This dog, we named Gardiner, was hiding within the burnt remains of the cabin while he waited for help to arrive. It was not the SPCA but independent rescue workers with heart who took him out of his nightmare. A man named Jean Luc Levesque had lived by himself in the bush north of Cochrane for years. When he retired from the Ontario Northland Railroad  he took in dogs no one else wanted. Some dogs were taken to him and some he found himself. He was well known in the area and was known as "the man at train stop number 27". The only way to reach his property was by train and and since there is only one Polar Bear Express that meant being dropped off at 9 am and waiting for the train's return from Moosonee at either 10 pm that night or the following day if it was a stop over. Over the years, Jean Luc had accumulated close to 200 dogs. In the beginning, he just took females but in the end he somehow had five or six males. The unwanted dogs given to him would not have been spayed or neutered and he could not have afforded that many procedures himself not to mention the logistics of  transporting that many dogs to and from a vet. His colony of dogs grew. Several people had complained to the SPCA about the number of dogs he had. Even the best of intentions can get out of hand and that is what was happening at "mile 27". The Ontario Northland Railroad had reported to the SPCA that on too many occasions dogs had been hit by the train as it passed and other individuals were concerned that adequately managing over 100 dogs was simply too much for one person. The SPCA did not share the concerns of others so year after year Jean Luc was left to do the best he could with a growing number of dogs.	Trailers packed and ready. To get to the Rescue Location we had to cross the Abitibi River by barge. On May 21st Jean Luc died when his cabin caught on fire. The train had stopped to offload supplies for him and the conductor saw him running in and out of his cabin while it burned all around him. Authorities were notified and Jean Luc was found just outside his cabin lying face down in the dirt with an armful of puppies. He had tried to save as many litters as possible before they perished inside the cabin. His body was burned badly. The cabin fire started a bush fire so planes had to fly overhead to drop water bombs in an attempt to to extinguish it. Close to 200 dogs were being terrified by fire and traumatized by planes dropping water bombs on or near them. Even then, the SPCA did nothing. I heard of Jean Luc's death and waited to hear what needed to be done. Originally the SPCA said they would go in to the property but since it was a long weekend they decided to wait until the following Tuesday to do so.We knew the dogs had separated into two packs - one friendly and one feral. The feral pack was attacking the others now that there was no one to stand in their way. Because the friendly dogs were in mourning as well as  feeling fear they would have shown weakness to the more wild dogs. Bears had been seen coming in as well so many of the dogs were mere prey to them as well. The train had always meant their master's return or food being brought in so when they heard it they instinctively ran to greet it. The problem was that it no longer slowed at their stop so when they stood on the tracks as they always had they were hit and killed. All this was taking place and still the SPCA saw no need to go in immediately. On Tuesday May 25th a representative of the SPCA and an OPP constable flew over the property to observe the dogs. They determined that all the dogs and all the puppies were feral so there was no reason for a rescue effort. Rescue organizations that had been waiting to help with the dogs were told the matter was now an investigation and that no information would be shared. All the while, the dogs waited.
I had been angry for days and was not prepared to work on the assumption that all the dogs and puppies were feral. I needed to know for sure. We were being told that the location was isolated and access so limited that it was impossible to do an independent rescue. The train could get us in but we would have to stay all day and into the night before it came back to take us out. Waiting while surrounded by feral dogs and bears was not advisable but nor was giving up. I suggested talking to the railroad guys to see if they had any suggestions or speaking to hunters to see if they would accompany us in as protection. I had unknowingly lit a spark under two young women who remembered the days when they were carefree and reckless and this caused them to wonder why they were hesitating to be bold now. (I must confess that when I used the term "we" I didn't actually mean them or me - I mostly meant the railway guys and the hunters.) The next day I was told that my two young friends, a man with a gun, the son of Jean Luc and four others were going in. The railroad had agreed to use their rail truck to bring the dogs down to a rescue pit stop so to speak. My job was to be there to receive the dogs, assess them, re-crate them, and send them south to Cochrane. There they would be housed in a helicopter trailer that had been donated for the mission until they could be directed to whatever rescue organizations could take them. In the end we had Pet Save in Sudbury, Clarington Animal Services in Bomanville, All Heart Rescue in Powassin, N.O.A.W in Iroquois Falls, ARK in Kapuskasing and Moosonee Puppy Rescue in Bracebridge ready to accept whatever dogs we were able to get out.
