[Where there's smoke there's fire! On behalf of the dogs, thank you to reporter Jennifer Miller and the Whistler Question for reporting on this story.]

'NEWSPAPER HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO SEEK THE TRUTH' - David Burke, featured columnist, Whistler Question, April 1, 2009

Whistler – Shortly after I moved to the Sea to Sky corridor in 2002, I was offered the chance to take a uniquely Canadian tour: Dashing through the snow on a sled pulled by a team of eight eager, athletic sled dogs.

The animals, it was explained to me as I prepared to climb under the blankets aboard the sled, are athletes who are born to run, and it showed in their demeanour: they were jumping around excitedly, barking and yipping up a storm. Despite that, I approached a couple of the animals. They responded amiably, ceasing their barking at least long enough to have a sniff and lick my hand.

Just before the tour began, the cacophony stopped and the dogs went silent. Except for their panting and an occasional yip, they stayed that way for the remainder of the tour: athletic, working dogs going about their business. Being around them was an enjoyable and uplifting experience.

This, of course, is the other side of the story that appeared on Page 1 of last week’s Question, titled, “SPCA probes two dogsled operations.”

We at the newspaper have taken a lot of heat this week for the story. The owners and others who know a fair bit about Alaskan huskies tell us in this week’s letters to the editor that the dogs aren’t your average pet: They’re bred to be lean running machines. Some owners tell us they can be perfectly healthy animals despite their lean appearance; some said they’ve even tried to feed them more and the animals either didn’t eat the food or if they did, they didn’t gain an ounce.

Wikipedia says the Alaskan husky “is not so much a breed of dog as it is a type or a category. It falls short of being a breed in that there is no preferred type and no restriction as to ancestry; it is defined only by its purpose, which is that of a highly efficient sled dog.”

We’ve been chastised this week for our coverage of the story, mostly on the argument that we didn’t understand the dogs’ nature and/or didn’t have the whole story. But we reported as much as time and space allowed, and have followed up with more this week. The results appear on Page 5.

Readers’ input is valuable and much appreciated. The fact remains, though, that the B.C. Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) says it’s investigating two local companies for the way they treat their animals — and presumably, the folks at the SPCA know that sled dogs are athletic and lean. What’s more, two patrons of one company complained in letters that were forwarded to The Question, and later in interviews, that the dogs appeared malnourished and even bony, and that they (the guests) went away upset by the experience.

One of them even sent along pictures to prove her point. I don't know where experts draw the line, but I can tell you this: The dogs who pulled me in that sled seven years ago were nowhere near as lean as the ones in the pictures.

What, exactly, are the SPCA’s concerns about the way the dogs used by the two companies are kept? Are they the same as the concerns raised by the guests? And how lean is too lean? We won’t know the answers to these questions until the SPCA releases its findings.

We at The Question are fully cognizant of the impact that such a story can have on a fairly small and specialized segment of the tourism industry — even on the operators whose dog-handling and boarding practices are exemplary. That’s unfortunate, but if we have sufficient reason to be concerned that animals are not being treated well, we have a responsibility to the community to report it — and to provide ample opportunity for the operators to give their side of the story.

I believe we’ve done that, and I pledge that when the SPCA does complete its investigation — even if everyone involved comes away with a clean slate — we’ll report on that, too.