Animal Advocates Watchdog

Premier Campbell assembles task force to review sled dog deaths

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Premier Campbell assembles task force to review sled dog deaths

By Kim Pemberton, Vancouver Sun February 2, 2011

Premier Gordon Campbell today appointed Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Dr. Terry Lake to lead a task force to review the circumstances related to the killing of 100 Whistler sled dogs.

"The tragic and disturbing details that have emerged around how these dogs were inhumanely treated are not acceptable to British Columbians or to their government," Campbell said. "No creature should ever have to suffer in the manner that has been reported, and we want to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in our province."

The task force will include representation from the B.C. Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) and Union of B.C. Municipalities.

"As a veterinarian, I was shocked and saddened by the description of the terrible treatment these dogs were reported to have been subjected to," said Dr. Lake.

The task force's review will examine the circumstances leading up to the killing of the dogs, "as well as the chain of events following any initial reports of the killing to WorkSafeBC or any other agencies and why the information was not communicated to appropriate authorities," the province said in a statement today..

It will also examine the regulation and oversight of the dog sledding industry. Its report will be completed within 45 days, forwarded to the minister of agriculture for review, and then released to the public.

The man who killed the 100 sled dogs made a formal complaint to the BC SPCA last July into the "health and welfare" of the remaining dogs owned by Outdoor Adventures and the conditions in which they were living at the time.

The complaint was made while the employee was on stress leave, and still living on the company's dog sled compound, three months after he was told to put down 100 of the company's approximately 350 dogs. That cull, done on April 21 and 23 between two Australian tour groups, is believed to be the largest cull of dogs in Canada.

However, the SPCA never visited the dog sled compound, outside of Whistler, at the time to follow up on his concerns which were sent to senior BC SPCA protection officer Eileen Drever on July 12, 2010. Instead, B.C.'s animal protection agency relied on a report from the company owner, Joey Houssian, saying the dogs were in good condition.

The Sun has obtained an internal memo from the SPCA sent to the employee dated July 13, 2010 asking him to forward Houssian's contact information.

Asked why they didn't visit the site the SPCA spokesperson Marcie Moriarty said they didn't have enough staff to make the trip but a phone call was made to Houssian who contacted "them back on July 16" — four days after the complaint was filed with the BC SPCA.

"At the time we weren't able to get up to the property from the volume of calls the (SPCA's cruelty investigation) constables were doing (elsewhere). We simply didn't have the staff," she said.

"The complaint coming from (the employee) was not substantiated."

When asked how the complaint was dismissed Moriarty said the SPCA "did not just take Joey's word for it." But when asked if the SPCA had an independent report from the local veterinarian about the dogs Moriarty said not at that time. They did, however, have a vet report given to them by Houssian dated June 15, 2010 — nearly one month before the employee's formal complaint.

The Vancouver Sun has obtained a copy of the employee's July 12, 2010 complaint.

Among that complaints' findings:

- A sled dog, named Sausage, was left on a dog truck for 24 hours in temperatures "reaching in the mid-30s ... Sausage is lucky to be alive," he said. She was discovered after the truck went into a shop for an oil change.

- Staff were leaving the compound between 4 and 5 p.m. "leaving them (the dogs) with no water overnight and sometimes until noon the next day."

- Dogs are being left too long on their chains and "going chain crazy."

- Dogs being overworked running in hot weather once a week while others are not being exercised and getting "fat and out of shape."

"All in all a real tragedy is happening here. When Dr. Lane (a Whistler veterinarian contracted by Outdoor Adventures) came we had a lot of nervous peeing when examining dogs, something we have never seen for a few years. The dogs are not getting enough attention," the employee said in the complaint.

"Your attention to this matter is critical at this point as I feel with my experience I can tell when things are going south. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to speed up some action against the primary caregiver as this is not tolerable anymore."

The employee stated he is still currently off work and another employee was also on stress leave "due to stress with the herd cull we experienced."

He said that meant the Whistler dog sledding staff now had no senior staff with "any experience in the field of dog care looking after a herd of over 200 animals."

"This is and should be a big concern for you as the most experienced staff has less than three years experience. Many dogs are digging deep holes, lick spots are showing up more and we have a bad bacterial infection caused by stress that is not healing in these conditions on one dog," the report states.

He also pointed out of the more than 200 dogs only 30 of the dogs were given off leash time since the end of April, when the cull occurred.

Moriarty said she was aware at the time of the complaint Outdoor Adventures "was starting to go with group housing" so the dogs could have some time off leash.

"We've always had concerns about the care and housing of dogs up there," she said.

"After (the employee) contacted us we went straight to Joey Houssian and there was a flurry of correspondence (between the SPCA and Houssian). Comments about the conditions of the dogs, asking whether they should co-house the dogs. To be shocking it was a bit shocking to receive this much correspondence (from Joey)."

She said in the past the SPCA never heard from Houssian to that extent and she believes his sudden interest was due to the fact WorkSafeBC, the provincial Workers' Compensation Board was now aware of the April cull of 100 sled dogs and Outdoor Adventures by this time would have submitted its employer report to that agency. The WorkSafeBC review decision was made public this week, in which it states the employer submitted a report dated May 18, 2010 in which they indicated 100 sled dogs had been put down on April 21 and 23, 2010. That report added the employer "did not protest acceptance of the claim" by the employee who had provided grisly details of the killings of the dogs.

The Vancouver Sun is not identifying the man because of concern of his apparent fragile mental state as he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the cull. It is believed the man is in hiding after his life was threatened.

Meanwhile, Whistler RCMP confirmed Wednesday they have opened two threat investigations related to the killing of 100 sled dogs after the dog sledding company suffered a downturn in the business after the Olympics.

S.Sgt. Steve LeClair said a threat is a criminal code offence and can be made against an individual or a company. He would not say whether the threat was directed at the 38-year-old employee who did the cull or the 29-year-old owner of Outdoor Adventures Whistler.

LeClair said while the BC SPCA are the lead investigators into the current investigation into the April killings of 100 dogs police are assisting them, adding police are being inundated with calls from across North America by members of the public who want to know the matter is being investigated.

"We want the public to be patient and let the SPCA and the RCMP do their job. We met with the SPCA investigators yesterday and are assisting them with the matter," he said, adding interviews have begun.

But LeClair would not say whether the employee or Houssian have been interviewed, and when asked if they could be compelled he said "no suspect is ever required to provide a statement."

He said police are not releasing the location of the mass grave where the dogs are buried because "we don't want everyone up there and people contaminating the grave."

He didn't know when the ground, which is frozen and under snow, would be dug up.

"Obviously, still a lot of legwork and background work to be done. It's not something I've done before (dealing with a mass grave) -- never of something of this magnitude and a winter situation," he said.

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