Civeo’s Sitka Lodge and the Kitimat Humane Society hit on a good idea – combine walks for the camp residents with a much-needed outing for the pooches.
This Sunday was the second event organized and the Northern Sentinel tagged along for the walk, which takes an hour.
Humane Society manager Maryanne Ouellet, and staffer David Abercrombie, arrived at the entrance to the camp in two vehicles, carrying 13 eager dogs, from very small to very big.
They were met by volunteer dog walkers, all residents of Sitka Lodge, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their charges. It took a while to arrange, but eventually walkers were matched with a pooch.
The walk went from the camp entrance down the road into Strawberry Meadows, which provided plenty of opportunities to investigate. Each walker was provided with a bag of doggie biscuits, as well as a biodegradable poop bag, which came in very handy.
One of the walkers, James Thistle, hails from the Edmonton area and is on his second rotation in Kitimat, working for Bird-Atco.
“I go on walks every night that I’m off – I thought I might as well take a dog with me,” said James, who has a bull mastiff back home.
His pooch, Colton, kept James very busy, dragging him off into bushes, water pools and mud.
The walks are organized by Civeo recreation coordinator and community outreach manager, Ashley Hinton, who said the walks are very popular.
She said she has received a lot of email requests to get onto the list to walk a dog. She is considering expanding the program to two or three nights a week instead of just Sundays.
