Despite it being a couple months until Christmas, some Yellowknifers are already in the giving spirit.
The NWT SPCA, a volunteer-run, no-kill animal shelter located in the NWT capital, recently inherited an abundance of dog houses that were dropped off.
“There’s probably six or seven that are decent,” said Nicole Spencer, president of the NWT SPCA. “They might definitely need some paint, if that’s what people want to do, or a little bit of reinforcement. But there’s about six, I think, that would do OK for a dog that needed a house.”
The houses are being given away for free to those willing to make the trip to the shelter at 118 Falcon Road. in the Engle Business District.
The individual who gave away the dog houses was a previous dog owner who no longer has any pooches, so the person figured the animal shelter could benefit.
“So yeah, they donated all the houses to us,” said Spencer. “So they were dropped off last week, and they’re on our property. And, of course, we always want to help families who have dogs that need houses. So we thought, OK, anybody needs a house, they can come and come and get it.”
“And, of course, the winter is coming,” she continued. “So we’d like to have our property cleaned up as best we can. So yeah, we’re offering anybody who wants a house, they can come and get one until supplies last.”
Three people had taken advantage of the free canine housing as of Tuesday morning.
“I helped somebody (Monday) morning put one in the back of their SUV,” said Spencer.
Spencer said she and the SPCA are pleased to offer the houses to pet owners strugging in the current economic climate.
“People are always looking for help and if they can get something that doesn’t cost anything … these are hard times and they want the best for their dogs,” she said. “So we’re always happy to to help, and these were donated to us and we’re just paying it forward.”