Cross Lake boys rescue feral dog with plastic lid around its neck

Two boys in Cross Lake, Man., are being called heroes for rescuing a feral, nursing dog with its head trapped in a plastic lid.

Dominick Monias, 6, and Leighton Ladyka, 10, planned and carried out the rescue on their own after adults had failed multiple times to help the dog, which refused to let them close to Her, as the animal is known.

"They must've had a plan, because they were determined to help her," said Trudy Monias, Dominick's mother, explaining the dog in the past had lived outside their home for a while.

"They snuck up to the shed she was in and closed the door behind them. The dog didn't seem scared, but my son held her mouth because they knew she bites, while Leighton pulled the lid off her."

Volunteers with Norway House Animal Rescue Network had been trying to capture Her for months, because the dog was continuously having puppies on local residents' properties. However, due to the dog being so wild, no one was able to get close enough to help, they said.

When Her's head became stuck in the large, plastic lid, the situation became desperate for Her and themost recent litter of puppies, because the lid prevented the dog from lying down to nurse. Rescue workers even tried to sedate Her, but nothing worked because of the dog's fear and aggression, they said.

Then Dominick and Leighton worked their magic.

"Basically, two little boys did what a whole bunch of adults and continual volunteers could not," said Debra Vanderkerkhove, director of Norway House Animal Rescue Network, "and they did it simply and quickly."

The relationship between the dog and the boys made the difference, she said.

"Because they are aware of her and she is aware of them," Vanderkerkhove said, "that awareness of each other enabled them to have a little more of a relationship with her so that she did trust them."

While the boys had great success helping the dog, Vanderkerkhove said this was an exceptional situation and advised against children approaching or containing dogs.

"Children should not be encouraged to ever try to help an animal themselves."

The puppies are now nursing again, but once they're weaned, the rescue network will take them into their care. They hope once the mother no longer has pups, they'll be able to sedate and trap Her so she can be checked by a vet, vaccinated and implanted with a contraceptive.

Vanderkerkhove says she would like to see the start of a "teenager buddy program" that would allow other youth to become involved in the animal rescue group's clinics, with each rescue driver accompanied by a community teen while transporting and feeding dogs, removing puppies and doing other work.

Cross Lake, a First Nation about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg also known by the community name Pimicikamak, has often been in the news because of the struggles of its people, including a recent rash of suicides.

• Pimicikamak declares state of emergency to deal with suicide crisis

The boys' work with Her shows another side of the community, Trudy Monias said.

"There arepeople who care and are able to help out any way they can, just by showing kindness, love and compassion," she said.

Dominick has great compassion for the dogs in Cross Lake and a great best friend in Leighton, the proud mom said.

"My son's compassion for dogs is so wonderful. I'm happy that he was able to help the mother out. He's such a caring, amazing kid, along with his best friend Leighton," she said. "Teamwork."