An animal rescuer from Winnipeg was found dead, with stray dogs around her, while volunteering in Sandy Bay, Man.
Amanda Nobiss, 37, was initially reported as missing by a friend at approximately 12:45 a.m. last Friday, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) said online later that day.
Her body was found around 6 a.m. by a local maintenance worker, it said.
She was in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation on the western shore of Lake Manitoba, working alongside K9 Advocacy Manitoba, a non-profit dedicated to helping reserves manage the overpopulation of dogs.
“The circumstances surrounding the death are not believed to be suspicious at this time. Several aggressive dogs had been observed in the area,” according to the MFNPS release.
It’s believed she was killed by strays while volunteering to manage the overpopulation of dogs in the community. An autopsy will be done, according to the police service.
Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation said it is aware of the overpopulation of dogs in its community. It said the nation “has been actively working to address the longstanding issue of stray and aggressive dogs” in a news release Saturday.
“Based on the information currently available to the First Nation, it is our understanding that the canine advocate entered the community after regular business hours and attempted to retrieve dogs,” the nation’s release continued.
“Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation remains committed to working with its partners to develop long-term, humane solutions that protect both people and animals.”
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Global News reached out to both Sandy Bay Chief Trevor Prince and the MFNPS for comment or an update. As of publishing, no response was received.
K9 Advocacy declined doing an interview, saying it would not speak with the media out of respect for the Nobiss family.
Debra Vandekerkhove, the managing director of a rescue group called the Manitoba Animal Alliance, said this is “a very tough loss” for the rescue community.
“It was very, very difficult and shocking for everyone, and trying to come to terms with the safety issue of people and the calling that all rescue groups have been doing for so long to help nations with health and safety of people and pets,” Vandekerkhove said.
“We need help. You cannot leave this to volunteers only to do this.”
Managing dog overpopulation is an arduous task that requires funding – which it currently lacks, the animal advocate said.
“There’s no specific funding or any sort of national or provincial strategy across Canada to help animals in Indigenous nations,” she noted.
“We need funding (and) can’t do it alone. We’re volunteers.”
The alliance works to create a community-led animal management program that is specific to the places it works in.
“If people think we can spay and neuter our way out of the problem, we cannot. We have to focus on people. We have to focus on the safety of our volunteers,” Vanderkerkhove said.
“We need to focus on people in communities, human, and the humane aspect of animals and animal care is number one.”
Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) declined an interview with Global News and instead issued a statement, which read in part:
“The province supports community-led efforts to provide access to veterinary services and public education.”
Animal control is up to municipalities to manage, the CVO added.
Editor’s Note: a previous version of this story called Sandy Bay a “northern” community. It has since been updated.
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Fn gets over 35 billion tax payers dollars annually. They are some of the richest in North America. They can afford to take responsibility for their dog problems.
Fn is grifting again . They are asking for millions to take care of dogs , their dogs, that they have neglected and let run loose un spaded. No more using tax payers dollars to compensate these grifters. Don’t make your lifestyle choices the tax payers responsibility.
Boy some of you big gun talkers are as much Losers as those you call out!!
That’s all, and the first thing that comes out of your brain matter. Is to kill something so Vulnerable, that didn’t deserve to live with mistreatment and abuse, just as children are Vulnerable.
Geez, why don’t some compassionate Veterinarians get out there and Volunteer their time once in awhile to Neuter the dogs from having more. I’ve seen Veterinarians on TV Animals Networks do this sort of thing regularly and welcomed on Native Lands. It’d done free. It’s about the Dogs, they’re the ones that need Rescuing. I guess it’s all about the money and no compassion for Animals in Canada.
The Stewards of the Land in action!!
Rez dogs.
The FNs should deal with this home grown problem themselves.
Animals are everywhere in those communities. Inside and out.
It’s easy to blame the neglected, hungry dogs for everything but that blame lays squarely on the natives. They don’t care about these poor dogs just like they don’t care about their own kids.
Reserves get 32 BILLION dollars a year for whatever as they’ve refused to get their books audited.
Always wanting more money from us is obviously not working. Just look how many years they’re whining about not having clean water.
So the chiefs should be on the hook for where all this money is going.
Each one of those dogs could have fed a family of four on the rez
Do the chiefs even spend a cent of our taxes on their communities? All you hear is we need more funding but we give each reserve millions each year. I think CRA needs to audit this, instead they’re too busy auditing working, contributing members of society.
Aggressive stray dogs need to be killed, not rescued. It’s not like they can be put up for adoption.
care takers of the land . my azz
RIP Amanda. I didn’t know you but have the upmost respect for rescues. I will be sending a donation to K9 Advocacy in your name and I hope many others do the same. Maybe one day these reserves will start to put aside funds for families to have their pets fixed.
Let’s round up those poor wild killer dogs. It will be fun
Chiefs and there families get millions of dollar each year. There is no money to clean up this problem or any other on a reserve. The problem is they are an enslaved people that can’t even feed themselves with a handout from the rest of us.
How could one avoid getting their shoes wet when walking by the river all the time? Unhealthy animal protection and environmental protection are terrifying. Of course, those who abandoned them are even more despicable. No matter what you do, you should know when to stop. Otherwise, it will backfire.
bunch of losers owning dogs, best thing to do is a culling , ban owning animals to the reserves. press charges for animal abuse clean it up
Your heart will teach you this is inhumane. Blame the dogs? Thats not right.
Do better
Nothing that Dr. Smith and Dr. Wesson can’t take care of.
All those lazy welfare bums can’t even do volunteer work.
Were they intending to sell these dogs from a bleeding-heart “no kill” shelter? That puts onus of putting aggressive dogs down, if they end up being “adopted.” Buy some rifles and start culling, already!
These people shouldn’t even be allowed to own a goldfish.
Fred
July 20, 2026 at 11:48 pm
These people are not responsible enough for pets. They should be banned on reserves. These idiots buy a puppy, swoon over it for a month or two, them shove it out the door to fend for itself.
Ironic that this is the same way they raise their children.
You hit the nail on the head, Fred!
Seems like a rifle would be a good start in controlling the problem
Funny how all the things people are complaining about in the comments happen outside of reservations, too. Boomers cannot go soon enough
Guardians of the Earth. What a joke. Murdering dogs because you have no clue of how to take care of them.
These people are not responsible enough for pets. They should be banned on reserves. These idiots buy a puppy, swoon over it for a month or two, them shove it out the door to fend for itself.
Ironic that this is the same way they raise their children.
It seems as if the obvious solution is a cull of wild and stray canine population. If they’re killing humans, it needs to be done.
Ban all animals on reserves until they are taught to look after them. Also stop money going to them. It is the owners fault not the dogs starving to death and constantly abused.
Sandy Bay is northern Manitoba???? It’s only 70 km NW of Portage la Prairie. Someone needs to familiarize themselves with basic cartography.
Reservations get millions of government funding every year. They should have plenty of cash flow to clean up their problems
Funding? You get more than enough money from the government! What you need are guns (which you have) and the willingness to cull all the stray dogs. Those which are owned get neutered/spayed. This is a problem of your own doing. If the “spirits” tell you it is wrong to kill the dogs, then learn to live with them….