Rescue Journal

100 dead dogs

Carol · Feb. 2, 2011

yesterday all anyone could talk to me about in the office was the absolute horror of the 100 slaughtered sled dogs.

everyone was so upset, so stunned that this terrible thing had happened.

and i was thinking all day long...are you kidding me? these dogs were a commodity. they were pieces of machinery for profit. it happens everywhere in the whole entire world....animals are culled due to profit margins. 350 sled dogs were necessary to making money during the olympics and a couple of months later the olympics were over and the dogs not only were no longer needed but they were costing money for feeding.

culling animals is the worlds largest form of entertainment...breed em, make money on them and kill them cheaply.

and it is entertainment because these animals are bred and exist for human use. once humans have no use for them?...of course they are killed.

here is my blunt take on this....

100 sled dogs in whistler were killed. last month 100 reserve dogs in northern BC were also run down and shot too. puppy millers kill thousands of dogs thru either culling or neglect in their money making careers. and even joe publics beloved but no longer have the time for or are moving pets...those dogs eventually end up in pounds and shelters unadoptable due to age or health or messed up heads from being bounced around and they are getting nuked too.

would one single person in this whole entire world have cared if shane...a sweet and funny and kind old mixed breed husky who spent his life on a chain..was nuked in a northern shelter 2 months ago? he was unadoptable...too old...too worn...too homely...he was of absolute no use to man anymore. do you know how many more there are just like him?...i am telling you...way more then 100.

i am so sorry those 100 dogs are all dead...but what about the millions and millions and millions more... dead yesterday, dead today...dead tomorrow...and we just do not care.

and don't even try to tell me we do care because we do not....the backyard breeders, puppy mills and responsible breeders are still churning out puppies to sell...and we are still buying them from where ever, whenever the puppy mood strikes.

and take it further..what do you think eventually happened to the horses we ride at the nice family vacation dude ranch? or those sweet little friendly things our kids got to touch at the local petting zoo?

that fluffy sweet kitten and the thousands just like her..wanted by a human...for awhile and then poof?

one of the nurses asked me yesterday in the midst of this big tragic slaughter of 100 sled dogs...if i could take her 4 yr old cat that she does not want any more.

those one hundred dead sled dogs are the tiniest tip of the iceberg that we are ALL responsible for.

Comments

Linda de J.

Thought this might interest you: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/02/02/f-vp-jackson.html

Andy

Carol

Sometimes we dont see whats right in front of us until someone in the media decides its going to sell a paper. I too got caught up in it all yesterday and still feel sick about it today but you’re right and I'm glad you said it.

Diana

Carol,
Great post. I think the difference here is that this news story was shoved in their face from every media out there and everyone is talking about it.........you can't hide from it.
So many times I talk to people and when I say I foster kittens, go to a shelter, volunteer at a shelter, they
say "oh, I couldn't go there and see those poor animals" or a story of neglect like Popeye they don't want to hear about it as it makes them upset. They can't look at pictures of a puppy mill with dogs in cages. They know the problem is there, but they don't want to hear about it. They prefer to stay in their own little world and not feel any sort of uncomfortableness (gee is that a word?). By doing this, they allow it to happen, but in their own little world, it doesn't.
Because of my attachment to sled dogs, this has infuriated me, but so did seeing those xrays of Popeye's feet. I only hope that the publicity that this has gotten will bring about some changes.

Carol Ann

You are all right--changes have to be made and the next generation has to be educated in the proper care of all animals.

Tanya

Carol - I LOVE this post - and you are so very right. Unfortunatley - people like you and me beat our heads into a wall on a dailey basis trying to educate the ignorant - tho what they hear is only half of what you are saying. People are outraged about this incident and hopefully the momentum will keep going and shed light on other cruelty going on in our own backyard. On the news some elderly lady was upset because the SPCA wanted a $100 donation to surrender her dog - I was like " well - what do people expect? just turn the animal over for someone else to clean up the mess?". There is still not enough education that animals are a commitment - they need love, attention, veterinary care, FOOD! Just keep up your awsome efforts in doing what you do - you are amazing.

Shady

Carol,
This was an awesome post and hit very close to home for me. As a cat rescuer who pulls cats from a high kill shelter where a few hundred are put down every week during the summer, I had a thought with the news of the dead dogs of "So what?".

As a society, we discard animals (in my experience especially cats but I love all creatures), as easily as we discard used pop cans and this disturbs me on a level I can't desribe. As a vegan I also wonder, why does it matter, do you think the steak on your plate got treated any better when it was alive?

Don't get me wrong, what happened to those dogs was terrible and I'm sorry for it, but you're right, it happens every day around us and we are all responsible.

Anju

Carol - I enjoy reading your posts each and every day. I am constantly in awe of someone who has a demanding job caring for people and who has the capacity to return home and do so much more for animals. You are my hero.

I was also very disturbed to read about the deaths of these beautiful dogs but I completely agree with you - this is just a tiny example of the injustice done to animals all over the world.

Thanks.

Sabrina

I love it! Good, write:)

Cam

the voice of reason, thank you Carol

nicolemc

hope you don't mind me posting this aswell: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-korea-livestock-20110201,0,1417758.story

Alison

Carol, I wish the whole world could read this post. So sad, so true. Education is the only answer to the ignorance surrounding animal injustice.

nicolemc

hopefully all of the people currently showing (via their facebook status') their care and concern for animals will keep it up and the government will see that changes need to be made to our current crappy laws. otherwise these 100 dogs will just add to the tally of the northern 100 and all of these cases: http://www.spca.bc.ca/cruelty/investigation_cases/
unfortunately, i have to doubt we will see any real change: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/b-c-mulls-changes-sled-dog-kill-minister-20110202-010010-583.html

Linda

I totally agree with you. I also heard of the 100 dogs culled (killed) up north on a reserve. The question is, how do we get the media interested enough to even mention the reserve culling? A week ago I have emailed the MP for indian affairs and got no answer. I also emailed global news and got no answer. If Whistler is involved, it hits the media but nobody in media has the guts to stand up and make a comment about the 100 reserve dogs, cause they may upset the first nations. Hmmmm Something is very wrong here.

Jenn

OMG like mother like daughter I was preaching the same thing at my work and home this week too! I totally agree. This is a terrible, sad and shocking thing but wake up people! This is just one example of similar things that are happening all the time and there are worse things too ... farm animals left dying for days out in a field because they are not even worth a bullet ...