The contraceptive implant, called Deslorelin, was introduced in 2004 by Peptech Animal Health, a small biotech company in Australia. It suppresses reproductive hormones in animals for 12 to 18 months and is used in zoos, said Samson-French.
She estimates there are at least 700 dogs on the Tsuu T'ina reserve, but fewer than 20 per cent are wanted.
"The natives have pets that live inside with them, dogs that have names and are cared for. Then there are all the dogs that live outside, dogs they do not want and who keep reproducing. I call them dogs with no names. They're the problem," said Samson-French, owner of the Banded Peaks Veterinary Hospital, which regularly deals with an overflow of injured, unwanted dogs from the neighbouring reserve.
"We have the same problems, but in the city we pay taxes and we have the pound and dogcatchers to deal with our problem, which is invisible to us. They don't on the reserves. And they're overwhelmed by having five or six dogs scavenging around their houses."
Some are feral, born in the wild. Some come from "non-natives who dump their dogs on the reserves," said Samson-French.
Having been domesticated for 15,000 years, abandoned and feral dogs no longer know how to hunt or find water, she said. They live only two to three years, falling prey to cannibalism, starvation, parasites, predators or freezing to death. Female can have up to 15 pups a year.
"The best solution we've been able to offer so far is spaying and neutering, but that's not making a dent," said Samson-French. "It's too expensive and too time-consuming.
"That's why the contraceptive implant program is fantastic. It takes one minute, it's one-third of the cost, and the dogs don't leave the reserve."
The implant costs $68, compared to the $250-$500 it costs to spay a female dog.
With the permission of Tsuu T'ina residents, 15 friendlier, semi-feral dogs were caught using food and held in a volunteer's arms. A small area between the dog's shoulder blades was cleaned and injected with a local anesthetic. The implant -- along with a microchip to identify the dog -- was then injected beneath the skin.
At the same time, the dogs were given a rabies shot and a deworming tablet.
Of the 15 implanted females, one was killed by a cougar and the 14 remaining have not had puppies, said Felber, dog program co-ordinator with ARF, a non-profit group that rescues unwanted dogs and cats from First Nations and rural areas and finds them homes.
The plan is to follow the remaining 14 dogs and re-implant them every year until 2011, identifying them by their microchips.
Samson-French said she's applied for a grant from the provincial government to expand the study to include 50 more female dogs on the Tsuu T'ina and the Siksika First Nation and hopes to publish her findings.
And in two weeks she's going to Mazatlan to look into starting a pilot project to sterilize street dogs with Deslorelin. Unwanted dogs are a big problem in Mexico and other developing countries.
The downside of the implant is that it is temporary, it's currently available on a limited basis and only veterinarians can implant it. She's hoping those regulations change and technicians will be able to implant it, making it widely available.
Veterinarian Audrey Remedios, who's volunteered with the Alberta Spray Neuter Task Force on the Blood reserve near Cardston, is interested in the outcome of the pilot project: "If it works, wonderful."
But she thinks recapturing semi-feral dogs may be a problem, and trying to round up feral dogs will be next to impossible.
Jack Glacer, 79, has been going out to feed stray dogs on Tsuu T'ina three times a week for at least 10 years. He's heard some mothers on the reserve express concern about their children's safety around the dogs.
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