The rail truck came down the tracks and we could see the faces of the dogs who had trusted that we would come. On May 30th we packed up the trailer with crates, towels, dog  food, medications, collars, leads and anything else we could think of that we might need. We really were going in blind - not knowing how many we could get out and what conditions they might be in. I arranged for Wendy, Misty, Ryan and Ellen to take care of our dogs for a two day period and a friend named Alan packed his trailer and we set off up north. It is a seven hour drive and on the way I realized Paul, my husband, was having trouble breathing. His chest was congested and his lungs hurt. We ended up in the emergency department of the New Liskeard hospital. He was given medication and antibiotics and we were on our way again. I already had a torn tendon in my shoulder so it was a toss up as to which one of us was the weakest link in the expedition. We stayed in Cochrane Sunday night but none of us could sleep. Wondering how many dogs had managed to survive and just what they were feeling kept me awake. I didn't know how quickly they would trust us or if I could convince them to try again. Even if we came out with just one dog that was enough for me. At least we would know what the situation was and not simply have accepted the assumtions of the SPCA. Monday morning we met the other rescue workers at the train station and we were all nervous. Eight of them were going into a property that had experienced fire, bear attacks, feral dogs and death. They would be dropped off at 9am and would have to wait until 9pm to come out again. It was cold and raining that day which somehow seemed fitting. After seeing the train off Paul, Alan and I drove north to set up a location where the dogs would come off the rail truck. Here they would be assessed, treated and re-crated before being  driven south to Cochrane. In order to get as close to stop 27 as we could we had to cross the Abitibi River on a barge then follow the railway tracks as far north as we could. When we could drive no further we stopped and unloaded the crates. We had plenty but what if we only needed a few. We arranged collars by size and sorted through the leashes. We filled water dishes and had them on the ready. We waited. Finally the rail truck arrived and I saw crates with dogs sitting up proud and tall in them. I cried when I realized how many there were and offered silent appreciation for the remarkable creatures we call dogs. Then it was all action. We had to get them off the rail truck and send up more crates to the rescue workers. A note that had been sent down told me 26 dogs had run to greet them and I knew then the dogs had expected us. They trusted we would come and we had.   When we spoke to a dog in a crate we would hear a thumping sound. It was a tail wagging and I wondered how they did it. How did they sustain their spirit and how could they forgive us for taking so many days to get to them. Some were timid and unsure of the collars we had to put on them and others came right to us with joy and delight.  The dogs now had to be transported back to Cochrane to be held in a Helicopter trailer until it was determined which rescue organization would take which dogs. Only eight crates would fit in the trailer at one time so Alan left with those and Paul and I cared for the dogs still with us. A dog I named Stillwater didn't even require a crate. She was sweet, gentle, warm and caring. When we approached her she turned her head in the most graceful movement of submission I have ever seen. Every move Stillwater made was like a dance. After receiving love and attention she was happy enough to just lay under the trailer. We attached a rope to her collar just as a precaution but the look in her eyes told me she knew she had no where to run. The rail truck came out again with more dogs and in the midst of it all I wondered, once again, how the SPCA could not have responded to this need. They would never know our sense of accomplishment because they have forgotten their purpose, they lack management ability and they prefer avoidance. We encouraged each dog out of it's crate and while some resisted at first they all settled down quickly and accepted that we meant no harm. What was remarkable to me was how the dogs respected one another. We didn't have to worry about one dog getting too close to another or any kind of nastiness. This was a high stress situation for them and even though they had relationships with one another they could have reacted out of instinct but they didn't. Their bond was too great. We put collars on them all, offered water and food and tried to walk them a bit before putting them back in the crate for the second leg of their journey. I had made up some puppy formula prior to leaving home so I was able to feed the pups that had not been weaned yet. I had to hold their heads over the plate and dip their noses into the liquid to encourage them to lap it up but in no time they were eagerly consuming what was offered. After the last rail truck departed we loaded up the dogs and made our way back across the Abitibi River and to Cochrane.	Stillwater seemed to speak for them all with her graceful dance of submission and gratitude.    All the dogs were together once again in the helicopter trailer and it was time to decide which dogs went where. There was no sense of sadness in splitting them up because we all knew they were lucky to be alive and that they could now begin lives absent of fear and near anonymity. Jean Luc had meant well but no dog can reach its full potential or be adored when it is one of two hundred.   