Wednesday, February 02, 2011

First They Starved Them, Then They Shot Them


One hundred sled dogs in Whistler, British Columbia, owned by Outdoor Adventures.
All because their bookings were down since the 2010 Olympics. You have no idea how angry I am. You have no idea how angry Hub is. He wrote every person we know in B.C., which are plenty, telling them we would no longer patronize their galleries nor any other B.C. business unless the killer, his company and the SPCA were thrown in jail and the key thrown away.

Considering the movie Sled Dogs is one of my favorites, because I love those crazy dogs, I'm left dumbstruck. I don't know who to be the most angry with. The killer who is on "stress leave" after killing the dogs last April, the owner who ordered the slaughter or the SPCA who ignored numerous complaints regarding the conditions under which the dogs were living. Made, actually, by the man who did the shooting. He could and should have done more.

The SPCA called, but did not visit the site citing insufficient staff. A call to the owner informed them the dogs were in good condition. Well, duh! They dismissed the complaint by the employee, choosing not to substantiate it.

Other than basic good care, like water, food and warm shelter, sled dogs are a difficult bunch to look after. They have special needs. They need to run. Finding homes for them isn't like having you or me take one in, but it is not an impossible task, especially in regions like the northwest where dog sledding is popular. Ads in dog magazines and the papers would have done the trick.

I found it interesting that the story, in discussing who might be charged, the ages of both the owner and the killer were given. Like that makes a difference? I think not! Both are adult men. The only question I have is about the IQ of the shooter. Smart enough to file a complaint but too weak to defy the grisly order. Not much of a shot either, according to reports of dogs needing to be chased down and finished off. Are you getting queasy yet?

The dogs were buried in a mass grave and a plea has gone out asking the public to stay away so the site isn't contaminated and the RCMP and SPCA can do their job. I hope the "job" the RCMP does is better than the one the SPCA did. In fact I'd have the SPCA stay the hell out of the way.

The owner should be hung and quartered. The shooter? He could have said no. He wasn't going to have a job long anyway, if business was so poor! And yes, he has received a death threat.

Listen to all those words. Hung and quartered.  Death threat. Here I could probably be arrested for using inciteful language. There is, however, nothing they could do to me that would be worse than what was allowed to happen to those dogs.

One friend has already replied and assured us the anger is just as rampant there as it is with us. Of that I am glad. Maybe some changes will be made. What use is there of having organizations begging us for money to help poor, helpless animals if they don't do the job.

Just where does that money go anyway?

3 comments:

Word Tosser said...

it was the same thing that happen when the Greyhound race track closed down their on site races...
There was a story in the paper about how some (like 20) dogs were found at a dump... and talk of many more.. then they started to adopt them out..
I find the Greyhound and this story very disturbing and nauseas

nan16 said...

The ASPCA is now off my list of donations that I make every year.

Margie's Musings said...

What a tragedy! Some people would have loved to have had those dogs.