Dear editor,
I'm sending this regarding an article (North Island Gazette, Jan. 31, "Beware of dog virus") warning of parvovirus.
For years I worked with the Driftwood Dog Training Obedience Club, and assisted hands-on with dog obedience training.
We held four classes on Tuesday evening, Thursday and also Sundays in Nanaimo and Cedar. We had 12-15 dogs (and their people) per class.
When people signed up for classes, they had to provide up-to-date paper work, to make sure every dog had it's shots and they were up to date.
One class had only six dogs attending one night, because the other nine dogs were either dead or very sick and fighting for their lives under a vet's care.
Almost a third of all the dogs who had registered for classes had gotten sick or died the first year.
All Driftwood Club members put bleach on our shoes before we entered the building we taught in, and again when we left after classes.
We did this to protect all the dogs.
It was devastating to see many clients who had broken hearts after losing their pets to parvo. The parvovirus shot saved thousands of dogs when it was available.
I would hope that people in Port Hardy keep their dogs away from any strays running around town, and do keep your pet innoculated because it does save lives. A dog that has parvovirus can be saved if it's caught early enough, but be prepared to spend a small fortune to save it's life.
In closing, I hope people will be proactive in keeping this virus to a minimum. I strongly urge people to make the appointment, and have your dog innoculated.
I know the outcome first-hand if people don't take precautions and pray that I never see the likes of parvovirus again...
Anita Harvie
Port Hardy