The general manager of the Co-op in Łútsël K’é says a recent cyber attack has left the store unable to order dog food.
“We usually replenish that every week,” Joe Yatkowski said.
“The shelf is nearly completely empty, so we definitely need it.”
Yatkowski said there are around 50 dogs in Łútsël K’é as well as a few cats. With the community’s supply of dog food running out, he reached out to Yellowknife veterinarian Michelle Tuma for help.
Tuma is the northern Canada veterinary specialist for Veterinarians Without Borders, which last visited Łútsël K’é in May.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
She was able to purchase the food through an Edmonton distributor and have it shipped to Yellowknife. The 18,000 lb of dog food and some cat litter will next be flown by Air Tindi to Łútsël K’é.
“We’re happy to help out,” Tuma said.
“Łútsël K’é has been one of Vets Without Borders’ community partners for a few years now and I know that the dogs in the community are very special to everybody.
“It was amazing to see that Joe was really showing some initiative and ensuring that there were going to be no issues with having enough dog food for all the dogs in the community.”
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Yatkowski said the delivery is expected to arrive in Łútsël K’é on Thursday.
He thanked Tuma for her “astounding help and support” and the quick turnaround in getting supplies to the community.
The cybersecurity breach at Federated Co-op Limited late last month has affected stores’ ability to order goods as usual.
Yellowknife’s Co-op has reported difficulties, as has Super A Foods in Hay River, which said on Wednesday it had endured two weeks of interruptions. Super A said it has finally been able to start ordering supplies again and expects “full trucks arriving through the weekend.”
Yatkowski said the Łútsël K’é store has been OK for the most part, with the dog food section taking “the biggest hit.” He said the community has still been receiving shipments of produce while Frontier Lodge helped the store to acquire more.
The lodge, which is owned by the Łútsël K’é Dene First Nation, was named the NWT’s 2023 tourism operator of the year for helping to feed the community when supply lines were disrupted by Yellowknife’s wildfire evacuation and shelves were running bare.
