A closer look at the Whistler, BC sled dog industry

Here's yet another perspective to the April 2010 dog cull in Whistler, British Columbia. I'm adding my two cents to the media circus that has captured the world's attention.

The case of the 100 sled dogs brutally slaughtered by their owner Bob Fawcett on April 21 and 23, 2010 has infuriated people all over the world, not just animal lovers. The man pictured as a top champion in his sport and one of the Board of Directors of Mush With P.R.I.D.E. (Providing Responsible Information on a Dog’s Environment) took extreme measures to get rid of his dogs. It's simply bizarre. Of course we are curious. We want to know if he acted out of desperation, then why.

This was not the first time Bob Fawcett has been in the news. An April 2009 news article in The Whistler Question (a news website serving the Whistler and Pemberton communities) reported that Dr. David Lane of Coast Mountain Veterinary Services checked out the Whistler sled dog operations in response to complaints to the local SPCA.

The SPCA’s Eileen Drever told 'The Question' last week that she’s dealing with a couple of ongoing investigations in regard to how Whistler-area sled dogs are kept. Two women who took separate tours with Blackcomb Snowmobiles in January wrote letters to Whistler’s mayor and council expressing concerns about the thin, bony appearance of some dogs as well as their cowering demeanour and other health concerns.

Dr. Lane said he supports the idea of SPCA officers checking out local sled dog operations, but he doesn’t see any “huge problems” in the Whistler-area industry. Just because the SPCA is checking things out doesn’t mean there’s “a horror story going on,” he said.

The article goes on the say that The Question received an e-mail from a reader who told a similar story, another sled dog tour customer.

Patricia Watson wrote that she was “horrified” to see dogs that were “extremely underweight, had horrible diarrhoea and bleeding paws” when she took a tour booked through the Hilton in February.

Mr. Fawcett then contacted The Question with a response

Bob Fawcett of Whistler Dogsledding, which provides dogs to Outdoor Adventures Whistler, has been in the Whistler industry for about a decade.

He said he’s worked with the SPCA in the past and has improved his operation based on their suggestions, such as providing the dogs with toys. But recent SPCA visits have been sporadic, unannounced and full of “anger and anxiety,” he said.

Dr. Lane does four kennel visits a year and those reports are sent to the SPCA. Fawcett said he would prefer to have the SPCA officers deal directly with Dr. Lane to monitor his Pemberton-area kennel.

Whistler Dogsledding currently has about 320 dogs, which Fawcett admits sounds like a lot, but he estimates the company does about 90 per cent of the tour volume in Whistler. He refuses to run each dog more than twice a day, and they work two days on, one day off.

Fawcett is vice president of Mush With Pride, an organization that outlines standards for the care of sled dogs.

Sounds like all was well.

Recent news reports reveal that Bob Fawcett had also been treated for post traumatic stress disorder in late 2009 for euthanizing a number of dogs according to his worker's compensation records.

From what we've read the reason why the mass cull became public knowledge is because Mr. Fawcett's second worker's compensation filing was filled with gory details since his first filing was rejected.

He also participated on a PTSD forum for soldiers to reach out for support using his own name. In a message posted on January 6, 2011, he wrote

"I have owned a large dogsled company for the last 15 years. As the economy turned, we were forced to sell to a corporation two years ago. They did nothing but complain about costs and were not willing to sell some of the herd because they wanted all the animals on deck 'in case' it was busy. We had 330 dogs."

"I was told the company was going to fold unless we took drastic action . . . immediate disposal of half the herd . . .

"I reluctantly agreed to the job . . . I was told I had two days to get the job done due to a large tour group we had coming."

[Source: Victoria will probe sled-dog deaths, Montreal Gazette]

If he had kept it all under wraps, he'd be fine. But he got sloppy.

It is a known fact that ... Sled dog operators admit that killing animals once they're no longer of value to the business is common practice in the industry. It is legal in Canada to euthanize an animal, as long as it is in a way considered humane. [Source: No need to kill sled dogs, operator says ]

Perhaps Mr. Fawcett has been ousted by his industry peers (see Mush with P.R.I.D.E. statement) not because of the heinous act itself. But because he has now brought the industry under international scrutiny – and potentially damage business for other Whistler dogsledding companies. He's become a liability. It wouldn't be a far-fetched reason in a dog-eat-dog business, would it.

VIDEO http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/undefined/ID=1914709959

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On May 5, 2011 B.C. SPCA investigators removed 56 bodies from the sled dog grave near Whistler before leaving the site — a total that was well short of the 100 that many expected to be found.

Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA, said that the team of SPCA constables, veterinarians and forensic experts were finished with the exhumation of bodies by the end of Monday (May 9).

“The WorkSafe document referred to 70 to 100 dogs. We found 56 and I can’t speculate on what 56 means,” Moriarty said Tuesday (May 10). “It will take a few weeks to get the forensic reports in and present the evidence to Crown counsel, then it will be up to Crown to determine if there’s sufficient evidence to pursue charges.”

When asked Tuesday about the possibility of multiple graves, Moriarty said she couldn’t comment but did say, “I can assure you we have done a thorough investigation.”

