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Vol. 34 | No. 15 Thursday June 27, 2019
Serving the Bella Coola Valley and the Chilcotin CoastMountainNews.com
Carey Price surprises young fan See page 2 Publications Mail Agreement #40007851 Registration #09309
Vincent King, 8, said he has wanted to be a vet his whole life. Vincent was an active volunteer during the four-day clinic, where people were encouraged to take part and help with many aspects of care. (Caitlin Thompson photo)
Huge response to volunteer vet clinic By Caitlin Thompson
Over two hundred cats and dogs from Bella Coola were spayed and neutered over a fourday period by volunteers from the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) this past week. With headquarters in Vancouver and in Ontario, CAAT members live and work across Canada. Their primary focus is on running Animal Health Care Projects in low-income
communities with limited or no access to veterinary services for their animals. This trip saw 23 CAAT volunteers in the community - four vets with their support staff of veterinary and surgery technicians - working 13 to 16 hour days to get all of the animals taken care of. “The response has blown my mind,” said community organizer Rita Svisdahl. “This clinic has been eight years in the making and I’m just amazed.”
The temporary clinic was set up in the maintenance building at Acwsalcta School and checkin’s for animals, which began early, were often maxed out by 10:30am. “We call these trips our “spaycations,” said volunteer and vet tech Trina Legg. “Everyone here is a volunteer and some come from across the country on their own time to make these clinics happen.” Approximately 35 percent of Canadian
households have a dog, while 38 percent have a cat. While there are no solid numbers for the community of Bella Coola, local organizers believe the local figure is higher. Unfortunately, Bella Coola has been without regular veterinary services for the past several years and, by the sheer numbers of people turning up with their pets, its absence has been keenly felt. Continued on A3