Animal Person
On the Krabloonik Dogs

I was supposed to be in Aspen for nine days, starting today. I'd be staying at the St. Regis and spending lots of money there and in town. The petsitter situation became unworkable, however, and alas, I'm sitting at my dining room table rather than on a plane. Now, I could easily have rescheduled my trip, but when I found out about the Krabloonik Sled dogs I was so disgusted that I didn't want to give Aspen/Snowmass a penny.

There was a meeting of the Krabloonik Advisory Board on Tuesday to discuss what can be done for the dogs and here's the odd thing: outsiders, who specifically state that they're not animal rights activists or interested in closing down the Krabloonik operation, are working with the people who own the operation to improve the treatment of the dogs. Krabloonik has been noncompliant with state regulations for years and when you see the shocking way they dogs are kept, you might just wonder why the people who are interested in "giving these dogs a voice" have as their goal the better treatment of the dogs rather than the shutting down of the operation. It's one of the most horrific scenes I've witnessed.

And what's more, the public is being asked to donate for things like: water cans for the dogs or veterinary care, and of course to improve the conditions of the Krabloonik dogs.

I don't get it.

The point is to treat the dogs better between other abusive situations during their chained lives of slavery?

Why not work to shut down such an egregious torture camp? Why continue to support an industry that will use and treat dogs the way Dan MacEachen (Krabloonik's owner) does? From what I can see, Dan MacEachen shouldn't be allowed to be within a mile of a dog and he should never be permitted to own one. Period.

It's insulting to the dogs to say that a new can or some time off of their six-foot chain that they're stuck with six months out of the year is enough. The dogs should be treated, rehabilitated, and adopted to good homes. Krabloonik should be shut down. I don't see much of a difference between Dan MacEachen and Michael Vick, and I'm frankly shocked that there isn't demand for far more for these poor dogs.