Letter to the Editor
Dear Residents of Kimberley and Cranbrook,
My name is Pamela Ruby and I am a Kimberley resident, Registered Nurse and avid dog owner. My background as a humanitarian with Doctors Without Borders has given me experience in advocating for human rights causes and speaking out for some of the most vulnerable populations.
As a dog owner and a concerned local citizen, I have been worried about the numerous suspicious or suspected dog poisonings that have occurred in the Kimberley and Cranbrook area. Like so many others, I am worried about walking my dog in the nature trails and other recreational sites in the area. I am worried for the safety of everyone dogs and even their children. There has been so much discussion on social media platforms around this issue, in both positive and negative ways. The truth is that people are scared, and I’m sure like so many of you reading this now, we want to do something about it. But what?
With my background in organizing and advocating, I wanted to make a productive and positive effort to try and do something around this issue. Reviewing all of the articles written around so many suspected or suspicious dog poisonings in the area, I have decided to step up and try and work with relative parties and other concerned citizens to try and gather information and find some creative ideas to try to support our beloved animals and our community.
The motivation is simple, we all need to feel safe and comfortable walking our dogs in our local off leash and recreational areas. The objective is to do whatever we realistically can, as a community, to prevent this from happening and to look after those who are going through this. And to remind everyone that:
If your dog becomes ill after walking in one of our recreational areas please seek medical care for them at one of our local veterinary clinics, even after hours.
Please report any suspicious or confirmed poisonings to the RCMP – this is essential in order for them to do any sort of investigations.
Whether it is vet bills or paying for an autopsy, if your pet were to pass away, I am hopeful between our local vets and community engagement, costs can be covered. Don’t let the financial aspect of this deter you from seeking medical care or medical investigations that are necessary to get answers.
If you have any ideas or suggestions of what else we can do as a community I would love to hear from you. I am looking for creative solutions and/or realistic actions to try and prevent our dogs from getting sick and to help dog owners who have been victim to these suspicious events. Feel free to email me at: Kimberley.dog.poisonings@gmail.com
Our local RCMP detachment has told me they are concerned too and asked me again to remind everyone that they need to report any suspected or confirmed dog poisonings in the area. Please contact them directly at 250-427-4811 if this is the case.
With the power and strength of the community, we can look out for our dogs and take care of each other going forward. Thank you and if we put our heads and good intentions together, I am confident we can help prevent further incidents and support those who have.
Pamela Ruby
Kimberley