Editor:
We were fortunate enough to find Snowy Owl in 2001 when we were looking to experience dog sledding for the first time. We were hooked. Thanks to Connie, Charles, Jereme and Carlin Arsenault, her knowledgeable, dedicated staff and an incredible crew of four-legged friends, we saw the Rockies from the ground up. As a passionate animal lover and rescuer, I was very impressed with the care and compassion shown to the dogs who were so obviously considered equal partners in this huge team enterprise.
From the start, there was an obvious connection between handlers who intimately knew the furry crew, their personalities and needs. Time was taken to explain in great detail the standard of care required to nourish a healthy, happy working dog. Clearly all don’t see the thrill in the chase and others later in life are ready to hang up the the harness and curl up on the couch… the company’s adoption program ensures a home for a minimum if any charge save the guarantee of a caring owner. Snowy Owl is committed to their most valuable workers for the duration of their life; from training to retirement, each member of the team is treated with respect and dignity, the bedrock of any successful business.
I can’t begin to tell you how devastating it was to hear the fate of 100 sled dogs ‘culled’ in the interests of cost cutting in Whistler. Culled? The word is slaughtered. I could barely reconcile the image I had of my experiences over the last ten years with Connie’s company and the outright cruelty inflicted on these defenceless working animals.
How can there be such a flagrant disregard for life in any form? How does a human being spend two days committing such barbarity? How is this industry allowed to function with such polemically different standards? How will the law respond to such a heinous act? For 30 years, Connie and her family, representative of the best in this industry, have crusaded for change, appealing to anyone who would listen. All has gone unheeded. Only last week, Carlin, Connie’s daughter, released a statement on their web page on ethics in animal welfare.
As a British turned Canadian citizen and passionate advocate for animal welfare, I feel compelled to act on this issue. I can see only one glimpse of light in this dark chapter; 100 dogs should not have to die in vain. It is not enough to hold those guilty to account with woefully inadequate laws. It is the responsibility of all Canadians in all walks of life to make a stand to ensure that a code of conduct is enacted for this industry, protecting those who have no voice. Dog sledding, Canada’s oldest official sport (1908), is a jewel in our country’s crown. In a country resplendent with natural riches and an economy dependent on the same, the deaths of these working animals will have an impact far beyond Whistler. Many can be held accountable for neglecting this issue in the past. Let history record Canadians as proud leaders in the field of animal welfare in the future.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Ghandi.
Karen, David, Anna and Laura Dickson
Spruce Grove, AB
