Picnics and Chihuahuas - J. Skinner

August 25, 2025

Julia Skinner, AVC 2026, travelled to Hopdale and Sheshatshiu as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project. As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of writing.

I was incredibly honoured to be chosen for the Chinook Project this year, and I was excited to be able to work on improving my technical skills and knowledge while providing veterinary care to the animals in remote communities in my home province that I love so much. Over the course of the two weeks we were able to provide care to over 150 animals, and through it all we became more confident in our abilities in both surgery/anesthesia, and in providing wellness care. I finished the rotation feeling much better about placing intravenous catheters, doing spays/neuters in dogs and cats of all ages and sizes, and giving more vaccines than I could count. I’m not surprised by how much I loved working with all the different animals, or about how much I loved working with my teammates, but what did surprise me was just how much I loved being in Northern Labrador.

Picnic in Hopedale, Labrador

We started our trip in Hopedale and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The rugged beauty of the coastline, the crisp ocean air, the seabirds and icebergs, it simultaneously filled my heart and made me incredibly homesick. The hospitality we experienced there was second to none, the community members were so involved, cooking lunch and supper for us every day, bringing us more dessert than we could ever eat, bringing homemade dog treats for our patients, and helping out in the clinic wherever possible. The animals we encountered there were so happy, so loved, and so well cared for. I was able to snuggle and kiss so many adorable dogs and cats, it made the long busy days worth it ten times over. Our last morning there we were taken for a boat ride where we were able to get close enough to lick an iceberg, taken to find duck eggs and learned about how to tell which ones were okay to eat, and ate a picnic lunch on a sandy beach. It was a rewarding and fulfilling week and I’m not ashamed to admit I cried a little when boarding the plane to leave the beautiful people, animals, and scenery behind. 

Our second week was spent in Sheshatshiu and what surprised me most there was the sheer number of chihuahuas we treated. However, getting to snuggle five chihuahua puppies and give them their first vaccines was a trip highlight for me. The people of Sheshatshiu were kind and accommodating, even setting up a surgery “suite” for us in the firehall. The dogs and cats there were just as cute, and it was heartwarming to see how much love there was between owners and animals (seeing the dogs start to wag their tails when they were getting picked up after surgery made me smile every time). On our last day in Labrador we were lucky enough to be treated to a float plane ride which was incredibly fun; the pilots flew us over Sheshatshiu and seeing the firehall we spent the week in, and the community we had been serving, really made it sink in that our time in Labrador was over. 

There aren’t enough words to describe how these two weeks in Labrador felt. I learned so much about myself, my abilities, and the kind of vet I want to be. I had the best two weeks with my classmates, I was lucky to be surrounded by extremely kind, supportive, and intelligent teammates who gave me the confidence to keep going even when I felt like I couldn’t. I will never forget these two weeks, the people I met, the animals I treated, and the overall feeling of pride of being back in my home province doing what I love.