Dogs attack, kill young mother in Little Grand Rapids

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This article was published 15/05/2017 (3098 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents of a northern Manitoba First Nation are scared to leave their homes until a pack of dogs can be culled after a young mother was mauled to death on the weekend.

“Everybody was shocked. I was shocked (by) what dogs can do,” said Roy Dunsford, chief of Little Grand Rapids, a fly-in community of 1,000 people about 300 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Donnelly Rose Eaglestick, 24, was attacked early Saturday while returning home from a friend’s place. Her body was not found until sunrise by people who were on their way to work.

Dunsford said Eaglestick, who was just over five feet tall and weighed about 90 pounds, was unable to defend herself against the wild animals.

Residents assumed the body that was found was Eaglestick because she was missing, and RCMP later confirmed it.

Dunsford estimated the pack that lives in the community may have as many as 100 dogs.

The council will meet with local Mounties to discuss culling the pack, the chief said.

Until that happens, residents were advised in a message broadcast on the local radio station to ensure they travel in groups when outside.

The chief said even before the tragedy, residents were wary of the animals.

“Some people were scared. They’d always look out when kids are playing outside,” he said.

Reports indicated two dogs lingering in the area where Eaglestick’s body was discovered were put down, but Dunsford said he was told RCMP shot one dog.

Packs of roaming dogs are often a problem in northern and isolated communities.

Katie Powell, head of the non-profit Save A Dog Network Canada, said her group relocates 40 to 50 dogs a month from the north. Poverty, long absences by owners and a lack of veterinary services all lead to dogs running loose, Powell said.

”We use the term ‘loosely owned,’” she said.

Left to fend for themselves, dogs gather in packs to breed and search for food.

Communities sometimes organize culls to reduce the dog population and animal rescue groups try to find new homes for strays in the south.

Powell would like to see more veterinary services in remote communities and more awareness about the dangers of letting dogs roam free.

”We need to educate the community members. We need to provide the resources and… there needs to be long-term support for community members.”

Eaglestick’s aunt, Doris Mayham, told the Free Press she wants to raise her niece’s five-year-old daughter, Danika. The child’s father is not alive.

“She was a loving, caring mother. She was very friendly. She was well known on the reserve,” said Mayham, who raised Eaglestick.

Eaglestick was a single mother and had her own residence but sometimes stayed with Doris and her husband, Roderick Mayham.

She often babysat other children, including the chief’s. “She was helpful when we needed her,” Roderick said.

A candlelight vigil was held Sunday night at the spot where Eaglestick was killed.

Dunsford said crisis councillors were to fly to the community Monday to help residents deal with their grief.

A wake for Eaglestick in Winnipeg was to be held Tuesday, and on the First Nation Wednesday and Thursday. The funeral is set for Friday in Little Grand Rapids.

Dunsford said a fund would be established so donations could be made to help care for Danika.

In the legislature Monday, interim Liberal Leader Judy Klassen, who is the MLA for the area, urged that counsellors be sent to the community immediately.

“A young mother was taken from us far too soon,” she said.

“There are resources that can be deployed,” Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen told Klassen.

Klassen said the province should include the local MLA in planning responses and keep the MLA informed of updates that can be passed on to the community.

“Is the government establishing formal protocols when it comes to responding to tragedies?” Klassen asked.

Goertzen said each situation is different, and noted it is the MLA who is usually the one letting government know what’s happening within the riding.

— staff / The Canadian Press