The civilized world has reacted with shock and revulsion to the revelations surrounding the alleged slaughter of some 100 sled dogs last year by the manager of a company that conducted tours for Outdoor Adventures at Whistler. And those reactions are justified, given the knowledge that the dogs were kept - and slaughtered - with the primary purpose of making money for the company.
The B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and RCMP are investigating the matter, and the B.C. government is now conducting a review of the circumstances surrounding the massacre, according to Premier Gordon Campbell, because "we want to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in our province."
That review, incidentally, is being led by Dr. Terry Lake, an MLA who also happens to be a veterinarian. Dr. Lake's task force will examine the regulation and oversight of the dogsledding industry.
Both of those "official" responses are proper under the circumstances. They're also necessary given the rush to vigilante-style justice that exploded in the online comments forums and the blogosphere since the news broke on Monday (Jan. 31).
Official processes that aim to determine the facts before justice is meted out, and perhaps changes made, are very much needed at times like these.
Full disclosure: For many years, this writer has known the man who reportedly carried out the killings; has visited his young, active family's home and can say this: Either he's a decent guy or yours truly is an extremely poor judge of character. He certainly appeared to this observer to care about the dogs' welfare -as evidenced by the fact that, after Outdoor Adventures at Whistler assumed "operational control" of the dogsled operation in May, he filed a report asking the SPCA to look into the conditions under which the (remaining 150 or so) dogs were kept.
None of that gives this writer any special insights into the circumstances surrounding the alleged slaughter. Yours truly hasn't talked to him in a few years. We can only imagine the conflicts, both external and internal, that took place before and since the inhumane slaughter that occurred last April.
In a statement, Bob Fawcett and Joey Houssian this week said "there were no instructions given to Mr. Fawcett as to the manner of euthanizing dogs on this occasion." What's most disturbing here is that, given the scale of the "euthanization" that they knew was to occur, Houssian and others apparently didn't seek out further details. Was the parent company so detached from the animal side of the equation that the methods were inconsequential?
It's also disturbing that the company felt it necessary to keep 300 dogs ready to run on dogsled tours "in case" business exploded during the Olympic period, leaving itself in the position of having to dispose of some of the dogs when that business didn't materialize - as though "business" was all that mattered.
It's hoped that the SPCA-led investigation, and Dr. Lake's task force, find answers that help prevent anything of this nature from happening in the future. Justice needs to be meted out here -just not the type of vigilante-style justice that some in the blogosphere appear to support.
- David Burke
