Animal welfare advocates rallied at the Manitoba legislative grounds on Wednesday, calling on all levels of government to address animal overpopulation and the lack of accessible veterinary care in remote and Indigenous communities. The gathering follows the death of Amanda Nobiss, 37, a volunteer with K9 Advocacy Manitoba who died earlier this month while in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation. Nobiss had travelled to the Lake Manitoba community on behalf of K9 Advocacy Manitoba to pick up several puppies from a local resident, according to the Manitoba First Nations Police Service. Police said she arrived while the occupant was away and came into contact with the occupant’s dogs, which were described as “protective and aggressive.” Her body was found the following morning on July 17. Police said a post-mortem examination found her injuries were consistent with a dog attack, and that two male dogs were euthanized. “We lost our best friend and teammate…and we’re sick of seeing the heartbreak,” said Janelle Andre-Sealey, who attended the rally. Andre-Sealey is a foster co-ordinator and volunteer with K9 Advocacy Manitoba and Partners in Prevention. She said Nobiss’s death has renewed the urgency of a problem communities have lived with for years. K9 Advocacy Manitoba, the Winnipeg Humane Society and Partners in Prevention are among 26 animal rescues and organizations that signed a letter this week calling on federal, provincial and municipal governments to address gaps they say have created a “provincial public-health crisis.” The groups are calling for an immediate roundtable meeting between federal and provincial governments, Manitoba rescues and First Nation leadership, followed by the creation of an advisory committee to develop a province-wide, Indigenous-led strategy. They are also asking for government funding for rescue organizations and continued support in community-led solutions, including access to veterinary care, spay and neuter services, food and education. “For years, Manitoba animal rescues and communities have sounded the alarm regarding animal overpopulation, community safety, and the severe lack of accessible veterinary care and support for communities,” said Christina Von Schindler, CEO of the Winnipeg Humane Society, in an emailed statement. “Non-profits and grassroots organizations have carried the weight of a systemic crisis for far too long,” Von Schindler said. “These efforts were never meant to be a replacement for sustained government support and public-health infrastructure.” The Humane Society has been collaborating with First Nations communities through its One Health Program to provide veterinary care. During the 2025-26 year, Von Schindler said the program completed 1,018 spay and neuter procedures, nearly 1,499 vaccinations and 99 implants at remote and urban clinics. She said the program has made repeat visits to communities including God’s Lake and South Indian Lake, and this year has also travelled to Pukatawagan and Fisher River, with a planned visit to Split Lake. Von Schindler said the organization does not currently have an invitation to attend Sandy Bay First Nation. In a statement, a spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn, who is responsible for animal health and welfare, said the minister’s office met with the Winnipeg Humane Society on Monday and is committed to further engagement. The statement adds that Manitoba Agriculture has spent $1 million in a partnership to support mobile spay and neuter services through the Northern and Remote Veterinary Care Initiative, which has served thousands of animals across the province. It also notes that since 2024, the Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program, administered by the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association, has connected three sponsoring veterinarians and 19 lay vaccinators with 33 communities. In a statement issued earlier this month by Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, the community said its chief and council have been working to address the “longstanding issue of stray and aggressive dogs” for some time by pursuing solutions that protect both public safety and animal welfare. “Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation remains committed to working with its partners to develop long-term, humane solutions that protect both people and animals,” it reads. Wednesday’s rally is not the first time animal welfare organizations have pressed the province for help. In 2024, 45 Manitoba organizations signed an open letter declaring a state of emergency over animal overpopulation, warning it was increasing the risk of dog bites and the spread of diseases such as rabies. “We’re hoping that the change and the begging for change doesn’t stop today,” said Tatiana Janovcik, a volunteer and administrator with K9 Advocacy Manitoba and Partners in Prevention. “Whatever people are feeling after hearing of Amanda’s passing — but also several people who have passed due to the same reasons — we’re hoping that creates and lights a fire to carry people and to continue talking about it and to continue advocating for change,” Janovcik said. “Because it can’t stop now. Otherwise, this will happen again and again.”
