The newest residents of the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) came a long way to get there, but not from the most pleasant circumstances.
The animals were a small number of the more than 80 dogs that were seized from an acreage east of Saskatoon more than two months ago. The large-breed dogs were kept in distress amid poor living conditions without proper food, water or shelter, EHS officials say. Insufficient space and resources at the Saskatoon SPCA prompted the move to Edmonton.
Last Sunday, the local organization took possession of two Siberian huskies and two Alaskan Malamutes. Others went to shelters in Brooks, Drumheller and Peace River.
Spokesperson Shawna Randolph explained EHS often takes on special cases like this inside Alberta and elsewhere. The call for help came in Aug. 13.
“When we are in a good position to assist, we always do what we can,” she stated. “We got the call from them on Friday and we said yes. They brought them right away. The arrangements were made quite quickly.”
Randolph said this is not uncommon because there’s a spirit of co-operation between these agencies.
“I know that some were sent elsewhere to other organizations, some were already adopted and some had to be euthanized because they were in bad shape.”
The other compelling factor is that it’s a busy place with a lot of action.
“It’s all thanks in part to the people in our community — whether it be Edmonton or surrounding communities like St. Albert — that do come to us first while they’re looking for an animal. We know that when we bring animals in that they’re going to be adopted, that they’re not just going to sit here. They know we’ll be able to find homes for the animals they bring us.”
One husky named Bandit has already been adopted with another still available as the time of this writing. Two others were still waiting for medical clearance. There were 25 dogs in total with profiles on the society’s website.
