100 dogs in Canada killed after business slows - FaunaClassifieds
FaunaClassifieds  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLink ads? Upgrade Your Membership!
  Inside FaunaClassifieds » Photo Gallery  
 

Go Back   FaunaClassifieds > General Interest Forums > General BS forum

Notices

General BS forum I guess anything is fair game in here. Just watch the subject matter doesn't get carried away too much.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-01-2011, 11:20 PM   #1
SamanthaJane13
Angry 100 dogs in Canada killed after business slows

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – An organization that fights animal abuse is calling the slaughter of 100 sled dogs by an outdoor adventure company in British Columbia a bloodbath and police are investigating.

The British Columbia SPCA's manager of animal cruelty investigations said Monday an Outdoor Adventures Whistler employee was told to cull the dogs.

Marcie Moriarty says some dogs were shot., while others' throats were slit before their bodies were pitched into a mass grave.

Vancouver radio station CKNW radio is reporting that the company expected more sledding business in an anticipated post-Olympics tourism boom. But the boom never materialized and the sled dogs were killed last April.

Outdoor Adventures Whistler couldn't be reached for comment.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20...AwZG9nc2luY2Fu
 
Old 02-03-2011, 09:57 PM   #2
SamanthaJane13
Dog slaughter document dispute heads to court

The non-profit agency that enforces British Columbia's animal cruelty laws is heading to court Friday to demand documents related to the slaughter of about 100 sled dogs near Whistler, B.C.

The allegations surfaced publicly in leaked workers' compensation board documents in the case of a worker who filed a claim for post-traumatic stress. In them, the unidentified man detailed how he shot the dogs last April as business slowed following the 2010 Winter Olympics, and then dumped the bodies in a mass grave.

The B.C. SPCA has obtained a court order for WorkSafe BC's file on the case, but said Thursday the compensation board has filed an application seeking an exemption from the order.

Marcie Moriarty of the SPCA said WorkSafe BC is arguing it shouldn't be forced to disclose what it considers confidential documents.

"One of the reasons that they give is they fear that if access is granted in this case, people will not give full disclosure for fear of criminal prosecution," Moriarty said in a telephone interview.
Would ask court to clarify

The board's application notes "the records of the board are protected from disclosure by law, and it is unreasonable to require the board to produce the records."

Moriarty said if the court doesn't grant a full exemption, WorkSafe BC is asking the court to clarify the scope of the production order and limit what can be disclosed.

The SPCA is a non-profit charity, but the B.C. government has given it the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws and its investigators are considered peace officers. Provincial legislation gives the animal welfare group the power to obtain warrants and production orders from the courts.

The agency is leading the investigation into the Whistler dog cull, with the support of the RCMP.

The dogs were used on tours by Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures, but at the time of the cull the animals were owned and cared for by Fawcett's Howling Dog Tours. Outdoor Adventures had a financial stake in the company, but didn't take control of Howling Dog's operations until May 2010 — the month following the slaughter.
Threats increasing

The RCMP is also conducting a separate investigation into email and internet threats connected to the case, including death threats. The force said Thursday there have been a "growing number" of threats against Outdoor Adventures employees who had nothing to do with the cull.

"The threats have primarily been made face-to-face and by phone, as well as through media. Some threats have been very graphic," Sgt. Peter Thiessen of the RCMP wrote in an news release.

"This has resulted in significant trauma and stress for Outdoor Adventures and all their staff. That's unacceptable. And it needs to stop immediately."
Statement issued

The man at the centre of the investigation released a public statement late Wednesday, his first comment since details of the slaughter became public.

In a joint statement with Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures, Robert Fawcett said he advised the owner of Outdoor Adventures, Joey Houssian, in mid-April 2010 that he estimated that only about 50 dogs needed to be euthanized because they were "too old" or "sick" and couldn't be adopted.

