An animal rescuer from Winnipeg was found dead, with stray dogs around her, while volunteering in northern Manitoba.
Amanda Nobiss, 37, was initially reported as missing by a friend at approximately 12:45 a.m. last Friday, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) said online later that day.
Her body was found around 6 a.m. by a local maintenance worker, it said.
She was in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation working alongside K9 Advocacy Manitoba, a non-profit dedicated to helping reservations manage the overpopulation of dogs.
“The circumstances surrounding the death are not believed to be suspicious at this time. Several aggressive dogs had been observed in the area,” according to the MFNPS release.
It’s believed she was killed by strays while volunteering to manage the overpopulation of dogs in the northern Manitoba community. An autopsy will be done, according to the police service.
Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation said it is aware of the overpopulation of dogs in its community. It said the nation “has been actively working to address the longstanding issue of stray and aggressive dogs” in a news release Saturday.
“Based on the information currently available to the First Nation, it is our understanding that the canine advocate entered the community after regular business hours and attempted to retrieve dogs,” the nation’s release continued.
“Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation remains committed to working with its partners to develop long-term, humane solutions that protect both people and animals.”
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Global News reached out to both Sandy Bay Chief Trevor Prince and the MFNPS for comment or an update. As of publishing, no response was received.
K9 Advocacy declined doing an interview, saying it would not speak with the media out of respect for the Nobiss family.
Debra Vandekerkhove, the managing director of a rescue group called the Manitoba Animal Alliance, said this is “a very tough loss” for the rescue community.
“It was very, very difficult and shocking for everyone, and trying to come to terms with the safety issue of people and the calling that all rescue groups have been doing for so long to help nations with health and safety of people and pets,” Vandekerkhove said.
“We need help. You cannot leave this to volunteers only to do this.”
Managing dog overpopulation in northern communities is an arduous task that requires funding – which it currently lacks, the animal advocate said.
“There’s no specific funding or any sort of national or provincial strategy across Canada to help animals in Indigenous nations,” she noted.
“We need funding (and) can’t do it alone. We’re volunteers.”
The alliance works to create a community-led animal management program that is specific to the places it works in.
“If people think we can spay and neuter our way out of the problem, we cannot. We have to focus on people. We have to focus on the safety of our volunteers,” Vanderkerkhove said.
“We need to focus on people in communities, human, and the humane aspect of animals and animal care is number one.”
Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) declined an interview with Global News and instead issued a statement, which read in part:
“The province supports community-led efforts to provide access to veterinary services and public education.”
Animal control is up to municipalities to manage, the CVO added.
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