I’m not what you’d consider a dog guy.
My mom was allergic, so we never had any type of furry creature and I just haven’t had a whole lot of experience with dogs.
I guess the closest encounters I had with any type of hound was my ex-girlfriend’s — nice enough dog, but I think she liked the animal more than me.
My lack of a deep connection with dogs sometimes tends to distance me from animal-related stories, but the recent story about the “Brookswood Six” really touched a nerve.
For those late to the party, this was the story about a dog walker who claimed six dogs were stolen from the back of her truck, only to eventually reveal that the dogs perished from heat stroke, with her having disposed of the bodies after lying for several days about their whereabouts.
One of my good friend’s brother’s dog was involved in the unfortunate tragedy and I’d say it’s been a pretty rough past few months for him.
The rollercoaster ride of emotions was totally unnecessary — he was also the victim of a cruel blackmail scheme by someone promising their dogs for cash — and it all could have been avoided if the dog walker had simply told the truth.
SPCA officials have told media that they think there is enough evidence for criminal charges including cruelty and neglect to animals and they expect to submit a report to Crown counsel in the next few weeks.
I fully endorse the move to press for criminal charges but I don’t think the families impacted by this tragedy will get the kind of justice they want and it all relates to the Whistler sled dog cull back in 2010.
For everything the dog walker put the animals and their owners through, it was still an accident. Sure, it was an irresponsible and totally avoidable incident, but I think it pales in comparison to what happened in Whistler.
A total of 56 bodies were recovered from mass graves in Whistler and it was alleged that the dogs were wrestled to the ground, stood on, had their throats slit or were shot.
All of this cruelty only resulted in three years’ probation for the perpetrator and unfortunately I think the precedent has been set for the Brookswood Six case.
Hopefully the silver lining in this disaster is that just like in the sled dog case, this incident can cause the government to look at the dog walking industry and dog walkers and create some sort of safeguards for the industry.
These people should be trained, certified or have some sort of approval before they can be trusted with several dogs at once.
The Brookswood Six will never be able to run free again but let’s hope that their unfortunate and far-too-early deaths can result in some sort of positive change.
