It has just come to light that last spring,
after the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, BC ended, 100 Alaskan Huskies
were ordered slaughtered by the Whistler, BC company who used them to take
tourists on dog-sledding adventures. That these dogs were exterminated when no
longer needed rather than be given the chance of adoption by families who would
love them is unconscionable. Secondly, their "execution" was tragically inhumane. The employee tasked with killing the
animals claimed that the deed pretty much destroyed his soul (he was
compensated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Those poor dogs were treated
as a commodity, used to make a profit for their business owners, then disposed
of like trash when business fell off following the Winter Games. It breaks my
heart. The BC SPCA would have taken all of those dogs. Not one of them needed
to have perished.

That this mass murder took place in Whistler, a community close to uber
dog-friendly Vancouver, BC, where I live and where Modern Dog is published
from, is scarcely believable. My province of BC has many, many hard-working and
devoted individuals dedicated to working with organizations such as the BC SPCA
as well as countless independent rescues in order to enlighten and educate
people on the humane treatment of animals. Just recently, Richmond, a city
located on the outskirts of Vancouver, ruled it illegal for pet stores to sell
dogs, thereby helping increase the numbers of dogs adopted, but also,
importantly, halting dog "impulse buys" and pet store acquisition of "stock"
from puppy mills.

How, in an enlightened community of dog lovers, could this tragedy have happened? I have no answers. But I am hoping
the lesson taken is that we all must be vigilante in continuing to promote
kindness towards and protection of animals and by our examples hopefully
influence others who have yet to understand. The RCMP has begun an inquiry and
further details on this massacre will undoubtedly be in the news over the
coming weeks. My hope is that those people who think animals can be used for
profit with little or no thought to their needs or wants will realize that
there are consequences to their actions.

To watch video coverage on this click here.