Recent Animal Abuse in Whitehorse
On Sunday February 11th, 2007 a dog was found abandoned outside Copper Road Veterinary Clinic. The dog, now given the name Trooper, had obviously been dragged behind a vehicle or snowmobile and suffered severe injuries. The citizen who discovered Trooper brought him to Mae Bachur Animal Shelter and staff immediately called a veterinarian.

Trooper was abandoned in daylight. Someone had to have seen this poor animal's plight. If you recognize Trooper or have any information regarding this incident, please contact Humane Society Yukon 633-6019 or City of Whitehorse Bylaw Services 668-8382.

Last October, in Didsbury, Alberta, two teenagers aged 17 and 19 were charged for deliberately binding a dog with duct tape and dragging him behind a truck until he died. Residents of Whitehorse, this is happening in your own community! Was this a deliberate act of cruelty or an accident? Either way there is no excuse. If it was a deliberate act, words cannot describe your actions. If it was an accident, it was preventable. Humane Society Yukon does not condone dogs riding in open pick up truck boxes. Even if dogs are tethered, wind can damage their eyes and ears and accidents like this can happen. Possibly Trooper was tethered in the box of a truck, fell out and a third party found him. If this happened and you were Trooper’s previous owners, were you so preoccupied that you did you not notice your pet was missing? To the person who abandoned Trooper - were you planning on him waiting patiently, in his sorry state, for the clinic to open on Monday? Why would anyone leave this dog suffering in the cold?

Much of Troopers skin on his right side is missing, his feet are abraded and raw, and his mouth is sore, to name just a few of his injuries. Thanks to the care of Dr. Candace Marche, Trooper will recover from his physical injuries. He is a brave, friendly dog who did not deserve this abuse and lack of respect from a human being!

We have many visitors coming to Whitehorse over the next few weeks for the Winter Games. Do we want them to witness this kind of abuse?

Please continue to lobby your MLA in regard to the progress of revisions to the Yukon Animal Protection Act. Acts of animal cruelty deserve punishment.

Pat Banks,
President, Humane Society Yukon.