Two puppies shot with arrows on the Eden Valley reserve in the spring are on the mend and a man from the reserve will go to trial next year for animal abuse charges.
Kelly Cerato runs Calgary dog rescue group Tails of the Misunderstood Canine Rescue Society. She heard about the two dogs from a man who had been feeding dogs on the reserve. He found the two dogs bleeding and, believing they were shot, called Cerato.
“No other rescue would take them and he contacted us,” she said.
They met up in Bragg Creek and Cerato immediately took the dogs to an emergency animal clinic. An x-ray revealed both dogs were shot with four-point, metal blade arrows. They both underwent surgery to have the arrows removed.
One dog, who Cerato named Kitchi, meaning brave in Algonquin, lost one of his forelegs.
The second dog, named Chevayo, meaning spirit warrior, had an arrow that landed close to his heart removed. The veterinarian who treated the dogs adopted him. Both dogs have a good temperament, despite the trauma they have undergone, she said.
“When I got them Kitchi just nuzzled up tome and had his head in my shirt and wouldn’t take it out,” Cerato said.
Kitchi is being fostered by Cerato and is up for adoption. A GoFundMe account raised enough money to pay for the more than $13,000 in veterinarian bills for the dogs.
Cerato said some people have said the vets should do the work, but she said they incur costs for equipment and supplies and gave her a significant discount and provided aftercare for free.
Justin Lefthand is charged with four counts of animal cruelty. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Turner Valley court and set a trial date of Aug. 23, 2017.
Cerato said she plans to attend the trial and she may bring the dogs. She said she wants to ensure a strong message in sent against abuse of animals.
Cerato is also talking to veterinarians about providing spay and neuter educational clinics in Eden Valley.
She said there is a problem with dogs running free in Eden Valley and that there are groups who are bringing out food to make sure they are fed, but added so much food is being distributed, that it ends up going bad. She said more needs to be done to address the issue of spaying and neutering.
“We need to gain their trust and respect their culture and beliefs to work with them, not just provide food,” she said.
Gabriele Barrie runs Pound Rescue in Okotoks and said she does work with people in Eden Valley to have their dogs spayed and neutered for free.
“We go door-to-door asking if they have any animals they would like fixed,” she said.
Barrie said one of the injured dogs was spayed with assistance from Pound Rescue and had a tattoo that should have tracked the dog back to the vet who did the procedure and herself.
Pound Rescue also provides food to families who have had their dogs spayed and neutered.
This is the first time she has heard of a dog being shot by an arrow, Barrie said.
