Animal Alliance received outstanding community hospitality in Fisher Branch
The Manitoba Animal Alliance (MAA) held a low-cost veterinary spay, neuter and vaccination clinic on Aug. 24 in Fisher Branch that saw a significant number of animals treated and the community step up to volunteer.
“It was a fantastic clinic,” said MAA founder and director Debra Vandekerkhove. “It was a one-day clinic for RM of Fisher residents only that we held at the Ukrainian Hall. We had 46 cats and dogs [for spay and neuter] and 28 vaccination appointments for a total of 74 animals. We were really busy.”
She said the hospitality MAA received from the community was “unbelievable,” with so many people stepping up to volunteer, including Fay, Michelle, Eleanor and husbands and sons, all willing to do jobs such as unloading the animals and helping prepare them for procedures.
“We had so many volunteers helping us. This community was extremely accommodating, and they kept us well fed. Community members pitched in to make lunch and dinner, including on Friday night. Sadie Hamrlik [RM of Fisher employee] and her sister-in-law Shirley and Grace Skavinski did a full Ukrainian dinner for us. They did a huge amount of cooking and baking. We had cabbage rolls, dairy-free perogies and all the fixings. People also made borscht and stew and sandwiches – it was just unbelievable. The Fisher Branch Women’s Institute hosted our Saturday lunch. Not only did we not have to worry about getting meals, but they were fantastic meals,” said Vandekerkhove. “And the hall was air-conditioned and it was really nice for us to work in there and good for the animals, too, because it was about 32 Celsius that day.”
The clinic was held in partnership with the LUD of Fisher Branch and the Rural Municipality of Fisher, and sponsored by Pearls 365, a social impact company that was founded by an Albertan veterinarian to provide funding to animal welfare programs, including support for dogs on Canadian reservations.
“Pearls 365 covered a lot for us,” said Vandekerkhove. “We always have clinic costs over and above that we need to cover through fundraising. We have to fundraise for every clinic because we’re offering them at low-cost to communities. The RM of Fisher rented the Ukrainian Hall for us and they covered hotel costs.”
The MAA is a registered charity that was established in 2013 and is headquartered in Sandy Hook in the RM of Gimli. It offers mobile veterinary clinics across the province including to First Nations communities. MAA is volunteer-run and it has to hire and pay for veterinarians. In addition to its mobile spay, neuter and vaccine clinics, MAA helps communities deal with homeless, injured and abandoned animals and operates a foster program.
The clinic in Fisher Branch saw lots of “unsocialized” barn cats and outdoor cats brought in, cattle dogs and guardian or livestock dogs such as Australian shepherds and great Pyrenees.
RM of Fisher resident Tess Omer brought her three great Pyrenees to the clinic. These are large, powerful guardian dogs that protect stock from predators such as coyotes and wolves.
“I felt it was important to have them all treated to not only keep them from having puppies, but also for their general health,” said Omer. “We we would have to take them out of the workplace if they were in heat or having puppies and it’s important to have them working.”
The clinic had vets and vet techs from across the region and the city, as well as veterinary organizations that contributed to their success, said Vandekerkhove. Vet staff included Dr. Aaron from the Centennial Animal Hospital in Winnipeg, Dr. Ray from the Seven Oaks Veterinary Hospital, and a veterinarian who lives in the Fisher Branch area and works for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. They also had vet assistant Angelina from the Dakota Veterinary Hospital, and Shailyne, a veterinarian technician from Arborg, along with other vet techs and MAA’s own RVT (registered veterinary technician), Chantelle. The Victoria Humane Society provided parasite medications and antibiotics and MAA had help from VetStrategy, a vet network that operates across Canada.
“I thought it was a very good clinic for the community itself. We met a lot of people on pretty tight budgets. To be able to get their cats and dogs done at a low cost was outstanding for them,” said Vandekerkhove. “And the amount of pet food they got just blew them away (residents received pet food as part of the clinic services). The food cost (around $100) almost as much as the clinic itself, which was $125 for spay and neuter. People told us they got really good value and they were really happy.”
She said MAA wants to do another low-cost clinic in Fisher Branch next year because of the success they had and the outstanding hospitality they received. They want to see more people bringing in some “fresh new barn cats” to have fixed and vaccinated as well as dogs.
“MAA wants to offer another clinic to this community because we got so many volunteers, we were treated so well and fed so well,” said Vandekerkhove. “We’re so in for this.”
Express Photos by Debra Vandekerkhove
