By Christopher N. Osher
The Denver Post
Krabloonik owner Dan MacEachen has been running the sledding center for 39 years. But the business is now fighting allegations that MacEachen has brutalized the fogs and left them underfed and chained to shoddy kennels unsuited for the extreme cold. (Zach Ornitz, Special to The Denver Post)
The website promises "World Class Dining & Unforgettable Adventure!" and "A Magical Experience in the Wild!" — all amid the leaping and howling of huskies eager for the next sled run.
For 39 years, the Krabloonik dog-sledding operation has been a fixture in the tourism industry that thrives in the Aspen area.
But the business is now fighting allegations that the owner, Dan MacEachen, has brutalized the dogs that are the star attractions and left them underfed and chained to shoddy kennels unsuited for the extreme cold.
Responding to accusations of animal cruelty, the Snowmass Village Police Department and 9th Judicial District Attorney Sherry Caloia are investigating Kra-bloonik.
"There's been a number of outcries, and I believe that requires that I take a look at it, especially when there is the outcry that Snowmass is not doing its job for whatever the reason," Caloia said.
State animal-care investigators have questioned whether the dogs are adequately fed. An inspection in October by Colorado's Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act program, which licenses Krabloonik, found that up to 40 of the 250 dogs on the premises had nutrition concerns, including protruding ribs. One dog had a large growth on her front paw. Another had a large "red, raw" area on its nose, the inspector noted.
MacEachen did not return telephone messages seeking comment. In filings responding to the state inspection, he has defended the treatment of the dogs. He said they are fed adequately and that the ones that appear malnourished are actually a leaner variety bred with hound dogs. State officials said they plan to reinspect the facility to see if changes have been made before deciding whether to take action against MacEachen.
An inspector with Colorado's Pet Animal Care Facilities Act program, which licenses the Krabloonik dog sledding business, raised concerns about the nutrition of some of the animals after an October inspection. The inspector noted that he saw up to 40 dogs with ribs protruding during his inspection of Krabloonik. State officials say they plan to re-inspect the facility to see if changes have been made. (Colorado's Pet Animal Care Facilities Act program)
"We are happy the district attorney is looking into this as opposed to groups showing up unannounced to town council meetings and airing their grievances," said MacEachen's lawyer, David Myler. "It's in the right forum to be considered now."
For the past two months, critics have come to the Snowmass Village Town Council to protest the conditions at Krabloonik and to press the council to terminate a 20-year lease inked in 2006 that allows Krabloonik to operate on town property until 2026 for $200.
"Patrons of Krabloonik are getting a fake, diluted wilderness experience at the expense of much pain and suffering by the dogs," said Leigh Vogel, a member of Voices for the Krabloonik Dogs, during a recent council meeting. "The land at Krabloonik is leased for a few dollars a year, and what you're going to get at the end of this lease is a graveyard full of broken bones."
The issue has prompted a Facebook site in defense of the dogs . During a recent council meeting, a former musher accused Mac-Eachen of "being the Hitler of dog owners" and of running a concentration camp for dogs. Krabloonik's defenders, who say the business is a major tourist attraction, have fought back, showing videos of the dogs yelping eagerly as they're released for a run along the sled route.
Bill Boineau, mayor of Snowmass Village, said he has had to fend off allegations that he protects MacEachen. The debate "has grown to a roiling boil," Boineau said.
The controversy is playing out in ways that touch on some of the differing cultural strains in Colorado. Some people fiercely fight tightening animal-abuse laws, which they say would constrain the agriculture industry. Meanwhile, Aspen draws a set more apt to buy vegan fare at Whole Foods than livestock feed at the supply store.
"It's a real clash of Old West and the New West," said John Dresser Jr., the town attorney for Snowmass Village, who said he was not endorsing one view or the other. "We've moved from one end of the political spectrum in this state to the other in just a few decades."
MacEachen touts a storied past. He worked for Stuart Mace, whose Aspen sled dogs starred in "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon," a popular 1950s-era television show about a Canadian Mountie.
When Mace went out of business, he gave 55 of his dogs to MacEachen, who used them to establish his own sledding business. It is now reputed to be the largest dog-sledding operation in North America.
In 1982, MacEachen added a restaurant that featured wild game and drew favorable reviews from the national media, including Sports Illustrated. He is a veteran of Alaska's famed Iditarod dog-sled race.
MacEachen, though, has long attracted critics who point out that in 1988 he did not contest an animal-cruelty charge accusing him of breaking bones in a dog's face, causing it to go blind in one eye. Upon completion of a year's probation, the charge was dismissed and MacEachen was allowed to withdraw his no-contest plea.
