Animal activists call on Canada to end commercial dog sledding
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2020 20:21:50 +0000
Animal rights activists, who are calling on Canada to legislate an end to commercial dogsledding, are staging more protests this weekend.
Fifteen activists were arrested at a dog sled protest in Alberta in November.
Demonstrations were being held Saturday in seven provinces, including Whistler in B.C., according to a news release from Direct Action Everywhere.
The protesters say they are concerned that financial gain is put ahead of the dogs’ health, and that dogs shouldn’t be forced to pull humans for entertainment and profit.
In 2010, 56 sled dogs were shot and dumped in Whistler after a post-Olympic slowdown. The owner of Whistler Dogsledding filed a WorkSafeBC complaint saying he suffered from post-traumatic stress caused by the execution-style slaughter. The incident sparked public outrage and led to a criminal investigation by the RCMP and the B.C. SPCA.
Trev Miller, an organizer of the demonstration in B.C., says when an animal is being treated as a resource “unacceptable exploitation” is taking place.
Organizers say demonstrations are taking place in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick.
In November, activists broke into the Mad Dogs and Englishmen kennels in Canmore, Alta., to protest the treatment of the dogs.
Police said 15 people, including one young person, were arrested and faced charges of break and enter to commit mischief.
Miller, who also staged that protest, said they entered the properties to “raise awareness of conditions that are perfectly legal,” claiming animals frequently have sores on their necks and no hair from where collars leash them to poles.
The Canadian Coalition for Sled Dogs, which works to improve the welfare of working sled dogs, says sled dog operations contribute to Canada’s cultural heritage and tourism.
It advocates for developing standards and an audit process to ensure the industry operates ethically.
The BC SPCA’s position on working dogs is that it is only acceptable if:
ticrawford@postmedia.com