SPCA to exhume sled dogs

Animalwelfare officialsare proceeding withtheir investigation into the deaths of 100 sled dogsnear Whistler, B.C.,last year.

On Sunday, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) surveyed the site where the bodies of the sled dogs are believed to be buried. The exhumation is scheduled to begin on Thursday.

The sled dogs were killed by Robert Fawcett, whodescribed in graphic detail in a WorkSafeBC document how he had to slaughter the animals in front of each other because of the size of the cull.

Fawcett was the part owner of Howling Dog Tours, along with Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures, which used the sled dogs on its tours. Outdoor Adventuresmaintains it never sanctioned the killing of that many dogs, and did not take over theoperation of Howling Dog Tours until a month after the slaughter.

Public outrage over the slaughter led tothe creation of a provincial task force, which recommendedtougher animal cruelty penalties, including fines of up to $75,000 and jail sentences of up to two years.

Under provincial law, the BC SPCA can recommend charges of animal cruelty. Now that the ground has thawed, the organization is proceeding with gathering evidence.

The exhumation is expected to take at least a week.