Dogs survive on remains

The tiny community of Springside is again coping with grisly news after the discovery of a deceased local couple whose dogs survived for at least a week on their remains.

RCMP have released no details on the deaths of the 67-year-old man and 57-year-old woman who were discovered dead by a family member in their rural home near Springside last week. According to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Rob King, the couple had not been heard from for two to three weeks, but the actual date of their deaths is "impossible to say."

The matter is now under investigation by the coroner. Foul play is not suspected.

What is known is that the couple's seven dogs, trapped in the home after their owners' deaths, turned to eating the bodies in order to survive. The dogs were collected by the Saskatoon SPCA after the discovery.

The animals are now being evaluated for adoption eligibility by the SPCA and another Saskatoon rescue agency.

But some of the province's residents are calling for the dogs to be put down, arguing that it is no longer safe to allow them to live with humans.

This is not the first time the Saskatoon SPCA has taken in dogs who turned to their deceased owners' bodies for nourishment, says spokesperson Tiffiny Koback.

"The most recent one that I recall was about 10 years ago here in Saskatoon, and it was a single animal, an American Eskimo. She was actually adopted, and there were no issues with her whatsoever."

No decision on the fate of the Springside dogs, most of which are shelties, will be made anytime soon. While the dogs are fearful, likely due to their isolated upbringing, Koback says that rescue staff have seen no signs of aggressive or threatening behavior from them.

"These dogs certainly aren't showing any indication that they are a danger to our staff or the public."

The dogs will be kept under observation, but for now Koback says she sees no reason they cannot be socialized and adopted.

"We tend to apply human emotions onto animals, but animals deal with situations much differently than we do. Animals recognize the situation, deal with it, and move on."

Anyone who considers taking in the dogs will be informed of their history.

"At the end of the day, it's up to the potential adopter to determine whether or not this is the right dog for them."

The pressure from the public makes this a "unique" situation for the SPCA, says Koback, but it will not influence the organization's decision on the dogs.

"Public pressure or not, at the end of the day, we will make the best determination based on what we are observing and what information we have on the animal."