Part of a successful response to a canine emergency is to have resource contacts close at hand. Animal control or welfare officers, police and certainly veterinarians may all be a part of your action plan. It is, however, vital to know how to properly use these resources. The summary below will give you some tips on how to use these resources.

Veterinarians

Getting to a veterinary clinic is going to be your ultimate goal when responding to most canine emergencies. It is vital to know not only your own veterinarian's contact info but also the veterinary clinic closest to where you usually walk your dog, closest to your house, closest to your favorite dog parks and dog hang-outs (see video). Further, it is extremely helpful to know where clinics are in other municipalities in the event that you are driving and stop to respond to a dog that was hit by a car, etc. It is also helpful to call ahead to the clinic to inform them of your arrival time and type of injury as they may or may not be able to assist you and may redirect you to another clinic. This could save you precious minutes and potentially save a dog's life. Most will have their emergency contact info or closest emergency clinic relayed on their phone message system.  

Animal Control | Animal Welfare 

Animal control or animal welfare officers may assist you in responding to lost and found dogs, dogs in hot cars, injured animals, dogs behaving aggressively, deceased animals on public roads and more. Each organization operates differently and may or may not respond to all types of incidents. Some municipalities have their own animal control officers and shelters and some contract with the SPCA. Some municipalities will have city hall bylaw officers who multi-task as animal control officers when responding to complaints such as dogs in hot cars, barking and dogs at large. Some municipalities will have their own animal control officers for some incidents but if you call about cruelty concerns, you will likely be redirected to the SPCA who may or may not operate a branch in the same municipality. Some animal control officers will respond to a report of a deceased animal on a roadway, while others may refer you to city hall.

Confusing? It can be! When in doubt, give one of them a call and if they cannot assist you with your particular incident, hopefully they will refer you to the next resource that can. Finally, most, but not all contacts, will have an after hours emergency contact that will be provided on their phone message system.

 I was really impressed with the Dogsafe course and I've told all my friends about it.  Thanks for a great day.              - Denise Beeder, Animal Services Officer, City of New Westminster, Dogsafe Graduate

Non-Emergency Police

The police may also assist you in some circumstances such as traffic control when a dog is darting in traffic or while you respond to an injured dog on the side of the road, critically distressed dogs in hot cars (see video), potentially dispatching a search and rescue team if a dog falls over a cliff and others. Please remember that police dispatch is based on many factors including, type of incident, current call volume, number of officers available, size of the municipality and what else is going on in the city at the time. Please do not expect or rely on police to respond to canine emergencies but they may be a potential resource. Use the non-emergency phone numbers and clearly describe your situation and the assistance you are requesting.

As a former police officer in Vancouver, I had helped many citizens with a variety of dog incidents.
- Michelle Sevigny, Founder, Dogsafe Canine First Aid