STRAY dogs are a common sight in Honiara and in provincial centers and they pose significant public safety risks.
In the Western Provincial Capital Gizo, a mentally-impaired person had died after a stray dog attack.
There were other stray dog attack incidents in Gizo that resulted in serious injuries.
New Zealander Debs McKee is a dog lover who has been in Honiara for three years and has noticed the large population of stray dogs in the national capital.
Mrs McKee is the wife of the Team Leader of the New Zealand Police personnel working with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force under the Solomon Islands Police Support Program (SIPSP).
She runs the local Paw Patrol through Honiara over the last two years.
In an interview, Mrs McKee shared what she has been doing along with four other vets and nurses to address the issue of high stray dog population and also stray cats in Honiara.
The team includes two vets and two nurses from the ‘Helping You Helping Animals’ (HUHA) NZ team who are working together with Mrs McKee with the objective of desexing as many stray dogs and cats as possible.
Desexing dogs is the intervention of suppressing fertility in dogs, most commonly by surgically removing the testes or ovaries.
Mrs McKee said one thing the team found out was that a lot of the stray dogs have cancerous tumors and they are dealing with this issue.
“This is really sad because they are really struggling with cancer and that comes down to them not being able to have a normal life where they have access to clean water and regular food or any vaccinations. So, it’s tough for them,” she said.
The HUHA team arrived in Honiara on Tuesday 24 September and left on Wednesday 2 October to desex stray dogs and cats.
Mrs McKee said they have support from the Honiara City Council (HCC) and a couple of local businesses like the Heritage Park Hotel and Pink.
“A lot of communities and experts have donated money so that we can desex as many dogs as possible,” she added.
Mrs McKee said the message to Honiara residents is, “if you’re in the position to get your dogs desexed, do so. So that they don’t have puppies, reducing the dog population on the streets to ensure the safety of everybody.
“So desex your dogs and also feed them. Give them some food and clean water daily because they need to function just like we humans do,” she advised.
Mrs McKee urged dog and cat owners to look out for when it is coming back again to get their pets on the list for desexing.
She said the team is planning to come back in the beginning of 2025 as the program will be ongoing for five years.
Mrs McKee said the team needs community support and hopefully, it can keep the support of businesses like Heritage Park Hotel and Pink for the duration of the program.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
