100 dogs in Canada killed after business slows

[Ban Hammer 13,110]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The 100 dogs were shot dead over two days after an expected post-Olympics boon in dogsledding business at an adventure company didn't pan out. Most died instantly, but others suffered — like the one that ran away with its "face blown off and an eye hanging out."

The gruesome event was described in documents awarding compensation to a worker, who claimed post-traumatic stress disorder for having to shoot the dogs after bookings dropped sharply for a tour operator following the 2010 Winter Olympics.

"He had to chase her down and finish her off," Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said of the wounded down that was run down and slain.

Moriarty said the slaughter left her sickened and said it is the worst investigation she's ever done. Both the British Columbia SPCA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the slaughter.

Moriarty said all the other dogs would have seen the incident in which the one dog did not die instantly from the single gunshot to the head and ran away from the worker.

"There aren't words to really describe some of the ways these dogs died," she said. "We don't put cows down like that. Slaughterhouses have very strict rules for how supposed culling takes place. This violated every one of them."

An employee of Outdoor Adventures Whistler was awarded compensation in a ruling by WorkSafe BC, the provincial body that manages workers' compensation claims. Outdoor Adventures did not contest the man's compensation claims.

The WorkSafe documents are confidential, but Moriarty has read them as part of the society's investigation.

Moriarty said it is likely the individual who will be facing charges and not the company.

"Obviously we would like to lay charges as soon as possible," she said. "We are looking at the particular individual. Whether the company is liable, I don't know. Morally, yes."

She said SPCA constables are in Whistler doing investigations. She said they are hoping to file charges without having to dig up the mass grave of dogs. "It's frozen and under feet of snow," she said.

Tourism Whistler has suspended reservations for the company while the investigation unfolds, spokeswoman Patricia Westerholm said. She said the mood in Whistler is somber.

Police Staff Sgt. Steve Leclair said Tuesday an investigation is underway into "serious threats" made against someone involved with the killing of the dogs. He could not identify the individual against whom the email threats were made.

The WorkSafe documents were obtained by radio station CKNW. The station reported the man was attacked at least twice by nearby dogs as the shootings occurred. He was forced to slit the throat of one animal who jumped on top of him.

The name of the man who killed the dogs has not been released, but his lawyer, Cory Steinberg, told CKNW that it was "the worst experience (the man) could ever have imagined."

The documents reveal bookings for dog sled tours collapsed after the Olympics, and when the company could not find homes for its animals, it ordered the cull. The dogs, which were part of a pack of 300, were shot over two days last April.

"He was essentially told to figure out a way to make (the business) more cost-effective. They just had to have less dogs. So he did everything he could finding homes for them, having them adopted, every which way that he could," Steinberg said Monday.

Graham Aldcroft, a spokesman for the company, said Outdoor Adventures had a financial stake in a company called Howling Dogs in Whistler for four years, but operational control of Howling Dogs was with the worker referred to in the WorkSafe B.C. documents.

"While we were aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours, we were completely unaware of the details of the incident until reading the ... document Sunday," Aldcroft said in the statement.

Outdoor Adventures took over control of Howling Dogs in May, Aldcroft said. He said it is now company policy that animals needing to be euthanized are treated at a veterinarian's office.

Rich Bittner, the operator of Howling Dogs in Canmore, Alberta, said he sold his 50 percent interest in the Whistler operation in 2004 to a man named Bob Fawcett. He said the Whistler tour operator was supposed to change the name because Howling Dogs was no longer involved.

An online site offering support to people suffering post-traumatic stress disorder includes several postings made under the name of Bob Fawcett. It could not be immediately determined if these postings were made by the man who bought the dogsled tour company in 2004.

Dogsled tour operators in the tight-knit mushing community in British Columbia expressed outrage over the killings. Several operators said they routinely adopt dogs from other companies, but were not asked to take any from Whistler in early 2010.

Tim Tedford, who runs dog sled tours in the Big White area, near Kelowna, said, "That behavior doesn't sound like a real musher."

