Newsy Tuesday: The Howl Heard Around the World. Whister 100 Sled Dogs - From a Tribute to a Cause

Wolf joins in the worldwide "Howl."

April 23. 

A very important date.

It is the anniversary date of the vigil for the slain Whistler 100 sled dogs. Whenever we hear of them, our hearts break and tears fill our eyes. Last year, I, along with the rest of the world, heard the news reports about the shocking slaughter of a reported 100 healthy, hard-working, innocent sled dogs in British Columbia that came to light. Not only were they slaughtered, but some who were badly wounded were allegedly chased down and murdered in front of the other dogs just waiting for their turn to be killed. Last February, in a blog post titled, We Must Never Lose Our Humanity, I wrote about this horrific story and tried to understand how this could have happened. I still do not understand.

The old adage says "Out of something bad, something good always comes." While nothing can erase the abominable visions I have in my own head of these dogs,..and while it chills me to think of what they must have been thinking or feeling as it was happening...it is very difficult to believe any good could come from that particular bad.

But it can. And it has. 

Please view and share this powerful video produced by Lisa Schaldermose, where she states, "From a tribute to a cause."

Thanks to the joining of people all around the globe, the Whistler 100 dogs and their fates have sparked people to do something to bring awareness to animal cruelty, not just in Canada, but across the world. Petitions have been signed. Walks have been organized. A movement for change to protect animals is in the making.

On last April 23, 2011, I joined others and wrote about the worldwide candlelight vigil in remembrance of the slain 100 sled dogs, which was organized in Canada and held in 100 cities across the globe - to symbolize the 100 slain dogs - to join the world of animal advocates together to bring awareness to animal cruelty and to initiate change.

 We can not change what happened, but we can make a change happen.

Fast forward one year...and mark your calendars! On April 23, proclaimed "Animal Abuse Prevention Day" by the mayor of the Regional Municipality of Buffalo Wood in Alberta, let us all answer "the call to action" by spreading awareness of animal cruelty in memory of the Whistler 100 so their deaths that shocked an entire world, will not be in vain. Organize or participate in a walk. Write a letter for legislative change. Have your dog wear a red ribbon or collar. Light a candle. Write a blog post. Comment on Facebook. Send a message on Twitter. Share Lisa's video. Let's all be part of "The Howl Heard Around the World" so  something like this will never happen again. 

And... let's also continue to remind folks that help is indeed just a keystroke away in this world of social networking and virtual pet communities. No one should ever feel alone, or that they have no other choice but to destroy a dog...there is always a choice. There are always folks, rescues, and agencies waiting to help. They just need to be asked. We can not change what happened, but we can make a change happen. We can support each other and always remind folks that there is another way.

May the beautiful Whistler 100 Angeldogs know they all meant something. They will never be forgotten. They will forever stand for something positive. They, in their tragic deaths, have initiated change on a global scale. 

Maybe, just maybe, we can do each of those sled dogs - and ourselves as humans - proud, by what we all do from this point on. Maybe now we can put a smile on their sweet angel faces by helping others and working together to ensure that nothing like that ever occurs again. That...I must believe...would make them happy sled dogs once again and restore their faith in us humans, as they race across the great snow-covered fields beyond the Rainbow Bridge.