100 Sled Dogs Killed In British Columbia Due To Slump In Tourism

The heinous slaughter of 100 dogs in British Columbia has revealed a "dirty secret" of the dog sled industry, according to CKNW.

Following the 2010 Olympic Games, there was a slump in business at Outdoor Adventures Whistler. CBC News reports that an employee was ordered to kill 100 dogs from a pack of 300. The dogs were repeatedly shot and had their throats slashed before being dumped into a mass grave.

The employee describes one dog whose "eye was hanging off, and it was still running around." Another dog was dumped into the grave while still alive, and the Outdoor Adventures Whistler employee watched as the dog tried to climb out. The employee has been reportedly compensated for experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after conducting the killings.

It is unclear if the company will actually face criminal charges. According to Marcie Moriarty, general manager for cruelty investigations with the BC SPCA, it is actually legal to shoot an animal if it dies instantly. But the report seems to demonstrate that these dogs did not instantly die, and thus SPCA plans to now dig up the mass grave to determine if there is substantial evidence for a criminal investigation.

These 100 dogs were used for human entertainment, and were then murdered when humans were no longer entertained by them. While this story is horrific, similar events happen regularly - many race horses are slaughtered once past their prime, and up to 4 million pets are killed in shelters each year, often due to bored or unprepared owners abandoning them.

As for the inhumane slaughter of these dogs, farm animals are frequently tortured and killed for human consumption. The murder of these 100 dogs is not unique, and animal slaughter is often performed in the name of human interests.

What do you think? Is it okay to use and then dispose of animals for human sport or consumption?

Comments

[Debbie Bell]

02:21 PM on 02/19/2011

While I agree with many posts here that this was a terrible, tragic event, 100 dogs are die every minute in the USA, day after day.

The RACKET is that the large "humane" groups WANT the problem to continue, as they profit from the pet overpopulation crisis. It is much worse than these groups are telling the public. If they truly cared they would be honest and say:

1) lovely pets are dying and we aren't helping them..

Don't donate to us. Instead

2) If everyone WHO CARES cares spays/neuters,
adopts their next pet from a non-breeding source,
and keeps current phone id on each pet and/or microchips their pets,
the crisis could be essentially solved this year.

But this is a solvable problem None of the pets who are being killed AS YOU ARE READING THIS came to Earth on a UFO; each came from a non-fixed pair of pets.

When all your pets are spayed/neutered, then help your friends and neighbors to fix their pets and the then donate to local volunteer spay/neuter groups, so you donation will actually help pets, not pay for the many perks that the staff at the large groups receive.

Even one litter is a tragedy
There are millions of reasons to adopt your next pet; that's the numbers of unwanted or homeless pets.
The top ten reasons to spay and neuter your pets died at a pound today.
Friends don't let friends have litters.

[bronwynwe]

11:25 AM on 03/02/2011

I do not disrespect your opinion as I agree that this is partially true. It is however an over generalization. Our local Humane Societies offer free spay/neuter programs for pit bulls, plus free training (Seattle). There are cheap to no cost spay / neuter programs if you apply for the program (Tacoma). They are trying. And you can't over generalize staff as I believe most of the staff helping out in the kennels are volunteers. People really need to find a solution rather than point out the problem. I adopted a Humane Society dog and if and when we are in the market for a "sibling" for our dog, we will go back to the Humane Society. Have a good day!

[susan444]

06:11 PM on 02/14/2011

It's shocking how cruel and selfish humans can be towards animals. I hope they press charges against these people, and I hope more is done to protect animals that are used for food. We should at least have humane ways of ending the lives of cattle, chickens, etc., and also have laws to ensure they're treated humanely while they're alive.

[mamadeus]

09:00 PM on 02/08/2011

I am horrified. I could have adopted two of these dogs. What a travesty. They didn't try to find homes for the them.

[YankeeCanuck]

06:47 PM on 02/06/2011

THis was simply a business to cash in on the one-time spectacle of the Winter Olympics--with no plan for the dogs afterwards. They were not all huskies, either--many of them were hound or retriever mixes.
The RCMP has launched a criminal investigation. The companies both are owned by a relative of the head of Intrawest Resorts---big ski resort developer. Plenty of wealth in that family.
The employee may not have been very bright and/or felt trapped --people are know to do what they are told by an authority, often unquestioningly.

[Simonsaid]

06:34 PM on 02/06/2011

As a animal lover, I am outraged, heartbroken and ashamed to be a Canadian. I grew up with Huskies in northern Manitoba. They are gentle, loyal and great with children.

All of this for greed. Only a sick, demented person would think to do this. I hope the person who ordered the killing and the person who did the killing are charged and will spend time in prison with lots of animal lovers who are inmates. May the ghosts of these dogs haunt these two for the rest of their lives.

