Alberta man worries dogs he sold to B.C. firm were among those slaughtered
EDMONTON — Six years ago, Marc Dumont watched as his nine best Alaskan huskies were carted away from his Bonnyville, Alta., house to their new home near Whistler, B.C.
After that day in August 2004, Dumont told friends he had left his dogs with the perfect person, Bob Fawcett.
But when he came home Monday night, he learned some startling news. Fawcett and his company, have been linked to the alleged killings of 100 sled dogs last April.
"I couldn't believe that it was Bob," said Dumont. "It certainly wasn't in his nature."
The cull came to light on Monday through workers' compensation documents. A general manager with Howling Dog Tours made a successful claim with the workers' compensation board in British Columbia, saying he suffered post-traumatic stress after slaughtering the dogs over two days last April.
The document has led to a criminal animal-cruelty investigation by the British Columbia SPCA and the RCMP.
On Tuesday, the RCMP confirmed they were also investigating threats made against an employee at the company since the allegations came to light.
While not named in the documents, the man has been identified as Robert T. Fawcett, listed in corporate papers as a director of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Ltd.
Dumont is distraught, knowing the dogs he gave up would be among the oldest of the 300 the company owned.
"The first question that came to mind was, 'Oh my God, which ones are left?' " said Dumont. "The hard thing is not knowing what exactly the situation is."
For the better part of a decade, sled dogs were Dumont's hobby. In the mid-'90s, he had a single Siberian husky. Eventually, he was making rice and kibble for 20 dogs. In the winter, he'd take them sledding, and in the summers, the dogs would pull a quad. But with the massive time commitment and a discouraging lack of snow, Dumont eventually decided to give up his passion.
It took considerable effort to find "the right home" for his animals. Sled dogs are often more aggressive than most domestic animals, so not all could be placed as pets. He even backed out of an agreement to sell his dogs when he visited the buyer's farm and thought the facilities weren't adequate.
But Fawcett was different. The two began exchanging emails in 2004 after Dumont posted on an online forum that he was looking to sell his dogs.
Fawcett had recently left a sled dog tour company in Canmore, Alta., with plans to strike out on his own. As he gathered animals for his West Coast touring company, he spoke passionately about making practices more humane.
He wanted to get rid of tethers and place the dogs in pens, not easy since sled dogs tend to fight and gang up on each other. Fawcett also wanted to neuter the animals to prevent accidental litters, an uncommon practice since neutered dogs are more lethargic.
"I thought that some of the things that they were aspiring to have were not realistic," said Dumont.
During Dumont's three visits to Fawcett's Pemberton, B.C., facility, his dogs appeared fat and happy. Some of the females were now part of Fawcett's breeding stock, and one, now too old to pull, was living in an open pen for the "retired" dogs. The dogs weren't driven too hard and received ample petting from tourists. And Fawcett and the "spectacular" staff knew all 300 animals by name.
But the business also had troubles, including a lack of snow, which meant fewer tours and less money. By the time of Dumont's third visit in December 2008, Fawcett had sold the business and became the general manager.
bwittmeier(at)edmontonjournal.com
Edmonton Journal