LAURA CHAMP
News Writer

The news of the mass killing of approximately 100 husky sled dogs has left Canadians reeling.

Meanwhile, Outdoor Adventures Whistler, the company that owned the animals, continues to skirt responsibility and redirect blame.

The details surrounding the killings of the dogs emerged after the employee who executed the animals, Bob Fawcett, filed a successful complaint with WorkSafeBC. Fawcett has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which he claims was a result of being ordered to kill 30 per cent of the 300 dogs he had under his care in April 2010.

The execution-style killings of the animals took a total of two days.

Findings from WorkSafeBC

The WorkSafeBC report was obtained by the Vancouver radio station CKNW and can presently be found online. It states that the dogs were killed due to a slump in tourism following the rush of the 2010 Olympics.

Also found in the report is information explaining that Fawcett, the employee who was ordered to kill the dogs, lived among them, named them and cared for them seven days a week.

Fawcett’s duties included “herd control,” which traditionally meant occasionally euthanizing dogs that were ill or injured. In these instances, the euthanization would take place away from the rest of the dogs.

In their report, WorkSafeBC found that because of the size of the cull, Fawcett was forced to shoot the dogs in front of one another. By the time he had shot the 15th animal, the dogs were becoming anxious and began to panic, attacking him.

As a result of the panic, many of the shots were misfired, and several dogs were shot in the face or throat. Many of the wounded dogs ran to find safety, at which point Fawcett followed them and shot them again.

By the end of the day on April 21, Fawcett had killed 55 dogs. He returned on April 23 to finish the job. On the second day of killings, the dogs, now understanding what was to happen, were wrought with anxiety and fear.

The WorkSafeBC report says that although a veterinarian had been contacted, the vet refused to euthanize healthy animals and did not participate. The report also says significant attempts were made to find homes for the dogs.

Five days after the massacre, Fawcett sought counselling and was diagnosed with PTSD.

OAW acting shady

Outdoor Adventures claims to be Whistler’s leading summer and winter outdoor adventure provider. The company offers a variety of activities, from all-terrain vehicle tours to sleigh rides.

Since the culling became public, OAW has posted several statements on its website, none of which accept any responsibility for the incident.

According to the OAW website, they hired a subsidiary company — Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. ­— to head the dogsled tours offered through OAW.

It is OAW’s contention that while it has “had a financial interest in Howling Dogs for four years,” the operational control of the company remained with Fawcett, the general manager of Howling Dog Tours.

Additionally, OAW claims to have had no knowledge of the manner or extent of the killings until Jan. 28, 2011. However, they have since admitted that “OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc. in April 2010, but OAW expected this to be done in a proper, legal and humane manner.”

OAW maintains that they first learned of the massacre only in recent weeks, but in May 2010, OAW officially purchased Howling Dogs Tours Whistler and took on the full operations of the business.

According to the OAW website, they “did not instruct the general manager to carry out the cull in the manner described in the report.”

The owner of OAW, Joey Houssian, spoke out on Feb. 7 in a letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun. Houssian stated that, while he is limited to what he can say publicly, “misinformation” regarding facts of the case is “still circulating.” He reiterated that while the company knew the dogs were to be put down, OAW presumed it would be done in a humane manner.

Consistent with the previous statements from OAW, Houssian’s letter contains several contradictions. He takes “moral” responsibility but claims ignorance in all other aspects of the issue.

Further evidence of indiscretion comes from the OAW’s choice not to challenge the findings of the WorkSafeBC report.

Canadians react through social media

Since news of the killings broke, Canadians have been taking to the Internet — Facebook in particular — to rally together and protest what happened at OAW last April. Facebook groups such as “Boycotting Outdoor Adventures in Whistler,” which has over 50,000 members, aim to put OAW out of business and simultaneously raise awareness about animal cruelty worldwide.

Several memorial walks, candlelight vigils, letter writing campaigns and petitions have also been promoted and organized on Facebook. The online petition has over 80,000 signatures.

In Vancouver, Twitter users organized a rally, “Barking Mad,” which saw turnout into the hundreds, while rallies and marches continue to pop up across Canada.

The SPCA and RCMP are currently investigating the incident. Attempts to contact Houssian and OAW have gone unanswered.

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image: Flickr