SPCA to exhume slain sled dogs

[Big Bacardi]

so if you shoot one dog...its ok? cause you didnt need it???ok fine....how is it any different to shoot hundred dogs???

im saying if he shot them...it was quick and humane....if he slowly tortured them...different story altogether!

[Big Bacardi]

and when they slaughter cows/chickens...etc...

do they all not stand in line and wait???the animal behind sees the animal in front....

I know for a fact that when they kills the cows it is a shot of air to the brain...no dif???

[Graham Adder]

I know for a fact that when they kills the cows it is a shot of air to the brain...no dif???

Fact, eh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_bolt_pistol

[shelly01]

Their money would be better used in policing themselves. I feel very sorry for the sled dogs, but I feel terrible for the larger breeds in the care of the BCSPCA that are put down (three for sure this past March in Kelowna) for no valid reason. This really happens and it sickens me to no end.

[Big Bacardi]

to graham adder???*bleep*????

you doubting me???

read yer link!!!

[Lore]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/05/08/bc-sled-dogs-spca.html

The bodies of 52 sled dogs have been pulled from a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of 100 sled dogs slaughtered in Whistler, B.C., last year, according to the B.C. SPCA.

"In order to protect the integrity of the investigation and the evidence, I'm not going to go into great detail about what was found. However, I can report that as of today 52 dogs have been removed from the grave," Marcie Moriarty, head of cruelty investigations, told reporters Sunday in Whistler.

She said the excavation process is not complete and expects more bodies will be pulled from the grave in the coming days.

It's not clear, she said, whether criminal charges will be laid.

"The investigators are collecting forensic evidence and we will put that evidence before [the] Crown and it will be up to Crown counsel to make that determination."

Moriarty said the bodies that have been exhumed are being examined for evidence they may have suffered unnecessarily.

"Any sort of case where it could be established throats had been cut and bled out — that is not an acceptable method of killing an animal in Canada. If the animal was bludgeoned to death and didn't die instantly."

The B.C. SPCA hired a team of internationally recognized forensic experts with experience in the Robert Pickton pig farm murders as well as with mass graves in Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The investigation could cost up to $225,000. The B.C. government has provided half that money but the rest will have to come from donations.

At Sunday's news conference, Moriarty defended the cost.

"I want to be clear: We would not have taken this step if it wasn't essential to proceeding with possible charges in this particular case. Our legal system requires proof of allegations, and in this case the forensic evidence was a key component," she said.

"While the scope of the sled dog investigation is significant, to ignore such disturbing allegations was really not an option. We're also an enforcement agency and we have a mandate to investigate complaints of animal cruelty that are brought to us."

Moriarty said it could take several weeks or even months before the evidence is processed. However, she said there are some new findings that will hopefully help develop a sled dog code of practice and improve the welfare of sled dogs throughout B.C.

The dogs were killed over a two-day period in April 2010 by Robert Fawcett, who described in graphic detail in a WorkSafeBC document how he had to slaughter the animals in front of each other because of the size of the cull.

Fawcett was the part owner of Howling Dog Tours, along with Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures, which used the sled dogs on its tours. Outdoor Adventures maintains it never sanctioned the killing of that many dogs, and did not take over the operation of Howling Dog Tours from Fawcett until a month after the slaughter.

Yayyy Julia, a like minded person.
The BCSPCA had to exhume the dogs for evidence to take this further so
that sled dogs in the future will not have to face the same end and also for
changes to happen for the protection of all animals in the future.
IMO it is needed and worth it 100%.
Without the BCSPCA the fate of many animals would be horrific.
I am glad they exist.
Here is the latest info on this issue:
http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/n ... -into.html

[Lore]

Their money would be better used in policing themselves. I feel very sorry for the sled dogs, but I feel terrible for the larger breeds in the care of the BCSPCA that are put down (three for sure this past March in Kelowna) for no valid reason. This really happens and it sickens me to no end.

