Man pleads guilty to slaughter of sled dogs near Whistler

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NORTH VANCOUVER - A man charged with the slaughter of more than 50 sled dogs near Whistler two years ago has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals.

Robert Fawcett entered his plea in North Vancouver Provincial Court Thursday afternoon.

Outside, about a dozen animal-rights advocates gathered to call for a prison sentence for Fawcett, who will be sentenced in November. The case had been moved from Pemberton Provincial Court because of security concerns after threats were made against Fawcett.

The Crown prosecutor asked for a psychological assessment of Fawcett before sentencing and Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie did not say what sentence Crown counsel will request. Under the Criminal Code, the maximum sentence for causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal is five years in prison and $75,000 in fines.

Fifty-six dogs were dug up in a mass grave after details of the cull leaked out in January 2011, when Fawcett filed a successful claim for post-traumatic stress disorder with WorkSafeBC.

Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the investigation was the biggest and most costly in the organization’s history.

“We hope this plea results in swift and appropriate justice in this very disturbing case,” said Moriarty in a statement.

The documents from the workers’ compensation claim described how the dogs were shot or had their throats slit over a two-day period in April 2010 before being dumped in the grave.

In the workers’ compensation claim, Fawcett, who was then general manager of Howling Dog Tours, said he was complying with an order from Outdoor Adventures. He said Outdoor, the majority owner of the Whistler dog sled tour operator, wanted a mass cull of the animals because demand for tours dropped after the 2010 Winter Olympics. Outdoor Adventures denied issuing such instructions.

A man calling himself Bob Fawcett has written on a PTSD website, describing a gruesome scene of how panicked animals were shot or had their throats slit before being dumped in a mass grave. The post claimed upwards of 100 dogs were slaughtered, although the SPCA said the investigation turned up about half that number.

After the existence of the killing became public, Fawcett and Outdoor Adventures said that many of the animals were old and ill and efforts to have them adopted had not been not successful.

The slaughter sparked international outrage and prompted the B.C. government to enact a code of practice to protect sled dogs, covering issues such as working conditions and acceptable methods euthanasia.