Bark Bus brings record number of northern dogs to Sudbury

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Colleen Thompson is comforting a sweet border collie mix who is so thin you can feel her ribs and so timid that her tail seems permanently fixed between her legs.

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The dog — who was too spooked to move when she first set foot in Lively on Sunday, following a 1,000-km trip aboard a horse trailer packed with more than 100 other canines — is coming around, though. 

“You’ve had such a long ride, but you’re so very gentle,” the Pet Save volunteer tells her friend, who may become a permanent one. 

“I’m just here to help out, but this one I’ve fallen in love with,” admits Thompson, while coaxing the dog toward the Pet Save shelter on a leash.

Virtually all of the dogs arriving on this day from remote communities in Northwestern Ontario seem to have gentle dispositions, although some have never been collared before and many need time to adjust to their new surroundings.

“It’s so sad because they’re so scared,” says Thompson. “But they don’t realize they are going to go to amazing homes and they won’t be cold anymore.”

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The animals — 124 dogs and 62 cats — came to Sudbury aboard the Bark Bus, a 36-foot horse trailer that owner Craig Fielding repurposes (and rebrands, with a decal) for pet transport.

“This is the most dogs we’ve ever had on the bus,” says the Whitefish rancher. “It was more than we were expecting to get up north but we couldn’t say no.”

Fielding made the trip to Northwestern Ontario with fellow volunteers Ernie Lefebvre and Wally Hyytiainen, the three taking turns behind the wheel of the truck while also checking periodically on the animal cargo to make sure all were hydrated and safe coming back.

“We’ve been doing this for seven years, and have brought more than 3,000 dogs to the SPCA, Pet Save and points south,” notes Fielding. “Whenever we get a phone call, we love to go.”

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The latest mission involved stops in Thunder Bay and Ignace for pickups, and was organized by Northern Connection Rescue, says Donna Brons, a Sudbury member of the Manitoba Animal Alliance, which helps fly-in First Nations deal with canine overpopulation.

In this case, all the animals “came from reserves in Northwestern Ontario,” says Brons.

Not all are remaining in Sudbury. About half the dogs — including numerous puppies — are being taken in by Pet Save, while the remainder are bound for shelters and foster networks in Cambridge, London, Sarnia and Barrie. 

Still, it is quite an intake for the Lively-based operation, and a small army of helpers is required to transition the dogs from the Bark Bus to the shelter. Some people are lugging crates, others have dogs on leashes, and a few have a furry bundle in their arms.

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Amy Philp, for instance, is cradling a tri-toned pup whose pointy nose is a centimetre from her face.

“You’re so inquisitive,” she says. “And you stink.”

Rachael Nearing, meanwhile, is falling hard for an older bulldog in a sweater named Clyde. “Look at that face,” she says. “I think he wants to come home with us, now.” Daughter Charlie is partial, however, to a young shepherd-something with thick fur and goofy charm. “This is killing me,” she says. “I’m calling him Biscuit.”

Pet Save director Jill Pessot says the 60-odd dogs arriving today aren’t the most her organization has ever taken in at once, but it comes close.

“I’d say it’s the second largest,” she says. “And the most we’ve had in 20 years.”

The local rescue group has already been swamped with dogs this year but Pessot has a hard time turning away any needy animal.

“Temperatures are plummeting right now where these ones came from, so you can’t say no,” she says. “We take them no matter how many. But these are a lot.”

The organization will be looking to place the new arrivals with loving homes as soon as they are ready for adoption.

To apply for a pet or donate to the group, visit the Pet Save website at petsavesudbury.com or check out their page on Facebook.

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