[KRABLOONIK DOGS-PKG_KUSA-NEWSD01_20140114_181155.mxf] [||L3|WILL RIPLEY|SLED DOG OWNER IN COURT ON CRUELTY CHARGES||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER IN COURT ON CRUELTY CHARGES||NEWS] [||L3|SNOWMASS VILLAGE|SLED DOG OWNER IN COURT ON CRUELTY CHARGES||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER IN COURT ON CRUELTY CHARGES||NEWS] [TAKE PKG OUTCUE: STANDARD OUTCUE DURATION:3:50] {***PKG***} Will: This is the first court appearance for Dan MacEachen on those 8 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. It took fewer than 5 minutes. MacEachen agreed to pay $4,516 for the care of 8 dogs seized from his business last month. We're also learning new information about a state inspection of Krabloonik last month. The Colorado Department of Agriculture is releasing new details, and new photos. A warning, some viewers may find what you're about to see disturbing. [Duration:0'02"] As more information emerges about conditions at Krabloonik, we're seeing two drastically different views of the largest sled dog operation in North America. [Duration:0'02"] This view, of 250 heathy dogs doing what they're bred to do. [Notes:PHOTO 2] And this view, of what state inspectors call sick, malnourished animals. [Notes:DEC 12 INSPECTION REPORT] 9Wants to Know obtained this December 12th report - [Notes:PHOTO 5] - along with graphic photos from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Dogs with open sores. [Notes:PHOTO 7] Weak, underfed, and badly in need of veterinary care. Inspectors seized 8 sled-dogs. Prosecutors filed 8 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. <17;38 Dan MacEachen: "No."> [Duration:0'01"] Krabloonik owner Dan MacEachen had no comment, walking into the courthouse in Aspen for his first appearance. <33;17 Dan MacEachen: "This is my life. This is my passion."> [Duration:0:02] He told 9Wants to Know last week, he loves his animals, and doesn't blame his critics. <33;33 Dan MacEachen: "Perhaps they don't have the education to understand what is really going on here."> [Duration:0:05] Those critics say they know exactly what's happening to the sled dogs at Krabloonik. <20;48 Leigh Vogel: "Suffering over a long period of time for money."> [Duration:0'03"] Leigh Vogel is co-founder of "Voices for the Krabloonik Dogs." The group says MacEachen has a history of documented animal abuse. <19;10 Leigh Vogel: "We believe that they are used as commodities. That they are utilized and abused at the will of the owner."> [Duration:0'07"] MacEachen served probation in 1988 for breaking the bones in a dog's face. He was widely criticized in 2005 his his longtime practice of shooting dogs in the head and dumping them in a feces-filled pit, a practice that is legal under Colorado law. [Notes:1:18] Voices for the Krabloonk Dogs took this video in the summer of 2008, showing sled dogs in chains, running in circles. The video shows animals left alone for most of the day. [Notes:3:34] Some dogs knocked over their water cans - [Notes:4:35] - others drank what looks like dirty water full of algae. After this video, Krabloonik increased staffing, providing more supervision during the summer months. There's also a controversial business deal between Krabloonik and Snowmass Village. The dog-sled business sits on town-owned property. As part of a 20-year arrangement, MacEachen pays Snowmass Village just $10 a year to lease the land. The town also gave MacEachen a piece of property which he sold for $2 million dollars, and got to keep the money. <01;15 Mayor Bill Boineau: "We have a lease with Dan, which is a contractual arrangement. We have to maintain what it spells out in the lease."> [Duration:0:06] Snowmass Village Mayor Bill Boineau is defending the deal, and MacEachen's treatment of the animals he's been breeding for 44 years. <01;07 Mayor Bill Boineau: "The way the dogs are being treated are good. But their possibly are some things that can be enhanced."> [Duration:0:07] Court documents filed by MacEachen's lawyer claim the public attacks are part of a smear campaign, orchestrated by Krabloonik's former GM who tried to buy the business - and a former employee involved in a custody battle over MacEachen's grandchild. [Duration:0'02"] As the controversy grows, so does the scrutiny on Krabloonik. One business, two very different views. Soon the courts will decide which one is the truth. [Duration:0'02"] Will: A local newspaper here, the Aspen Times, just took a poll on Krabloonik. It shows nearly 70% of those surveyed are against the dog-sled operation, 22% are for it, 8% are undecided. MacEachen is due back in court on February 18th at 9:30 AM. In Aspen, Will Ripley, 9NEWS.

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