Changing attitudes to pet ownership in remote Indigenous community improving human, animal health
As the sun begins to take the chill out of the morning air, a litter of puppies emerges from its den of building materials on a vacant block of land.
Mr Hudson says his love of dogs began at an early age and drives him to seek better outcomes for Kowanyama's canines. "With the efforts of our desexing, treating them for worms and ticks and mange and all that sort of stuff, the majority of the population is healthy," Dr Squarci says.Dr Squarci says he desexes an average of 10 dogs per day on each visit to Kowanyama.
"There's a lot of mistrust people have gone into communities in the past and taken dogs off them because they think they're not looking after them."Countering that mistrust requires people like Mr Hudson, who the community knows and respects."They can't go to the shop and say, 'Can I have a packet of tablets to get myself wormed?' or 'I'm hungry and I need water', we've got to do that.