"Most mushers love their dogs. That sounds more like an accountant to me. Most mushers would starve themselves before they'd ever neglect their dogs," he said.

Following revelations of the slaughter, the Vancouver Humane Society on Monday called for a ban on the sled-dog tour business.

link

[Nagishkaw 510]

Can we compare brutality ? Is there a scale where one event is more brutal the other ?

"There aren't words to really describe some of the ways these dogs died," she said. "We don't put cows down like that. Slaughterhouses have very strict rules for how supposed culling takes place. This violated every one of them."

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The 100 dogs were shot dead over two days after an expected post-Olympics boon in dogsledding business at an adventure company didn't pan out. Most died instantly, but others suffered — like the one that ran away with its "face blown off and an eye hanging out."

The gruesome event was described in documents awarding compensation to a worker, who claimed post-traumatic stress disorder for having to shoot the dogs after bookings dropped sharply for a tour operator following the 2010 Winter Olympics.

"He had to chase her down and finish her off," Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said of the wounded down that was run down and slain.

Moriarty said the slaughter left her sickened and said it is the worst investigation she's ever done. Both the British Columbia SPCA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the slaughter.

Moriarty said all the other dogs would have seen the incident in which the one dog did not die instantly from the single gunshot to the head and ran away from the worker.

"There aren't words to really describe some of the ways these dogs died," she said. "We don't put cows down like that. Slaughterhouses have very strict rules for how supposed culling takes place. This violated every one of them."

An employee of Outdoor Adventures Whistler was awarded compensation in a ruling by WorkSafe BC, the provincial body that manages workers' compensation claims. Outdoor Adventures did not contest the man's compensation claims.

The WorkSafe documents are confidential, but Moriarty has read them as part of the society's investigation.

Moriarty said it is likely the individual who will be facing charges and not the company.

"Obviously we would like to lay charges as soon as possible," she said. "We are looking at the particular individual. Whether the company is liable, I don't know. Morally, yes."

She said SPCA constables are in Whistler doing investigations. She said they are hoping to file charges without having to dig up the mass grave of dogs. "It's frozen and under feet of snow," she said.

Tourism Whistler has suspended reservations for the company while the investigation unfolds, spokeswoman Patricia Westerholm said. She said the mood in Whistler is somber.

Police Staff Sgt. Steve Leclair said Tuesday an investigation is underway into "serious threats" made against someone involved with the killing of the dogs. He could not identify the individual against whom the email threats were made.

The WorkSafe documents were obtained by radio station CKNW. The station reported the man was attacked at least twice by nearby dogs as the shootings occurred. He was forced to slit the throat of one animal who jumped on top of him.

The name of the man who killed the dogs has not been released, but his lawyer, Cory Steinberg, told CKNW that it was "the worst experience (the man) could ever have imagined."

The documents reveal bookings for dog sled tours collapsed after the Olympics, and when the company could not find homes for its animals, it ordered the cull. The dogs, which were part of a pack of 300, were shot over two days last April.

"He was essentially told to figure out a way to make (the business) more cost-effective. They just had to have less dogs. So he did everything he could finding homes for them, having them adopted, every which way that he could," Steinberg said Monday.

Graham Aldcroft, a spokesman for the company, said Outdoor Adventures had a financial stake in a company called Howling Dogs in Whistler for four years, but operational control of Howling Dogs was with the worker referred to in the WorkSafe B.C. documents.

"While we were aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours, we were completely unaware of the details of the incident until reading the ... document Sunday," Aldcroft said in the statement.

Outdoor Adventures took over control of Howling Dogs in May, Aldcroft said. He said it is now company policy that animals needing to be euthanized are treated at a veterinarian's office.

Rich Bittner, the operator of Howling Dogs in Canmore, Alberta, said he sold his 50 percent interest in the Whistler operation in 2004 to a man named Bob Fawcett. He said the Whistler tour operator was supposed to change the name because Howling Dogs was no longer involved.