"These dogs live to 'run' and were not able to do so and would have had to be kept in cages, with the result that they would have had very poor or virtually no quality of life," said the statement.

It added that "considerable efforts" were made to adopt the animals, but those efforts "were not as successful as hoped."

And it repeated the company's insistence that it did not tell Fawcett how to euthanize the animals, noting he had "very humanely" euthanized dogs on previous occasions.
Dogsledding suspended

The leaked WorkSafe BC documents don't identify the worker who claims to have shot the animals, but they describe him as the "general manager" of the dog sled company.

The documents suggested Howling Dogs had a total of about 300 animals, and the general manager said he felt pressured to get rid of a third of them after bookings dried up following the Olympics.

Outdoor Adventures has suspended its dogsledding operations until it completes its own investigation into the cull.

The company said it currently has 158 dogs at an open-pen kennel north of Whistler. About 85 per cent of them are held in pens, with three animals per pen, while the remaining are tethered.

"The dogs will remain with the company," Outdoor Adventures said in an email. "The company has maintained all its dogsled staff on payroll and they will exercise the dogs regularly, which is extremely important for the health of the dogs."

Moriarty said the SPCA inspected the company's kennel on Monday, and the agency was satisfied the dogs are safe.



Joint Statement from Robert Fawcett and Outdoor Adventures at Whistler Ltd.

Outdoor Adventures at Whistler Ltd. and former General Manager, Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. [Fawcett] agree to the following:

1. The number of dogs euthanized by Mr. Fawcett. Mr. Fawcett advised Mr. [Joey] Houssian in mid-April 2010 that he was estimating 50 dogs would be euthanized.

2. The condition of the dogs euthanized by Mr. Fawcett. In mid April, 2010 Mr. Fawcett advised Mr. Houssian that the dogs to be euthanized were "too old" or "sick" and "not adoptable". These dogs live to "run" and were not able to do so and would have had to be kept in cages with the result that they would have had very poor or virtually no quality of life.

3. The efforts made to arrange for dogs to be adopted. Considerable efforts were made to arrange for dogs to be adopted, both before and after mid April, 2010. The efforts at adoption were not as successful as hoped.

4. The instructions given to Mr. Fawcett concerning the manner of euthanizing the dogs. There were no instructions given to Mr. Fawcett as to the manner of euthanizing dogs on this occasion, and Mr. Fawcett was known to have very humanely euthanized dogs on previous occasions.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...l-dispute.html
 
Old 02-08-2011, 08:37 PM   #3
SamanthaJane13
Exclamation

Activists target dog sled rides after dog deaths
By SUE MANNING, Associated Press Sue Manning, Associated Press – 46 mins ago

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 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 League 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, ADLF'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.

___

Online:

http://www.mushwithpride.org

http://www.vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca

http://www.hsicanada.ca

http://www.aspca.org

http://www.humanesociety.org

http://www.dogsaspen.com

http://www.aldf.org

http://www.dogsledding.com

http://www.peta.org

___

Online:

http://www.dogsledding.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20...l2aXN0c3Rhcg--
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! FaunaClassifieds.com is the largest online community about Reptile & Amphibians, Snakes, Lizards and number one classifieds service with thousands of ads to look for. Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

 
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Two more officers killed brd7666 General BS forum 0 01-24-2011 05:09 PM
killed over live? The Python Lab Ball Pythons Discussion Forum 6 07-12-2010 02:19 PM
60 Dogs Leave California for Canada on Private Jet SamanthaJane13 General BS forum 1 06-27-2010 08:50 PM
Dead man’s dog killed to go with him to grave SamanthaJane13 SOUND OFF!!! 9 04-03-2010 08:26 AM
'Innocent' python killed rmestre Pythons Discussion Forum 3 02-26-2005 11:09 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:34 AM.







Fauna Top Sites


Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.05915999 seconds with 10 queries
Content copyrighted ©2002-2022, FaunaClassifieds, LLC