Unfortunately, some dogs and probably many more cats are euthanized.
It is very sad that this is happening but IMO the blame should not be put on the SPCA
but on the people who don't get their pets fixed, the people who abandon fheir pets and
the people who no longer want their pet for whatever reason and take them to the SPCA.
The shelter cannot hold an unlimited amount of animals.
And do you think the SPCA can keep an animal for its entire life?
There are more animals going into the shelter (with waiting lists) than are being adopted out.
So what do you think the solution is?
I know I was very thankful for the SPCA recently when I reported a abused/neglected puppy
who, thanks to the SPCA, is out of that situation and has a shot at a happy life.
What the SPCA does it does for the animals well being now and in the future
and that includes exhuming the sled dogs.
The SPCA did what it should have done.

[juliatrops]

In response to the article in the Calgary Herald:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/them/ ... story.html

Re: "Let sleeping dogs lie," Editorial, May 10.

Your editorial shows a shocking lack of knowledge of our criminal justice system. The killing of 100 dogs at Whistler is, unfortunately, not an openand-shut case, not without evidence. The B.C. SPCA must provide the Crown with appropriate evidence before the Crown will approve the laying of charges -evidence that can only be obtained by exhuming at least some of the bodies.

Prosecuting those responsible is not simply a quest for justice; it will send a clear message to those who would abuse animals that not only are there stiffer penalties for this kind of crime, but the law will enforce those penalties.

Debra Probert, Vancouver Debra Probert is executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

------

Not sure if anyone heard, but they are stopping at 56. When I asked directly if they are stopping because that is all there is, or if it is money or what... they could not (would not) give an answer. However, according to the WCB report, 55 or so dogs were killed the first day, the 21st, and more on the second day, the 23rd. It is my belief that there are two graves.

There must be a ton of evidence if they are stopping at the first grave - and this appears to be confirmed by the statement.... exhuming at least some of the bodies.... from the link above.

------

Lore, I don't want to even think about the euthanizing of animals here in Kelowna. It is too heartbreaking. When I think of other SPCAs in Ontario, (who put down 102 dogs because of ringworm), and the other 30 or so dogs in Saskatchewan, 29 which were just seized today - they had been watching them for a year... a year? Excuse me? Makes me wonder what the P in SPCA really stands for... is it really Protection? or Prevention? because neither of those seem to be working right now. I hope the entire SPCA system gets an overall.

[Roadster]

this whole deal is a waste of taxpayers resources and SPCA money(which they are short of )the dogs are dead.They know who did it and why. end of story.Charge the owners and the idiots that did it and get on with it.This whole deal is being delt with by a bunch of idiots.

Just charging someone without any proof (ie: physical evidence) is a waste.
The spca is doing this so that there will be physical proof that this cruelty did in fact occur so that cruelty charges will stick.

What some people don't realize is the whole WCB thing coulda been a fake to get out of work, So lets say they don't dig and charge and convict him falsely... There would be a waste of money. I don't agree we should pay it either, Maybe the cost should go to the grounds owner who ordered the killings after the digging is done, Fine the guy who did it as per the animal cruelty laws and we are all happy,,,,

Even tho he filed a claim don't mean any of it is true, maybe only half is true. He wasn't looking to help the law at the time, he was looking to get a coverage plan quite possibly and if so he could have been telling a whole big lie. Lets not forget that is done often.

[strwbrrydvl]

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.

Moriarty said the discrepancy stems from Fawcett's original account of the slaughter.

"The number that was self-reported by [Fawcett] in his WorkSafe BC report was between 76 to 100, and that was the amount that was always out there," said Moriarty.

The exhuming of the dogs cost the SPCA $250,000 to conduct, with almost half the amount coming from a provincial grant. Work began in early May.

"We did a very comprehensive dig," said Moriarty. "The cost is due to the science and forensics involved as well as the scale and the scope."

