There has been a huge national and international outcry about the media reports that up to 100 dogs were allegedly killed in an inhumane manner by an employee of a Whistler dogsledding company on April 21 and 23, 2010.
On the heels of the media reports starting on Jan. 31, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Dr. Terry Lake to lead a task force, which will include representation from the British Columbia Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) and Union of B.C. Municipalities, to review the circumstances related to the reported sled-dog killings and make recommendations to prevent such an incident from occurring again.
BCSPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk says the “devastating news of the inhumane slaughter” first came to the society’s provincial headquarters when a Vancouver radio station sent a copy of a compensation report from WorkSafeBC on Jan. 28.
She adds BCSPCA has launched an investigation and has gone to court in an effort to get further documentation surrounding the compensation package the employee received for post-traumatic stress after he killed the dogs.
Subsequently, questions have been raised around when the employee first contacted authorities about the cull, why WorkSafeBC did not provide information on the killing of the dogs to the appropriate authorities and broader issues around the regulation and oversight of the dogsledding industry, which the task force will look at.
Chortyk says BCSPCA had met with the company to discuss the general welfare of the animals on May 28, 2010, but had not heard about the slaughter until Jan. 28.
She adds the details outlined in the WorkSafeBC report were extremely gruesome, as some of the dogs were shot several times and wounded before they died.
Chortyk notes most people in the sled-dog industry humanely cull sick, old and excess animals by shooting them.
“We appreciate it’s not illegal to kill these animals, but they can take them to he vet or kill them humanely. In the [Whistler] case, they did not do it humanely.”
As far as the impact
on the sled dog tour industry goes, Chortyk says people will probably start asking the “right questions” about the treatment of the animals.
Len Doucette, who was the committee chair for January’s annual Cariboo Challenge Jack Gawthorn Memorial Sled Dog Race, says he hopes there won’t be a negative impact on the race because of the fallout from the Whistler case.
Noting it’s a tough thing to talk about because people have widely differing opinions, Doucette says sled dogs are working dogs.
“They’re not something you can take home as a family pet, and as far as culling dogs in the industry, I haven’t heard of it happening but you know it does happen. When you breed 20 dogs and 15 are good, you either find a home for the other five, or you cull them out… that’s the gross reality of it.
“I’m a dog lover and I think it’s really sad and disgusting what happened; however, I kind of understand in the industry what goes on. Now, the way this happened in Whistler is totally unacceptable and definitely the wrong way of doing it.”
Doucette says he hopes the media makes it clear this isn’t the norm for what happens in the industry.
“This is one company that bought way too many dogs for the Olympics and didn’t have, contingency plan for when the Olympics were over. It’s one isolated incident.”
Rainer Peters, co-owner (with his wife, Jane) of SnoSibe Sled Dog Ranch near 100 Mile House, says the Whistler incident has not affected their business.
“This is mainly due to the fact our customers know us, and have researched our attitude towards our dogs. We work mainly by recommendation or referral.”
Noting they have just returned from a sled-dog race in Kimberley, Peters says every musher, handler, participant and volunteer was devastated by the actions in Whistler, as well as the unprofessional way the press sensationalized this horror story.
“One bad experience cannot destroy the unique tradition of ‘mushing’ with working dogs, which is as old as the history of Canada and Alaska itself. We all hope that from this [horrible act] at Whistler, more rules and regulations will be put in place for the sake of our beloved animals.”
He adds the sled dog-cull in Whistler only emphasized the main problem of “pets” in the province and across the country. “There are far too many cats and dogs being bred.”
This problem was, and is, created by the uncontrolled breeders/puppy mills, which produce animals in unimaginable numbers purely for greed and profit. “They have to be stopped and regulated in the hardest possible way. This would be the only solution to fight this problem.”
