This whole thing is beyond commentary. Suffice to say though, that it graphically represents the current BC government's "business as usual" agenda.

I'm no defender of the BC Liberals. But how is their agenda any different than any other province as regards sled dogs? No regulations exist anywhere that I'm aware of in regard to how this industry treats the dogs. They are deemed industrial machinery and so are disposed of when no longer useful. Very hard to adopt these dogs - they are not socialized as pets, but are genetically disposed to run with a pack. The standard is to keep them, when not working, chained with a barrel or such for protection from the elements. They can't interact with other dogs, are just walking around in their own shit. The sled dog industry (Including in US) has fought hard to prevent any regulations to change this, because they think keeping the dogs in kennels with other dogs will make the pull less hard.

If you doubt me on this, read yesterday's Vancouver Sun.

But then how these dogs are treated isn't any different than how we treat our food animals or horses. One letter writer stated that in Newfoundland, outfits find it cheaper to kill off their trail riding horses at the end of the season and buy new ones at the beginning of the next. Doubt if that only happens in that province.

The BC Liberals (backed by the election-hungry Conservatives in Ottawa) are taking all the credit for the $300,000,000 in business the Olympics allegedly brought us. Well, the 2010 Games also brought us the Howling Dog idiots.......

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
- Mahatma Gandhi

But the sled dog industry had been going strong long before the Olympics. I believe Howling Dog was operating before then too. And this may be an extreme example, but as I said, it's just what's par for the industry, except on a larger scale. If I'm not mistaken, Howling Dog was originally from Alberta.

If you take Ghandi's quote to heart, then our moral progress in Canada is pretty slow, and has been long before this debacle hit the papers.

I kinda prefer his answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization: "Good idea, they should try it."

Howling Dog Whistler Inc was set up for the Olympics. Howling Dog is out of Alberta. Given the foreknowledge that business would drop precipitously after a one time event such as the 2010 Games, the company would know they'd have "excess overhead" very shortly after the close of the Games. So the questions might well be: what was their business plan to "reduce inventory" going into the games? And why not build in the cost of humane euthanasia in setting up the business, if that was their intent all along?

Absolutely agree. The guy who did this, who was also the Howling Dog original owner then sold part of it sound like a stupo. The guy who told him to do it sounds like a guy who doesn't give a shit.

But, they did approach a vet to euthanize the dogs, but he wouldn't do it because they were healthy animals. Guess they should have tried harder or explained the other choice to the vet.

My point was just that you can't lay this one on Gordo's doorstep anymore than any other premier or the feds or what have you.

It sure can be deposited on his doorstep - the same as the design of the luge track that killed Nodar Kumaritashvili can be laid on his doorstep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_passing
When one is premier, one doesn't necessary get to pick and choose the kudos - in spite of what one might think.