[JamesBondQuixote]

02:01 AM on 02/06/2011

Man, stories and news like this sometimes just makes me wish desperately that a huge meteor hit earth again. No more animals to mistreat and murder, and no more humans who will mistreat and murder.

[jmkm]

01:49 AM on 02/05/2011

I'm so horrified by the monstrous acts in this story, I can't even consider addressing the
questions posed for comment. I do hope those involed with this slaughter will get serious
jailtime with permanent records & not a monetary slap on the wrist.

[CraigR]

02:22 AM on 02/05/2011

Check this out:

http://www.greyhounds.org/gpl/contents/entry.html

[Edy Williams]

02:37 PM on 02/04/2011

British Columbia can now feel further esurlts of lost tourism to a nasty ,Barbaric, murdering place. Yuk! Hope these dog killers get back the evil kharma they put forth & feel it full force.

[SaraHuntie]

10:18 AM on 02/04/2011

This might be one of the most despicable things I've read in a long time. Killing an animal or sending them off to certain death because they "no longer entertain us" is SO wrong. I mean, what if we started killing off children because they stopped being adorable and fun? There would be a huge uprising of protest against that, and it's practically the same thing. Diminishing any living being to an object for entertainment purposes and then cruelly "disposing" of them because they fail to meet that standard is awful. I hope that both the owners of the company in question and the guy who carried out the killing are met with swift justice and learn that it's never okay to do something like that- even if your bosses tell you to.

[Edy Williams]

11:42 PM on 02/03/2011

Yes,ezactly correct,to dig up this grave,to study FACTS.! This is a positive,yet difficult task,that will save future precious Sled dogs.For god's sake,we have famous movies with them as stars. This perfectly beautiful, spiritual, souls, would have provided great use in many ways. This Must be EXPOSED!

[RFChinstrap]

10:23 PM on 02/03/2011

My earlier comment was too soft. This is beyond disgusting. I have read that the machine gunners at Babi Yar got sick and could only shoot for so long. This is similar. Post-traumatic stress my eye.

[RFChinstrap]

10:16 PM on 02/03/2011

This is totally disgusting. I have little sympathy for the man who did it, though. Whatever his orders, he carried item out.

[Meghan ReillyNelson]

08:43 PM on 02/03/2011

Why does everyone always try to bring religion into everything?...just wondering. I think its safe to say that anyone who could do something like this, is clearly missing a human component. Its inhumane. And disgusting. I have 2 Huskies and, my god, they are the sweetest things on the planet. Yes, they are meant to run and please. Thats why this story is hard for me to read, because they love to please. They were used and then thrown away. THey didnt even get the "luxury" of being humanely eusthanized. I hate this story, I really do. Its bulls**t and I hope they all get the harshest sentence possible. And for this "post-traumatic stress syndrome" guy, can we say scam?!? Money is always a motive...He could have stopped it at any time...

[Elise 26]

02:26 PM on 02/03/2011

I would like to address what is a long-standing stereotype of dog mushing. Huskies and other sled dogs are meant to run. The love to run, running is their life. When people have huskies as ''regular'' pets, they go insane because they literally need to run many miles each day. This is what they are meant to do. Never get a husky if you are not planning on running that dog. I've seen it happen far too often.

The event mentioned above is horrendous, and all the dog mushers I know would be shocked and very saddened by it. Mushers live for their dogs, and they spend more on their dogs than they do on themselves. Mushers are deeply attached to their dogs and treat them very well.

This event is terrible and is NOT the norm, at all. Dog mushing is not the "disposal for human sport", any husky born is born to run and to deny it that, you are going to end up with one depressed dog.

[Tresco]

09:32 PM on 02/06/2011

My dogs put in many miles with me day in and day out and then they go with my wife on her horseback rides. They need that just to stay sane. I do not understand people who have dogs and keep them locked up in the back yard.

[pterack5]

08:48 AM on 02/03/2011

since JFK was assassinated one million US citizens have died by firearms, this includes suicide and homicide and accidents, dogs just don't rank clear up there yet . . If we truly consider ourselves a Christian nation, we are so in sheep dip . .

[Jax Willey]

02:07 PM on 02/03/2011

@pterack5 - that certianly is an uneducated view for you to spread. This is not a comparison to humans. It is a wrong.

[Seleste King]

03:40 PM on 02/03/2011

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Mohandas Gandhi

Are you going to argue with that Jax?

[kayakcatmike]

02:50 PM on 02/03/2011

If you were a true Christian, you would understand that ALL life is important.

[Unanimous User]

05:37 PM on 02/12/2011

That's why I don't eat vegetables.