An online site offering support to people suffering post-traumatic stress disorder includes several postings made under the name of Bob Fawcett. It could not be immediately determined if these postings were made by the man who bought the dogsled tour company in 2004.

Dogsled tour operators in the tight-knit mushing community in British Columbia expressed outrage over the killings. Several operators said they routinely adopt dogs from other companies, but were not asked to take any from Whistler in early 2010.

Tim Tedford, who runs dog sled tours in the Big White area, near Kelowna, said, "That behavior doesn't sound like a real musher."

"Most mushers love their dogs. That sounds more like an accountant to me. Most mushers would starve themselves before they'd ever neglect their dogs," he said.

Following revelations of the slaughter, the Vancouver Humane Society on Monday called for a ban on the sled-dog tour business.

link

This officially makes me ashamed to be a Canuck.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Moriarty said the slaughter left her sickened and said it is the worst investigation she's ever done. Both the British Columbia SPCA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the slaughter.

I'm glad they are investigating, but unfortunately cases like this truly expose how much of a joke Canada's justice system can be. I won't be suprised if this guy gets off with just a fine and probation.

[Fandango 1,439]

So the man was horrible enough by following advice and being so so cruel to these animals, then turned around and sued the company for ptsd? Did they hold a gun to his head?

'It was wrong but they made me do it'

I think some Nazis said the same thing. Not comparing him to a Nazi, mind you - but I find it so odd how people with free will do things they later say they know was wrong, but blame 'orders'.

He could have said 'no, I won't...and I won't let you do it either'

But instead, he shot dogs dead, some in the face, and made them suffer. And then got compensation for doing so.

B@stard.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Lisa C

[luckytxn 2,264]

So the man was horrible enough by following advice and being so so cruel to these animals, then turned around and sued the company for ptsd? Did they hold a gun to his head?

'It was wrong but they made me do it'

I think some Nazis said the same thing. Not comparing him to a Nazi, mind you - but I find it so odd how people with free will do things they later say they know was wrong, but blame 'orders'.

He could have said 'no, I won't...and I won't let you do it either'

But instead, he shot dogs dead, some in the face, and made them suffer. And then got compensation for doing so.

B@stard.

That was my thought too. He disliked it so much that he just kept doing it over and over. Now they are dead he has no job because his job was the dogs. So he decides to get compensation by claiming this. The worst part is they gave it to him. I wonder if his "free" health care will pay for his extreme counseling now along with the awesome drugs.

[Ban Hammer 13,110]

followup

Activists target dog sled rides after dog deaths

LOS ANGELES – The slaughter of 100 sled dogs in Canada has re-energized efforts by some animal activists to ban or boycott dog sled rides, a popular activity among tourists in many winter vacation spots, from New England to Minnesota to Alaska.

"I don't think society is willing to accept that animals, particularly dogs, should be killed just because they are surplus or don't suit the purpose they were born for," said Debra Probert, executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society, which has called for a provincial ban on tour businesses.

The dogs belonged to Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., and its parent company Outdoor Adventures Whistler, located in British Columbia. The dogs were killed last April by a company employee. The incident came to light recently when the employee applied for worker's compensation, saying he suffered post-traumatic stress after shooting the dogs and slitting their throats.

Documents from the worker's compensation probe said the company acquired the dogs in anticipation of extra business during the Olympic Games in Vancouver, and that the animals were destroyed after bookings fell. But in a letter to the editor published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Howling Dog's owner, Joey Houssian, said "some old and sick dogs needed to be put down" and the company thought the worker assigned the task would perform the culling "in a professional and humane manner." The worker has not been named by authorities and no charges have been brought.

Probert and others believe the incident is the tip of an iceberg in the dog sledding industry, but others say it is shocking because it is so rare.

Hundreds of North American businesses offer sled rides as part of winter vacation getaways. But there are no dog sled police who inspect, license or regulate them.

