While Girl Guide leaders are taught to prepare for anything, a group of 10 on a week-long canoe training expedition last month found more than they expected.
Janice Staniec, who lives on a farm near Lanigan, Sask.., came back from the six-day trip with more than memories. She brought back Lucky, a female border collie that was rescued from the river.
The group had assembled from across the province to take a trip down the scenic Churchill River that started Aug. 6. On the second day, the women were exploring a small set of rapids near Reid Island.
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As they regrouped to head back to their campsite, the travelers in the last canoe heard a howling and went to investigate. They found what at first appeared to be a dead animal on the rocks.
After a closer look, it was apparent the bundle of bones was alive. The young dog looked starved. The guiders fed the dog immediately, and had a conference to discuss its future. Staniec said it was a difficult discussion.
“She didn’t look mangy or dripping with germs, but we couldn’t be sure. She could have had an illness that might be passed on. We didn’t know how she’d act in a canoe.
“In the end, we had three options. We could take her with us, take her back into town and give her to someone else to be put down, or we could kill her ourselves. There wasn’t really a choice in the end.”
Hopeful signs
Staniec and the group tried to help the dog, which they named Lucky, regain some strength.
“One of the members on the trip, Barb Usher, had a lot of experience with animals so she took charge,” Staniec said.
“By the time we were ready to move on, I think we would have had to leave Barb behind if we didn’t take the dog.”
For the next couple of days, Lucky became adjusted to life on the water. She had to be carried on portages, as she had little muscle mass and her body was swollen with fluid. She soon got stronger, and seemed to enjoy her travels.
“It got so she was always standing at the canoes ready to go,” Staniec said.
“She had a great personality, and it was obvious she had been around people before and liked it.”
When the trip ended, a vet determined that Lucky had not eaten for about a month before she was found. No one had any idea where she had come from, but she began a new life on the Staniec farm.
However, Lucky’s story has an unhappy ending. She died Aug. 25. It was discovered she had an extreme case of liver flukes, and could not be saved.
“It’s not at all what we were hoping for,” Staniec said.
“I think she lasted as long as she did on pure heart.”
