The Fan Hitch Volume 11, Number 3, June 2009

Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog
In This Issue....

From the Editor: A Virtual Fan Hitch

Inuit Sled Dogs Achieve Distinguished Visibility

Sledge Dog Memorial Fund Update

New Resource of Polar Exploration Images

In Passing: Remembering Kevin Walton


Book Review: Huskies/My Friends, the Huskies

Evolutionary Changes in Domesticated Dogs:
The Broken Covenant of the Wild, Part 2

Behavior Notebook:
Comparative Behavior Studies in The Netherlands


In the News

Canadian Animal Assistance Team's
2009 Northern Clinics


The Chinook Project's Early Start on Veterinary Clinics


IMHO: Why Inuit Dogs?


Navigating This Site

Index of articles by subject

Index of back issues by volume number

Search The Fan Hitch


Articles to download and print

Ordering Ken MacRury's Thesis

Our comprehensive list of resources

Talk to The Fan Hitch

The Fan Hitch home page

ISDI home page


Editor's/Publisher's Statement
Editor: Sue Hamilton
Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog, is published four times a year. It is available at no cost online at: https://thefanhitch.org.

The Fan Hitch
welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.


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This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to
The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.



CAAT team  members check a dog’s ears.
                               photo: Allison McLean

The Canadian Animal Assistance Team
opens its membership to the general public


by Chris Robinson, CAAT Ontario Chapter


The Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) provides animal wellness clinics to domestic animals in areas that have no access to veterinary care. The Team has held successful animal wellness clinics in Igluliq and Pond Inlet and would like to continue to plan clinics in other northern communities. For 2009, we are sending a team to Baker Lake, Nunavut in early September. The support and organization assistance that has come from this community has been astounding. We are looking forward to assisting them in their efforts to provide veterinary care to the animals of the community. Spaying, neutering, deworming and vaccinations are all part of our animal wellness clinic services that are made available to the community dog owners. Any other project possibilities are still very tentative and depend on available funding. CAAT is a registered non-profit charity. There is no cost to the community members for the services provided.  

All team members pay for a portion of their own flights if necessary and they all volunteer their time and expertise for the wellness clinics. The medical supplies needed for providing the surgical and health services are all brought into the community by CAAT. CAAT plans on continuing help for the animal population in Nunavut as much as funding allows. The biggest challenge to serving Nunavut is in getting the team there. As anyone who travels to the North knows, the airfare is our biggest hurdle to overcome. We rely on sponsorship from the airlines, sponsorship from large companies involved in the area of some of the communities we serve and individual donations. We also ask those who invite us into their community to do fundraising within the community to assist in getting the team there. All contributions help us to be able to help these communities and that is our goal.   

The Canadian Animal Assistance Team has recently opened up its membership to the general public. Our veterinary team members are still the members who serve on the animal wellness clinic projects, but there are many people who want to assist us in our mission, either through membership fees, donations or through serving on one of our committees that assist in making these clinics a reality by keeping the organization running smoothly. If you are interested in becoming a member, go to our website and click on the membership application. If you prefer to just make a donation to our cause, you can send a check to CAAT, c/o Donna Lasser, 1635 West 4th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6J 1L8, Canada, or go onto our website and click on "Canada Helps" to make a donation online.  Whether becoming a member or making a donation, add a note that you would like your money to go toward northern projects.  

We thank everyone for their support. Every donation makes a difference!
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