He drew national criticism in 2005 after news reports that he shot to death unwanted dogs and dumped their bodies in a feces pit, a practice he termed culling. He initially defended the shootings, which are legal in Colorado, but eventually vowed to strive to find adoptive homes for more of the dogs slated for death.
In September, Krabloonik made headlines again during a child-custody hearing between former musher Curtis Hungate and MacEachen's daughter. Hungate was seeking to block Byrna Erwin MacEachen from taking their son to Krabloonik. He and other former mushers testified that MacEachen continued to kill dogs, let a dog die of hypothermia, and beat animals with PVC pipe, harnesses and electrical cables.
Hungate continued to allege animal abuse during a recent town council meeting. In a new twist, Guy Courtney, the former manager at Krabloonik who in the past had defended MacEachen, joined forces with Hungate and other mushers. Courtney and Hungate filed a police report last month alleging that MacEachen let a dog die of hypothermia.
During one council meeting, Courtney, who was in negotiations to buy Kra-bloonik until MacEachen recently terminated those negotiations, said: "He's crafty and he's slippery when it comes to this issue of dog care and not abusing dogs versus doing what you and I might consider ordinary care. It's time for something to change."
Courtney, in a telephone interview, said the Kra-bloonik dogs suffer a miserable existence, ranging from a lack of shade in the summer to harsh cold in the winter and ongoing malnutrition. He and mushers secretly fed dogs beyond their scheduled feedings to keep them alive, he said.
Dr. Scott Dolginow, an Aspen veterinarian who treats the Krabloonik dogs, said their housing is not ideal.
"It's hard to take care of that many dogs," Dolginow said. "I think conditions there could be better. It will take money to do that. I'm not sure the business supports it. Dan has his own way of doing things, and he hasn't always embraced chances to make changes."
As the accusations continue to come, the members of the town council have taken the stance that they will wait to see what the investigations reveal.
"Once the investigations are over, we will have all sides, pros and cons, come together and try to have fruitful discussion at that point," said Mayor Boineau. "We know Krabloonik is there, and a number of people like it, and a number of people don't."
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747, cosher@denverpost.com or twitter.com/chrisosher
www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24678932/aspen-area-dog-sledding-operation-sparks-concern-investigations
The Denver Post
Krabloonik owner Dan MacEachen has been running the sledding center for 39 years. But the business is now fighting allegations that MacEachen has brutalized the fogs and left them underfed and chained to shoddy kennels unsuited for the extreme cold. (Zach Ornitz, Special to The Denver Post)
The website promises "World Class Dining & Unforgettable Adventure!" and "A Magical Experience in the Wild!" — all amid the leaping and howling of huskies eager for the next sled run.
For 39 years, the Krabloonik dog-sledding operation has been a fixture in the tourism industry that thrives in the Aspen area.
But the business is now fighting allegations that the owner, Dan MacEachen, has brutalized the dogs that are the star attractions and left them underfed and chained to shoddy kennels unsuited for the extreme cold.
Responding to accusations of animal cruelty, the Snowmass Village Police Department and 9th Judicial District Attorney Sherry Caloia are investigating Kra-bloonik.
"There's been a number of outcries, and I believe that requires that I take a look at it, especially when there is the outcry that Snowmass is not doing its job for whatever the reason," Caloia said.
State animal-care investigators have questioned whether the dogs are adequately fed. An inspection in October by Colorado's Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act program, which licenses Krabloonik, found that up to 40 of the 250 dogs on the premises had nutrition concerns, including protruding ribs. One dog had a large growth on her front paw. Another had a large "red, raw" area on its nose, the inspector noted.
MacEachen did not return telephone messages seeking comment. In filings responding to the state inspection, he has defended the treatment of the dogs. He said they are fed adequately and that the ones that appear malnourished are actually a leaner variety bred with hound dogs. State officials said they plan to reinspect the facility to see if changes have been made before deciding whether to take action against MacEachen.
An inspector with Colorado's Pet Animal Care Facilities Act program, which licenses the Krabloonik dog sledding business, raised concerns about the nutrition of some of the animals after an October inspection. The inspector noted that he saw up to 40 dogs with ribs protruding during his inspection of Krabloonik. State officials say they plan to re-inspect the facility to see if changes have been made. (Colorado's Pet Animal Care Facilities Act program)
"We are happy the district attorney is looking into this as opposed to groups showing up unannounced to town council meetings and airing their grievances," said MacEachen's lawyer, David Myler. "It's in the right forum to be considered now."
