Owner of dog sled company says cull was not Olympic-related

[superstar dj]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-cull-was-not-olympic-related/article1897517/

The owner of a company linked to the killing of dozens of sled dogs in Whistler says the Olympics had nothing to do with the slaughter. In his first sit-down interview since news of the cull sparked headlines around the world, Outdoor Adventures Whistler owner Joey Houssian told The Globe and Mail any suggestion the company brought in extra dogs for a post-Olympic rush is false.

Mr. Houssian said a lack of planning had nothing to do with the cull. He said the general manager of the dogsled outfit known as Howling Dog Tours Whistler, told him some animals would have to be euthanized. Mr. Houssian said he had no reason not to believe the man, calling him a “world leader in the dogsled industry.” “I would say we were status quo in the lead-up to the Olympics,” he said.

Robert Fawcett, who used to run Howling Dog Tours before Outdoor Adventures Whistler took over operational control, told WorkSafeBC he killed between 70 and 100 dogs last April after a decline in tourism. Outdoor Adventures took over in May, Mr. Houssian said, when Mr. Fawcett underwent an unrelated elbow surgery.

Mr. Houssian said he knew nothing of the cull until late last month when he was alerted by the media. He said he was in “utter and total shock” upon learning of the slaughter and said the “incredible sadness” he felt has not gone away. Mr. Houssian said he still hopes that he’ll somehow learn the cull never actually happened, though he has no reason to believe it didn’t.

“Reconciling what I read and the man that I knew as a professional and a lover of our business and all parts of the business – it, it just doesn’t reconcile for me,” he said.
Mr. Houssian said the company was told about 50 old, sick and not adoptable dogs would be put down. He said Outdoor Adventures still does not know exactly how many animals were killed, or if they could have been healthy.

He disagreed with some media reports that suggested the company put pressure on Mr. Fawcett to reduce the size of the pack. He also said that an “employer report of injury” that has been mentioned in the press was signed by Mr. Fawcett himself. The company has said it was aware Mr. Fawcett was going to put some of the animals down, but thought it would be handled in a humane manner.

News of the cull first leaked last week, generating headlines and outrage across the globe. A Facebook group calling for a boycott of Outdoor Adventures Whistler has more than 50,000 members. Mr. Fawcett, who filed a workers’ compensation claim, has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. He told WorkSafeBC “he was tasked” with culling the herd, though he did not clarify who that order came from. He has not accepted interviews, and his lawyer has repeatedly declined comment.

Mr. Fawcett told WorkSafeBC he shot some of the dogs to death, and stabbed others. In some instances, he performed what he described as “execution-style” killings in which he wrestled the dogs to the ground and stood on them with one foot to shoot them. The animals were buried in a mass grave.

The BC SPCA has launched an investigation into the incident and is being assisted by the RCMP. The RCMP is also investigating a number of death threats that have been made against Outdoor Adventures employees. Mounties said the threats have primarily been in-person, though others have come through phone calls and social media.
The B.C. government announced the killing of the dogs will be reviewed by a provincial task force. The task force will also consider the responsibilities and regulations of the dog sledding industry.

 

[73777]

Something stinks in Denmark.... or in BC in this case.

I just hope that in the end this was all just a hoax so that Mr. Fawcett could collect some long term disability....

 

[J L]

I read about this a few days ago and made me sick to my stomach.