Paul and Sue Schurke have owned Wintergreen Dog Sled Lodge in Ely, Minn., for 30 years. "What happened in B.C. is such a shocking anomaly, I've never heard the likes of it. The magnitude of this atrocity is so shocking — all of us, our heads are reeling. I'm not aware of anyone in the recreational mushing industry who makes a habit of culling," Schurke said.

Most reputable sled dog businesses belong to an Alaska-based group called Mush for PRIDE, Schurke said.

Musher Karen Ramstead, who owns North Wapiti Siberian Husky Kennels in Perryvale, Alberta, Canada, has been president of the group for the last three years.

The organization, which stands for Providing Responsible Information on Dogs in their Environment, has about 500 members in several countries, including South Africa, Sweden, Canada and the United States. The Howling Dogs employee who killed the dogs was a member of PRIDE'S board, Ramstead said, and he has been removed.

This isn't the first time the industry has come under attack. Mush with PRIDE was formed in the mid-1990s because of pressure from animal rights groups over the treatment of dogs, said Ramstead, who has finished the Iditarod four times. The group recommends standards for things like food, water, exercise and kennel size.

To call for a ban is "gross overreaction," she said. "I am horrified by what happened in Whistler. That is not acceptable to me as an individual or to the organization. But to paint an entire sport with the sins of one individual is irresponsible as far as I am concerned."

"When dog sledding is done correctly, it's an awesome sport — awesome, awesome, awesome," said Seth Sachson, executive director of the Aspen Animal Shelter and the Aspen Boarding Kennel in Aspen, Colo.

He has eight sled dogs, all rescued from his shelter. "I am not going to kill them when they are done sledding. They are welcome to live with me forever and be my pets," he said, adding that they get along with his chickens, goats and horses and love the children who visit.

When critics list their objections to sledding, they include culling and living conditions — always tethered, always outdoors and with little social interaction.

As a result, finding homes for older dogs can be a challenge.

Sachson believes most sled dogs can become good pets. He has worked with older dogs who just needed time and patience.

"We get them to stop walking around in circles. Some walk in circles because they've lived on a chain their whole life and that's what they know," he said.

They need to be taught how to walk on a leash, climb stairs, walk across linoleum without falling and ride in a car without vomiting. And there is house-training.

Schurke, who keeps 65 dogs, said he has a waiting list of people who want to adopt his dogs when they are retired.

The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund has offered Canadian prosecutors money for forensics and expert witnesses, asked whistleblowers to report other culling abuses and urged people to write Iditarod race sponsors asking them to back out, said Lisa Franzetta, ALDF's director of communications.

The 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, the world's most famous sled dog race, starts March 5.

Humane Society International/Canada called for stronger laws for the sled dog industry. HSI's sister group, the Humane Society of the United States, doesn't have an official position on racing for sport or recreation, just that it be humane to animals.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does not oppose racing, but opposes "any and all cruel practices involved in the sport of racing dogs, horses or other animals, whether for speed, endurance or both, on tracks, trails or snow."

"Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Mushers routinely abandon, shoot, bludgeon, or drown dogs when they become ill, don't run fast enough, or are simply unwanted," Michelle Sherrow of Lexington, Ky., wrote on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

"The deaths of these dogs serve as a tragic reminder never to patronize dog sled tour operations. With the Iditarod coming up, be sure to tell everyone you know about the cruelty inherent in dog sledding," she said.

Whether the slaughter will result in legal charges is unclear, said Maneesha Deckha, an associate professor of law at the University of Victoria. She said that while killing your pets is not illegal, putting them through unnecessary suffering is. "Anti-cruelty law is very narrow in scope," Deckha said. "It doesn't really protect against animal abuse, it only protects certain animals from certain types of treatment that we, as a culture, find shocking."

Stehan Otto, an attorney in Portland, Ore., and director of legislative affairs for ALDF, agreed, saying the legal question will be whether there was inappropriate pain and suffering.

link