Thursday, February 3, 2011

Sled Dogs Murdered in British Columbia

WARNING: The referenced articles contain graphic word images which will make you sick.

I would not have believed it until I read it the other day.

Remember the Olympics in Canada last year--well one of the results of that beautiful event has recently come to light in the senseless slaughter of 100 sled dogs.

In an article titled: 100 Sled Dogs Killed in British Columbia Due to Slump in Tourism, the Huffington Post reported on February 1, 2011 the senseless slaughter of about one-third of a 300 sled dog pack due to tourism downturns. Or stated another way--the dogs were no longer profitable. And the title really says it all. Another article on the subject indicates the slaughter occurred in Whistler, B.C.

I am sickened, saddened, and horrified.

Yeah, it surely can happen anywhere.  But really, dogs? I remember the Michael Vick saga of a couple years ago and how horrified we all were about the senseless handling and murder of his dogs. This is far worse--and when you read the linked article--you will know that unlike euthanasia, the dogs in question did suffer.

The last three sentences of the article really stopped me--and I present them for your own food for thought:

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?

Where are we heading? We have lost, as a people and a society, our moral compass.

I have always held Canadians in such high regard for the moral high road they seem to take.

2 comments:

Mike said...

What a terrible thing. Dominion over the animal world comes with responsibility and it seems we often forget that. In this case, I think the responsibility has several facets. First, in an industry dependent upon animal labor they should take care not to over-expand in good times and put themselves in a position where they cannot maintain the animals while sustaining the business (even at the expense of profits) in bad times. If they do become hopelessly overextended, every reasonable effort should be made to find another use for the dogs. I don't know if they could be pets, but presumably it requires some time and resources to train these dogs and someone in that part of the world would be happy to have a team of sled dogs at a reduced price (or free). If that is not possible, and the choice is to destroy a number of dogs or close the business and abandon all of the dogs to starvation, then it has to happen in a humane way (professional euthanasia or, at the least, instant death from a gunshot). The animals are owed more than the amateurish methods allegedly used by these people.

Bobdadmd said...

This murder of such great animals is not only senseless but inhumane. How could anyone do such a horrible thing to those beautiful tained animals who provided an income for the owners? It makes me sick.

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