All in all thirty- one dogs were rescued. Our friend Alan transported eight to All Heart Rescue in Powassin and one puppy he named Abby after the Abitibi River which we had crossed to get to her. We brought down three dogs for the Clarington Animal Shelter in Bowmanville and ten puppies we would keep. This really had been a leap of faith for the rescue organizations who had agreed to take these dogs sight unseen. We had had no idea what we would bring out. We knew these dogs had been through the loss of their owner, fire burning all around them, feral dog attacks as well as bears. We could have been sending them nasty or wild dogs. These dogs had not known many people in their lives so it was doubtful they would be socialized or trained in any way. We all just did what we could because the dogs needed us to. All of us other than the SPCA that is. I got reports from the rescue organizations the next day and it was amazing what a difference twenty four hours had made. The dogs had been agreeable and grateful when rescued but they had also been unsure and overwhelmed. All they had needed was one safe and comfortable night to came into their own. All the dogs were eagerly friendly, affectionate, walking well on leads and optomistic about what would come next. The only tell tale sign of what they had just been through came at 6:30 am in Cochrane the day after the rescue. The dogs that were still in the helicopter trailer waiting for Pet Save in Sudbury to pick them up reacted strongly when they heard the train whistle. They howled and fought the containment of their crates. One dog did break free but didn't go far. The train, to them, meant their master returning and it was clear they still hoped for that. I am sure a train whistle will always trigger a memory in these dogs and perhaps just a moment of sadness. On Monday May 31st we celebrated the number of dogs we had been able to save but on Tuesday June 1st we thought of the dogs that had been left behind. The rescue workers who had gone onto Jean Luc's property had seen the faces of  the dogs and knew there were more that could come out. They just needed a bit of  time to trust. Knowing the difference one night had made for the dogs that were out made it impossible to ignore the ones who continued to wait. Several more rescue attempts were made and six more dogs were rescued. The ONR workers brought one puppy out after hearing it whimper and cry while they were working nearby. They looked for it several times but were unable to find it. Finally they went in and vowed not to leave without the pup. They found him hiding, all by himself, in a wood pile. He is now with us and his name is Woody.  An older dog with one leg and part of a paw missing came out as well. He had been disabled for quite some time but still he was gentle, affectionate and loving. He is now in Powassin and his name is Lego. Heidi Pratt and Pam Armstrong, the two young woman who initiated and organized all the rescue efforts, are still not satisfied though. They continue to make plans and arrangements to go back in for more. They are in constant contact with the SPCA in the hopes that they will lend their skills and resources to the efforts being made to save the dogs at "mile 27" but to no avail. The crisis began May 21st  and the SPCA waited for a long weekend to pass before even considering action. We have received mixed messages on how or if they even went to the property. Some reports say they flew over with the OPP and others say they walked the property and went into every dwelling making a detailed assessment of the situation. Whatever the case, they claimed all dogs were feral and that there weren't any puppies so nothing would be done. Since our efforts and successes proved them blatantly wrong they have said they would meet with all parties involved to create a plan of where to go from here. Sadly, their concern for some railway workers and OPP officers having to be on overtime for an after hours meeting has caused a standstill even on that though. They did say they couldn't do much until the end of the month though because they had meetings and conferences to attend. We have also been told that the dogs really aren't their concern as they belong to Jean Luc's heirs. The SPCA will go into people's homes to remove animals in distress but they seem content to ignore animals standing on railway tracks who are starving, confused, terrified and at great risk. Every day brings more hardship for these dogs that they cannot possibly understand. A pattern of SPCA behaviour has been established on more than one occasion and I find it intolerable. I have personally met many of the animals they left to die and that is unforgivable. I fear nothing will come of it though. People will continue to donate to the organization and it will continue on without impact, guilt or awareness. I believe the dogs still expect us to come for them. I believe they have faith in us. I believe we owe it to them not to let them down. I do not believe in the SPCA.
Three of the dogs that came out after the main rescue were sent to us. They were all pups and two of them had burns on their skin from the fire. It just shows how close they all were to it. The fur around the burns was completely black. We named these pups Cinder and Ash and since they were older than the others they were placed in their forever homes after just a week in rescue care.
Lego was a favourite of Jean Luc. He was most grateful to be rescued and loved once again.	These supposedly feral dogs are Abby and Stillwater.   Abby has been placed in a wonderful home and Stillwater went to the Clarington Shelter in Bowmanville. She is such a sweet and gentle dog they allow her to spend her time in the front office rather than a cage.