They died like dogs because, as dogs, they were no longer marketable.
As Internet comment boards and social networking sites show, people world-over are understandably outraged by the seemingly senseless slaughter of 100 sled dogs, connected to Outdoor Adventures Whistler back in April 2010.
The grisly details of the horrific killings, which we will not delve into here, came to light after an employee tasked with the so-called euthenization was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and filed a claim with Worksafe B.C. The company not only backed the claim, but corrected the employee’s statement that only 70 dogs had been killed.
What was the reason for the cull? According to details revealed in the BC SPCA’s ongoing investigation, Outdoor Adventures decided to get rid of the dogs because of a post-Olympic slump in dog-sled tours. In essence, the dogs were never anything more than a consumable product made available for great 2010 Olympics marketing machine. Like the hundreds of mass produced-Quatchi, Sumi and Miga dolls, or red mittens, they enjoyed the tourism market limelight for the brief period of the event. But afterwards, when sales dwindled and their upkeep became a cost, the dogs, like unsalable chattel, were liquidated.
Many are hoping the SPCA will be able to bring all those responsible for this heinous action to justice. Meanwhile, organizations like the Vancouver Humane Society are hoping this incident will result in the entire sled dog industry being shut down for good. This may bring about some temporary satisfaction, but does it really address the big-picture issue?
It can be argued that, in the eyes of the company, the cull was simply a matter of business as usual.
And in our culture, the drive for dollars often pushes us to shoot first and deal with the ethical questions later.