Sled Dogs Killed Because of Slow Business

[Kaleel Sakakeeny]

Sled Dogs Killed Because of Slow Business

A shocking report by the Associated Press claims that 100 or more sled dogs in Canada were shot and had their throats slit because of a slowdown in tourism.

The British Columbia Society Prevention Cruelty to Animals reported that a company called Outdoor Adventures Whistler expected more dog-sledding business in a post-Olympics tourism activity, and when the anticipated boom never happened, the dogs were killed last April.

The grisly story came to light according to MSNBC  when an employee of the company applied for worker’s compensation saying he “suffered post-traumatic stress after shooting the dogs and slitting their throats.”

Outdoor Adventure Whistler is the parent company of Howling Dog Tours Whistler, which offers popular dog sled tours in the winter.

The reaction from the Vancouver Humane Society was swift.

Debra Probert, executive director, called for a ban on dog sledding as a tourist activity.

MSNBC reported Probert said that society is not willing to accept that animals, particularly dogs should be killed because they are surplus or don’t suit the purpose for which they were born.”

While Probert said that the horrific incident is “the tip of the iceberg,” others said they were shocked because it was rare.

A Minneapolis couple that owns a dog-sledding business said that they had never heard the likes of it before and “the magnitude is so shocking, our heads are reeling.”

The employee responsible for killing the dogs has not been charged, but the California-based Animal League Defense Fund  is offering Canadian prosecutors money for forensics and witnesses,  and asking its members to write calling for a cancellation of the world-famous Iditarod (which I saw, and questioned) ) scheduled for March 5.

[Kaleel Sakakeeny]

That seems to be the debate, Donna. Some animal activists and humane societies say tighter regulations are required. Others say since these regulations can never really be enforced, ban these kinds of activities all together.

I don't know what I think..except I know it makes me very sad and distressed.

Thanks for writing in!

Kaleel

[Donna Esposito]

As a Canadian, I was mortified when I read about this, but I would probably be just as mortified if I was from any country. Does Canada need to ban dog-sledding, or should it let the practice continue but regulate it more closely?