News of the massacre made international headlines in early January after workers' compensation documents were leaked to the media.

In the documents, Fawcett outlined a claim of post-traumatic stress disorder he suffered after killing the dogs.

Fawcett detailed how he shot or slit the throats of at least 70 dogs over the course of two days.

The documents also said Fawcett ran out of ammunition at one point and had to use a knife to kill an aggressive dog.

"By that point he wanted nothing more than to stop the ‘nightmare' but he continued because he had been given a job to finish," the documents said.

Fawcett said that he was ordered to carry out the cull as a result of a slow sledding season following the 2010 Olympic Games.

His post-traumatic stress disorder claim was accepted by WorkSafe BC earlier this year.

Following public pressure after the discovery of slaughter, the B.C. government appointed a task force who reviewed the local dogsled industry. Among their ten recommendations, were an increase in penalties for animal cruelty and an increase in funding for the BC SPCA.

http://m.ctv.ca/bc/20110816/bc_sled_dog ... 10816.html

[strwbrrydvl]

Could face prison time or a $10 000 fine - how about a $250 000 fine to cover the cost of exhuming the dogs? I think that'd be fairer that just 10k..

[The Green Barbarian]

anyone else have a problem with a charitable organization recommending criminal charges? I can seem them advocating for charges, much like MADD does for drunk drivers, but this seems more like they are acting like they have the authority to charge people - and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with them having this kind of power. What's next? You kill a chicken for dinner and get charged with cruelty to chickens?

[Oxl3y]

anyone else have a problem with a charitable organization recommending criminal charges? I can seem them advocating for charges, much like MADD does for drunk drivers, but this seems more like they are acting like they have the authority to charge people - and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with them having this kind of power. What's next? You kill a chicken for dinner and get charged with cruelty to chickens?

When determining the scope of the offense wouldn't it be common practice to turn to experts in that field?

[twobits]

anyone else have a problem with a charitable organization recommending criminal charges? I can seem them advocating for charges, much like MADD does for drunk drivers, but this seems more like they are acting like they have the authority to charge people - and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with them having this kind of power. What's next? You kill a chicken for dinner and get charged with cruelty to chickens?

Yes I do have a problem. While I decry the slaughter of those sled dogs, the whole process afterwards was unwarranted. The SPCA is a valuable organization and is always soliciting funding and donations. I can't help but think that the 1/4 million spent on excavation and forensics could have been better utilized elsewhere. Media coverage of the slaughter was braod and intense. The message was sent and received by everyone. Only a fool would attempt a similar performance. No need for that kind of coin to prosecute one man who in all likelyhood, will get off completely or at the worst, wrist slapped. His true pennance will be his own personal shame and reoccuring nightmares.

[Oxl3y]

anyone else have a problem with a charitable organization recommending criminal charges? I can seem them advocating for charges, much like MADD does for drunk drivers, but this seems more like they are acting like they have the authority to charge people - and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with them having this kind of power. What's next? You kill a chicken for dinner and get charged with cruelty to chickens?

Yes I do have a problem. While I decry the slaughter of those sled dogs, the whole process afterwards was unwarranted. The SPCA is a valuable organization and is always soliciting funding and donations. I can't help but think that the 1/4 million spent on excavation and forensics could have been better utilized elsewhere. Media coverage of the slaughter was braod and intense. The message was sent and received by everyone. Only a fool would attempt a similar performance. No need for that kind of coin to prosecute one man who in all likelyhood, will get off completely or at the worst, wrist slapped. His true pennance will be his own personal shame and reoccuring nightmares.

Funny how saving a lot of money doing things the horrible way has a way of soothing nghtmares. If you honestly think this guy gives two hoots about the situation, think again, and nightmares lol!

Also IF he only gets a slap on the wrist why would anyone care if they did it later? Shame? The type of person that can have 100 dogs shot is not the type of person to care about shame.