'It really hurts me,' says N.W.T. artist charged with dog neglect
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 | 10:18 AM CT Comments29Recommend12CBC News
A Dene painter charged with neglecting dozens of sled dogs at his kennel in Behchoko, N.W.T., last year says the case and controversy are taking a toll on him and his ability to make a living.

Archie Beaulieu appeared Tuesday in territorial court in Behchoko, charged with cruelty to animals under Section 446(1) of the federal Criminal Code, after 34 of his sled dogs were euthanized by a veterinarian in September at the request of the local government.

Officials in Behchoko, located 95 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife, have said Beaulieu's dogs were malnourished and in a deteriorating condition, with no sign of food or water in their kennel.

"My dogs [have] been destroyed and part of me, like, I was being destroyed … inside me," Beaulieu told CBC News outside court Tuesday.