Home Page
Action Alerts
Articles
Campaigns
Events
How Can I Help?
Letters
Press Releases
Who We Are
Links

We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Animal Defenders of Westchester
P.O. Box 205
Yonkers, NY 10704

Campaigns
Stop Dog Racing

Controversy over treatment of sled dogs

From THE VAIL DAILY www.vaildaily.com  

Chad Abraham
Vail Daily
April 9, 2005

SNOWMASS - People familiar with dog-sledding said Monday that killing dogs occasionally is a necessary part of the business and that the recent outcry about Krabloonik is based on ignorance.

Several letters to the editors of local papers have heavily criticized Krabloonik, a dog-sled operation above Snowmass Village, for being cruel to the animals. Nothing could be further from the truth, said Krabloonik's manager and the daughter of the former owner.

A letter sent to both papers last week said dogs that didn't "work out" were shot in the head and dumped in an excrement pile used to collect the dogs' waste. In an article in Monday's Aspen Daily News, Krabloonik owner Dan MacEachen confirmed that some animals are culled each year to maintain the health of the other dogs, which live in close proximity to one another.

There are about 250 dogs in Krabloonik's operation, which takes tourists on sled rides. The company also operates a restaurant near its kennels.

Tammy Vanderpol, who has been Krabloonik's office manager for seven years, said the article and the letters to the editor have blown the situation out of proportion. "We're all dog owners here," she said.

Nevertheless, Krabloonik's reputation has taken a beating. Vanderpol said e-mails have come in saying the operation should be shut down. E-mails have said, "How could we do this? How can you be inhumane to your dogs who have fed you and kept you in money all these years?" according to Vanderpol.

From 1970 to 1974, MacEachen apprenticed under local environmental legend Stuart Mace, who started the Toklat dog-sledding operation at Ashcroft in 1949 . Mace later gave the kennels to MacEachen, who moved them to Snowmass Village in 1975 and named his operation Krabloonik, after his lead dog.

Mace's daughter, Lynne, said she wasn't surprised to find out dogs are occasionally shot. She said she thinks MacEachen learned that that was part of the deal when he took over for her father.

"No matter what my father did, we all have the right to do what we want with our animals," said Mace, who runs the Toklat art gallery. "If I am allowed as a private citizen, and Dan is a private citizen, to do what I need to do with my animals, whether they are pets or horses or livestock, then Dan needs to be able to do what he needs to do. I think the social problem is what happens afterwards.

"Dan has a right to do what he wants to do."

Critics have said more of an effort should be made to put unwanted dogs up for adoption. A few do find new homes, but former Krabloonik musher Harry Portland said in his letter to local papers only about 1 percent are adopted out. He said about 5 percent of Krabloonik dogs are culled annually.

MacEachen, who was not available for comment yesterday, has a good reason if he has to put a dog down, Vanderpol said.

"I know Dan's view on that is if we do adopt all these dogs out, if one of them causes damage, if one of them, from being used to this type of life, interacts with another domesticated animal and that dog gets hurt, or they run loose and eat chickens or whatever, then it's all going to fall back on Dan. He doesn't want to fall into that," Vanderpol said.

Vail, Colorado

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20050409/NEWS/104090015
letters to the editor: [email protected]  

---

Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.