Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives May 19 2015, Page 37

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 19, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE D1 winnipegfreepress. com XYFOLIOXY P R E S E N T E D B Y D R Y C O L D P WI R NNI O PEG D FR U EE P C RE T SS, I T O UES N DAY S , MAY 19, 2015 D 1 By P ho ne : 2 0 4 942- 6 537 On li ne : www. ro ya l m t c . c a / a d d a ms f a m ily T T i i c c k k e e t t s s ( ( S S t t u u d d e e n n t t s s $ $ 2 2 5 5 ) ) + F F e e e e s s + F F e e e e s s M a y 2 0 th — 2 2 nd @ 8 : 0 0 P M $ 35 M a y 2 3 rd @ 2 : 0 0 P M A A NE W W M MUSICAL A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY T om H e ndry W a r e h o u s e , 1 4 0 R u p e r t A v enue Krall rediscovers pop / D3 ARTS & LIFE ARTS@ FREEPRESS. MB. CA I WINNIPEGFREEPRESS. COM TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015 D 1 K ATIE Powell is working hard to ensure that Gunnar will not have died in vain. The 27- year- old paramedic, founder of the Winnipegbased Save A Dog Network, is haunted by the death of the year- old German Shepherd and has launched a campaign to prevent other dogs from suffering needlessly. The story began earlier this month when Powell and another volunteer were at the Virden Animal Hospital picking up a dog with a severe case of mange to be placed with a Winnipeg rescue organization. That’s when they received an urgent call from a volunteer on a nearby First Nation about a young dog that was in severe distress after being inundated with blood- sucking wood ticks while lying under a picnic table for several days. When they arrived at the community, Powell and her colleague found the deathly ill dog lying in the back of the volunteer’s van. “ He couldn’t keep his head up,” she recalled. “ He was covered in ticks — his ears, his neck, his face, everywhere. Layers upon layers of ticks. It was absolutely devastating. He just stared at us. He knew we were there to help him. He was so sweet.” The pair placed the dog, which they nicknamed Gunnar, in the back of their vehicle and raced back to the veterinary clinic in Virden. “ My friend was picking ticks off him the entire drive back to the hospital and he cried during the ride,” Powell said. “ I have never seen anything like this, ever. He was covered in thousands of ticks.” A veterinarian in Virden took over Gunnar’s care while Powell and her friend set off to deliver the other rescue dog back to Winnipeg. About 45 minutes later, they got a call informing them the shepherd had died. DOUG SPEIRS Here’s how to help The Save A Dog Network is trying to raise awareness and cash to protect stray dogs and pets of low- income families from a heavy outbreak of ticks in rural Manitoba. The Gunnar Project, named for a dog that died after being infested with thousands of the pests, hopes to buy and distribute tick collars and other preventive measures. PayPal and email transfers can be made to sadnetworkcanada@ gmail. com. Cheques can be mailed to Save A Dog Network Canada, 431 de la Morenie St., Winnipeg, MB, R2H 2Z2. Make sure to mark the donation for “ The Gunnar Project.” Donations can also be dropped at the Pet Valu outlet at 3 Reenders Dr., or by contacting the Virden Animal Hospital at 204- 748- 3950. Katie Powell, a paramedic, is also posting a plea on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe. The charity founder can be reached at 204- 899- 5809. You can find more information at www. facebook. com/ SaveADogNetworkCanada. Tick- ing TIME BOMB Paramedic using rural dog’s horrifying death to prevent others from suffering similar fate Continued Please see TICK D 5 SUPPLIED A veterinarian in Virden worked to remove the ticks, but Gunnar died not long after he got to the clinic. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Katie Powell and her dog Dooley, a stray she rescued near Kenora a couple of years ago. D_ 01_ May- 19- 15_ FP_ 01. indd D1 5/ 18/ 15 5: 16: 31 PM