Lucky dogs in Ebb and Flow get their own houses
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- Published on Thursday, August 16, 2018
Submitted photos
Pictured left: Kevin Poirier & Zach Munn: Zach Munn, right, picks up 15 doghouses built by carpentry students from Kevin Poirier, chair of Construction Trades at Assiniboine Community College. Some of the 15 doghouses built by 30 carpentry students at Assiniboine Community College can be seen in the background.
Pictured Right: Zach Munn & doghouse: Zach Munn, left, introduces a dog at Ebb & Flow First Nation to its doghouse, built by carpentry students at Assiniboine Community College, while Mike Brambilla helps out.
Submitted
Neepawa Banner & Press
Tonight (Aug.10), in Ebb and Flow First Nation, 15 dogs will rest their heads in their own doghouses, custom-built by 30 carpentry and woodworking students at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon.
In summer, a doghouse provides shade. Come winter, these doghouses will provide insulated warmth to help protect dogs from the wind and cold. Building houses for dogs in First Nations communities is the brainchild and the passion of Brandon real estate agent Zach Munn.
Last year, Munn approached Kevin Poirier, chair of Construction Trades at Assiniboine, to get some help building the doghouses. Assiniboine students would provide the labour; Munn would pay for the materials, with the help of donations.
鈥淲e get lots of requests. The questions we ask are: Is it feasible? Does it fit in our curriculum?鈥� Poirier said.
The college modified Munn鈥檚 original plans to make the carpentry work more challenging for the students.
鈥淲e agreed on the plans. Then we built them. It鈥檚 a good project for our students because they can practise their skills in building roof systems,鈥� noted Poirier.
Students were allowed to customize their doghouses with features such as extra trim, curtained doors and even the crescent moon that traditionally adorns outdoor biffies.
鈥淭hanks to Assiniboine for all their help. The doghouses were tremendous. They鈥檙e really well-built. Kevin and the staff and students at Assiniboine were very supportive to undertake the task they did. I think it鈥檚 great to implement trades programs to help charitable causes,鈥� Munn said.
The materials cost $2,857.35, Poirier said. Munn has raised all but $342 through appeals on his Facebook page. He pays for his own food, hotel and gas for all the trips.
Ebb and Flow was the third First Nations community to receive doghouses from Munn, after he first made similar trips to Peguis First Nation and Sapotaweyak Cree Nation.
Munn has built dozens of doghouses himself and other groups and individuals have also built doghouses to support the project.
Munn has 鈥渁lways had a soft spot for animals. I was trying to think last winter, 鈥榃hat could I do, what could I do?鈥� So I thought, why not build doghouses?鈥�
Munn got permission from the chief and council for his visits. He was accompanied by someone who knew the community and could identify the dog owners who could use the doghouses.
鈥淎 lot of people said they would like the doghouses when we did our sign-up list. We were very well-received in every community we went to. A lot of people were very kind to us and appreciative of the doghouses,鈥� offering gifts of fish or invitations to a traditional sweat in return.
Caring about animals runs in the family. Munn鈥檚 aunt, Tracy Munn, is the Shelter Manager/Director at the Brandon Humane Society and his sister, Farran LeBlanc, has started a mobile spay and neuter clinic, known as Pawsitive Communities.
Munn and his family are in the process of moving into a new house. Once they鈥檙e settled, he鈥檚 going to approach Assiniboine for help with another round of doghouses.
鈥淎ssiniboine offered to build again next year. Likely in the fall, I鈥檒l start building again myself and then I鈥檒l fund-raise for another trip and organize the help,鈥� Munn said.
