out of time.' Others have been turned in by responsible and caring people in our communities who have recognized the dogs or cats as strays. Uptown area Many have come from the uptown area as well as South Hudson, Mile 84, the Channing road near the city dump, Creighton, Denare Beach, No. 10 Hwy., the Hanson Lake road, and recently a puppy was turned in after being found on the road to Cross Lake. Two of the dogs brought in were seized by the RCMP in Denare Beach due to extreme neglect in their living conditions. One does not have to look far to identify animal abuse. We are happy to report that adoptions are going well. Since the shelter opened we have placed 23 dogs and 13 cats. The SPCA Lost and Found is active and we have returned 10 dogs and two cats to their owners. Currently, we are caring for six dogs and 11 cats in shelter and always require foster homes to give the animals a different environment for short periods of time before adoption happens. Staff and volunteers do their best to rehabilitate and re-home every dog and cat that comes through the door. In spite of the effort involved, there will always be a few dogs and cats that are not adoptable because of temperament or significant behavioural problems. There have been two dogs and one feral cat that were consistently aggressive to people and/or other animals who were humanely euthanized. The decision to euthanize falls to the board of directors after due discussion and deliberation. It is a sad day for all involved when this happens. Our Spay / Neuter Subsidy Program is used on a regular basis by lower-income pet owners. We continue to promote the benefits of spaying and neutering all pets. The shelter is open to visits from school children and tours of the facility can be arranged for anyone who is interested in seeing the operations as well as the cute dogs and cats needing a forever home. Fundraising is perpetually ongoing. The SPCA Annual Quad Raffle will begin soon. Every Friday night you will find SPCA volunteers at the Hooter in Creighton hosting the meat draws from 6 to 8 p.m. We also sell Nevadas at the Legion bingos every Wednesday night. We certainly appreciate the ongoing support of businesses and individuals in our area. The shelter operates almost entirely on donations and volunteer labour. We are always looking for people who are willing to donate a little of their time in caring for the animals or ticket selling and who have fresh ideas and enthusiasm for our cause. Membership costs are family $25, individual $15, senior 55+ $15, lifetime $150, and business patron $250. The SPCA annual general meeting is coming up on April 17 at St. Peter and St. James Anglican Church at 7 p.m. Check us out on our website at www.flinflonspca.com and Facebook www.facebook.com/FlinFlonCreighton AndAreaSPCA. You can also reach us at the shelter by calling 204-687-8744. The shelter is open Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 4:30, and Thursday evening we stay open to 7:30 p.m.