Moriarty gave a first update on the investigation in a Sunday (May 8) press conference but said she could not reveal specific details about what was found in the grave in order to “preserve the integrity of the investigation.”

“While we can’t discuss the specific evidence at this point in the investigation, we can disclose that new information has come to light through the exhumation of the bodies in the mass grave that has significant implications for the future welfare of sled dogs across Canada,” she said Sunday, noting that the dogs will at some point be given a proper burial.

“We believe that justice will be done in this case and these dogs will finally rest in peace.”

SOURCE http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20110512/WHISTLER01/305129975/-1/WHISTLER/spca-removes-56-bodies-from-sled-dog-grave

"The findings will be in by the end of August, it's just we've been working with Crown and our constables... well, it's summer, unfortunately, so charges will be in and hopefully there will be a decision sometime in September from Crown," said BCSPCA spokesperson Marcie Moriarity.

"It depends on Crown's schedule, we've been working with them quite closely so it may be a faster decision but who knows, it is a big case."

SOURCE http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_News&content=Sled+dog+follo+1831

August 16, 2011

The BC SPCA will be recommending cruelty charges under the criminal code against the man who admitted to slaughtering dozens of sled dogs in Whistler following the 2010 Winter Olympics.

If the charges are approved, Robert Fawcett, former manager of dog sled firm Outdoor Adventures, faces five years in prison or a $10,000 fine for shooting the dogs execution-style or slitting their throats.

Marcie Moriarty, general manager for SPCA cruelty investigations, said the agency has finished its investigation into the cull and unearthed the remains of 52 dogs – or roughly half the number initially reported.

SOURCE http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110816/bc_sled_dog_follow_110816/20110816/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

December 15, 2011

A not-for-profit foundation has been created to take over the dog-sledding operations of Outdoor Adventures Whistler (OAW), the local company that was part of the controversy earlier this year surrounding an alleged mass killing of dogs in the Whistler area in 2010.

Called the Sled Dog Foundation, the organization was recently established with an independent board of directors that includes animal shelter board members, a local vet and others.

Joey Houssian, owner of OAW, has donated all assets of the company’s dog-sledding operation to the new foundation, which will run local tours on a not-for-profit basis, according to a press release issued Wednesday (Dec. 14). OAW’s dogs, kennels, equipment and land leases have all been turned over to the foundation.

The charity will now own and manage the sledding operation, with proceeds going towards the improvement of animal welfare for sled dogs, the release states. OAW will lend support and expertise as the foundation gets up and running.

“The allegations about how the sled dogs were treated came as a great shock to me and my staff,” Houssian said in the release. “Since then, and after significant research and consultation with animal welfare experts, academics and others, my team concluded that we would try to influence positive change for the industry and for the welfare of sled dogs.

“We believe the creation of this foundation is the best way to achieve this.”

With the popularity of dog-sledding tours in Whistler, it’s expected significant funds will be raised to support animal welfare efforts, commented Kirby Brown, OAW’s vice president.

Local board members include Sue Eckersley, who also serves on the board of the local animal shelter Whistler Animals Galore (WAG), and Dr. David Lane, who owns Coast Mountain Veterinary Hospital and has worked with local dog-sledding operators for 19 years.

“The sled dog business will provide a committed source of ongoing funding for various animal welfare programs and will be the basis for research on sled dog behaviour and care. Everything the foundation learns from its work will be made available to sled dog operators around the world to improve their operations for the benefit of their animals,” Eckersley said in the release.

Stephanie McDonald, CEO of the board of the Edmonton Humane Society, is also a member of the foundation’s board, while animal behaviourist Dr. Rebecca Ledger will serve in an advisory capacity.

SOURCE http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20111215/WHISTLER01/312159963/-1/WHISTLER/non-profit-to-take-over-dog-sled-operations

February 20, 2012

Vancouver Humane Society says dogs will continue to suffer and be needlessly killed

The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) says the care standards for sled dogs, announced today [February 20, 2012] by the B.C. government, have completely failed to address the dogs' welfare problems.

Under the standards sled dogs will still be tethered for long periods and can still be shot if they are unwanted and cannot be rehomed. In addition, the standards provide no resources for on-site inspections or enforcement of the regulations.

"The standards are a travesty," says VHS executive director Debra Probert. "What is the point of having regulations if there is no funding for enforcement?" Probert says dogs will continue to suffer from poor conditions at isolated sled dog operations. "The tethering of dogs for long periods is inhumane and unacceptable, yet this will continue under the new regulations."

The new standards allow operators to kill sled dogs if they have "made reasonable efforts to rehome the sled dog, but those efforts have been unsuccessful." Probert says this means dogs will remain at risk of being killed when they are surplus to an operator's requirements.

SOURCE http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/924371/sled-dogs-betrayed-in-new-care-standards

April 20, 2012

Crown counsel announced charges of animal cruelty (Criminal Code, Section 445.1(1) (a)) against Bob Fawcett, former general manager of the Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours, for causing unnecessary pain and suffering to a number of sled dogs in April 2010. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 24 in Pemberton.

SOURCE http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/news/crown-counsel-approves-charges.html