Animal rescue worker reportedly killed in dog attack

Police are investigating after a woman died on the Sandy Bay First Nation, reportedly after being attacked by dogs.

The woman was identified by family as 37-year-old Amanda Nobiss.

“It’s just disbelief,” said Sherri Nobiss, her mother, in a phone call. Her family is devastated by the loss. “You just want to know what has happened.”

She said Amanda was a dedicated animal advocate who was volunteering with K9 Advocacy Manitoba in the community at the time. Amanda, who was from Winnipeg, is pictured with a dog in almost all of her photos on social media.

“She was just a very caring and kind person who obviously had a great love and passion for animals, but also for the people she connected with and interacted with.”

She said her daughter regularly spent time on First Nations to help with dogs.

“It was a passion of hers,” she said. “Trying to help the community and the connect with the people who live in the community to help with the dog population.”

Sandy Bay First Nation is 180 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg on the western shore of Lake Manitoba.

On Friday, a person at the band office confirmed a person had died as a result of a dog attack, and police were investigating, but could not provide further information.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service said in a news release that it had been contacted by a friend of Amanda’s who was trying to locate her, around 12:45 a.m. Friday.

Using her cellphone location, police determined she appeared to be in Sandy Bay, said the release. Resources were dispatched to the area, including a drone, but due to the large radius of the cellphone “ping,” no one was located until 6 a.m.

“A local maintenance worker located a deceased adult female in the same area of the ping,” said the police service.

“The cause of her death is under investigation and pending the results of a post-mortem examination.” Police said several “aggressive dogs” were found in the area where her body was located.

Nobiss said her daughter considered her relationship with the community “precious” and it was something she cared about deeply. She said she’s been told by police an investigation is underway.

“We understand that there’s a process and we’ll get the information when it’s available,” she said. “I have no doubt that’s what will happen.”

Nobiss said Amanda volunteered with spay and neuter clinics, fostered dogs and took them for medical treatment.

She said her daughter had been volunteering with the animal rescue for “quite a few years” and had “a lot of really good connections at Sandy Bay.”

Her younger brother, Matthew Nobiss, said she was outgoing. “She put these animals before her own life.”

In a Facebook post, K9 Advocacy Manitoba acknowledged her death, saying it is “with heavy hearts that we share our grief over the loss of one of our dedicated K9 advocates.”

The group said out of respect for the family and the investigation, they wouldn’t release the circumstances of the death, but said it has made them more steadfast in their work.

“Any time we suffer the loss of a valued member of our community, it calls us to pull together to honour the work, dedication, and commitment that they have contributed to our mission,” the statement said. “We will sorely miss this member and the lovely heart, hours of involvement, and strong advocacy they brought to such challenging work.”

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca