Whistler 100 Sled Dog Rally - 100 Vigils In 100 Cities

Monday April 4, 2011

Feature Story

"Whistler 100" rally at Vedder Rotary Trail Saturday for the one-hundred sled dogs destroyed in April.

100 Vigils In 100 Cities

Chilliwack rally for the "Whistler 100" sled dogs destroyed brings out the passion in pet owners

Staff/Voice photos

n April, an unprecedented culling of 100 husky dogs took place in Whistler when an employee of Outdoor Adventures of Whistler BC was ordered to shoot 100 of their 300 animals.

Outdoor Adventures ran sleds pulled by the dogs during the 2010 Winter Olympics and after the games were finished and business slowed the company wasn't prepared to deal with that many animals and destroyed many of them.

Proponents of the Bill C-229 want the criminal code of Canada to be amended to include animals killed in cruel ways such as the sled dogs in Whistler.

The 5-page document reads like the Bill of Rights for animals outlining various forms of cruelty including poisoning as well as unnecessary pain and suffering. Media reports say that many of the dogs shot were only wounded and had to be shot repeatedly. All this was done in the presence of the other dogs.

The Bill also covers things like cockfighting and pit fighting and seeks to have people who make money off of such events charged under the criminal code. Abandonment, shelter, food and caring for animals are also included in the document.

The Bill states that everyone who "kills an animal or, being the owner, permits an animal to be killed, brutally or viciously, regardless of whether the animal dies immediately" will be charged.

Word spread like wildfire about the culling and public outrage has been steadily picking up steam. Rallies have taken place all over the province, and on Saturday about 50 pet owners gathered at the Vedder Rotary Trail head to sign the petition and show support for the movement which is backed by Bill C-229 which has been put forward in the House of Commons.

Jeneane Ruscheinsky, organizer and proponent of Bill C-229, told those gathered in the rain at the Chilliwack rally how "outraged and saddened "people are over the incident.

"We are angry and we want justice for the Whistler 100 and all other animals that have suffered or will suffer or are murdered at the hand of man without lawful excuse," said Ruscheinsky. "By attending these peaceful events, we are creating a public image of people who stand up for animals."

Ruscheinsky wants people to let the government know that they won't tolerate this type of thing and she feels the laws are antiquated, saying that Canada is lagging amongst other nations when it comes to animal cruelty laws.

"Provisions of the criminal code dealing with animal cruelty have changed very little here in Canada in the last 100-years. We need change, we need them to be modernized."

Ruscheinsky says that serious violent offenders, such as serial killers, often begin with acts of animal cruelty.

"Effective animal cruelty legislation can allow our justice system to intervene early before these abusers go on to other serious crimes."

"We are calling upon the Minister of Justice to introduce this government legislation amending the criminal code provision on animal cruelty which is based on Bill C-229."

Ruscheinsky told The Voice Saturday that she has been overwhelmed by the support from the Chilliwack and other outlying towns.

At each rally, she has petitions for people to sign in support the Bill and had about 50 names on the petition at the Chilliwack rally.

"We're doing the big vigil in Abbotsford on April 23 at Mill Lake Park in conjunction with the vigil for the Whistler 100."

100 vigils in 100 cities is the goal and Ruscheinsky says they're at 50 right now.

Ruscheinsky isn't dismayed by the lack of people at rallies like the one in Chilliwack, because when she's out door-knocking it's a different story entirely and she intends to keep going with her crusade.

"People just don't come to these things but if you walk door-to-door and ask people to sign, nobody says no," she said and adding "that's our mission; I will walk, promote and carry this (petition) with me everywhere I go."

"These actions today, with the Animal Cruelty Bill, are going to become an election issue. We're going to make damn sure it's an election issue."

A Facebook page called Boycotting Outdoor Adventures in BC, Whistler has been created by a Advocates for the Advancement of Animal Welfare and has 48,228 "likes" since it's creation February 1. The page is here.

The Facebook page devoted to the province-wide vigil planned on April 23 is here.

For more information contact Jeneane Ruscheinsky by e-mail here.

See more photos from the rally below.