For the past two months, critics have come to the Snowmass Village Town Council to protest the conditions at Krabloonik and to press the council to terminate a 20-year lease inked in 2006 that allows Krabloonik to operate on town property until 2026 for $200.
"Patrons of Krabloonik are getting a fake, diluted wilderness experience at the expense of much pain and suffering by the dogs," said Leigh Vogel, a member of Voices for the Krabloonik Dogs, during a recent council meeting. "The land at Krabloonik is leased for a few dollars a year, and what you're going to get at the end of this lease is a graveyard full of broken bones."
The issue has prompted a Facebook site in defense of the dogs . During a recent council meeting, a former musher accused Mac-Eachen of "being the Hitler of dog owners" and of running a concentration camp for dogs. Krabloonik's defenders, who say the business is a major tourist attraction, have fought back, showing videos of the dogs yelping eagerly as they're released for a run along the sled route.
Bill Boineau, mayor of Snowmass Village, said he has had to fend off allegations that he protects MacEachen. The debate "has grown to a roiling boil," Boineau said.
The controversy is playing out in ways that touch on some of the differing cultural strains in Colorado. Some people fiercely fight tightening animal-abuse laws, which they say would constrain the agriculture industry. Meanwhile, Aspen draws a set more apt to buy vegan fare at Whole Foods than livestock feed at the supply store.
"It's a real clash of Old West and the New West," said John Dresser Jr., the town attorney for Snowmass Village, who said he was not endorsing one view or the other. "We've moved from one end of the political spectrum in this state to the other in just a few decades."
MacEachen touts a storied past. He worked for Stuart Mace, whose Aspen sled dogs starred in "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon," a popular 1950s-era television show about a Canadian Mountie.
When Mace went out of business, he gave 55 of his dogs to MacEachen, who used them to establish his own sledding business. It is now reputed to be the largest dog-sledding operation in North America.
In 1982, MacEachen added a restaurant that featured wild game and drew favorable reviews from the national media, including Sports Illustrated. He is a veteran of Alaska's famed Iditarod dog-sled race.
MacEachen, though, has long attracted critics who point out that in 1988 he did not contest an animal-cruelty charge accusing him of breaking bones in a dog's face, causing it to go blind in one eye. Upon completion of a year's probation, the charge was dismissed and MacEachen was allowed to withdraw his no-contest plea.
He drew national criticism in 2005 after news reports that he shot to death unwanted dogs and dumped their bodies in a feces pit, a practice he termed culling. He initially defended the shootings, which are legal in Colorado, but eventually vowed to strive to find adoptive homes for more of the dogs slated for death.
In September, Krabloonik made headlines again during a child-custody hearing between former musher Curtis Hungate and MacEachen's daughter. Hungate was seeking to block Byrna Erwin MacEachen from taking their son to Krabloonik. He and other former mushers testified that MacEachen continued to kill dogs, let a dog die of hypothermia, and beat animals with PVC pipe, harnesses and electrical cables.
Hungate continued to allege animal abuse during a recent town council meeting. In a new twist, Guy Courtney, the former manager at Krabloonik who in the past had defended MacEachen, joined forces with Hungate and other mushers. Courtney and Hungate filed a police report last month alleging that MacEachen let a dog die of hypothermia.
During one council meeting, Courtney, who was in negotiations to buy Kra-bloonik until MacEachen recently terminated those negotiations, said: "He's crafty and he's slippery when it comes to this issue of dog care and not abusing dogs versus doing what you and I might consider ordinary care. It's time for something to change."
Courtney, in a telephone interview, said the Kra-bloonik dogs suffer a miserable existence, ranging from a lack of shade in the summer to harsh cold in the winter and ongoing malnutrition. He and mushers secretly fed dogs beyond their scheduled feedings to keep them alive, he said.
Dr. Scott Dolginow, an Aspen veterinarian who treats the Krabloonik dogs, said their housing is not ideal.
"It's hard to take care of that many dogs," Dolginow said. "I think conditions there could be better. It will take money to do that. I'm not sure the business supports it. Dan has his own way of doing things, and he hasn't always embraced chances to make changes."
As the accusations continue to come, the members of the town council have taken the stance that they will wait to see what the investigations reveal.
"Once the investigations are over, we will have all sides, pros and cons, come together and try to have fruitful discussion at that point," said Mayor Boineau. "We know Krabloonik is there, and a number of people like it, and a number of people don't."
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747, cosher@denverpost.com or twitter.com/chrisosher
www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24678932/aspen-area-dog-sledding-operation-sparks-concern-investigations
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