[Sled Dog Controversy-LL PKG_KUSA-NEWSL06_20140112_101745.mxf] [10||TALENT|WILL|RIPLEY||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3|SNOWMASS VILLAGE|SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3|DAN MACEACHEN|SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3|HARRY PORTLAND|SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3|LYNNE MACE|SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [||L3||SLED DOG OWNER CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY||NEWS] [TAKE PKG OUTCUE: STANDARD DURATION:5:47] {***PKG***} Will: Everyday, for weeks now, you've been emailing us about this business, asking us to look into their practices. What we found in Snowmass Village is a town divided. Divided over the treatment of animals at what's billed as the largest dog-sled operation in North America. A warning, you're about to hear some very graphic information some viewers may find disturbing. [Duration:0:04] The life of a sled-dog racing through the wilderness. <37;16 Dan Phillips: "They are definitely professional athletes."> [Duration:0:02] Highly trained and specially bred, the dogs of Krabloonik {krah-*blue-nick} in Snowmass Village spend countless hours on these trails. <25;55 Will: "What's the difference between a sled dog and a house dog? Dan Phillips: "These are undomesticated dogs."> [Duration:0:04] Kennel manager Dan Phillips says the animals are at their best in the frigid cold, between 20 below and 20 above. They spend nearly all their lives outside. <32;02 Dan MacEachen: "The longer they run, the better they get."> [Duration:0:02] Krabloonik owner Dan MacEachen {mac-*each-en} has been breeding sled-dogs for 44 years. <33;09 Dan MacEachen: "It's a labor of love."> [Duration:0:02] MacEachen says they're always chained to their kennels to prevent them from fighting each other. He says a common cause of death for the dogs is cancer. <41;28 Will: "So a lot of the dogs have had cancer? Dan MacEachen: "Uh huh." Will: "And do you have to euthanize them when they have cancer? Dan MacEachen: "We shouldn't go there." Will: "Can't go there. So you can't say how? Can you address what you do with the dogs once they die? Can you talk about that? Dan MacEachen: "No."> [Duration:0:15] He won't talk about it, because MacEachen was widely criticized in 2005 for his longtime practice of shooting sick dogs and dumping them in a pit on the property. <01;03;21 Harry Portland: "We had an area called death row."> [Duration:0:02] Harry Portland spent 9 years working at Krabloonik. <01;03;27 Harry Portland: "And what Dan did was he took the dogs and held them down on his foot with this chocker chain, shot them with one hand with a .22."> [Duration:0:12] He says workers threw the dying dogs into a pit full of feces. <01;06;45 Harry Portland: "I still lose sleep over it."> [Duration:0:02] Portland went public, but was shocked to learn shooting and dumping dogs is legal under Colorado law. Facing international criticism at the time, MacEachen promised to change his practices. <01;16;06 Bill Fabrocini: "Reports of abuse. Documented."> [Duration:0:03] Bill Fabrocini is co-founder of "Voices for the Krabloonik Dogs." His group was outraged when, just one year after the dog shooting controversy, Snowmass Village signed a business deal with MacEachen. <01;16;35 Bill Fabrocini: "This is a very unethical lease."> [Duration:0:02] Krabloonik pays just $10 a year to lease land owned by the town. The deal is good until 2026, costing MacEachen $200 over 20 years. The cost of one adult sled ride is $285. <01;17;27 Bill Fabrocini: "And they don't do anything to pull the lease. They just allow it to continue."> [Duration:0:03] State records show MacEachen served one year of probation in 1988 for breaking the bones in a dog's face. Krabloonik failed a 2008 state inspection "because of a repeat critical violation," with some dogs needing veterinary care. <56;12 Curtis Hungate: "The dogs just waste away."> [Duration:0:02] Former 5 year Krabloonik employee Curtis Hungate went to the police, claiming a dog named Fernando froze to death in 2011. <50;48 Curtis Hungate: "Basically this all boils down to care is not in the bottom line."> [Duration:0:05] Prosecutors won't comment, citing an open criminal investigation. Court records show they served a search warrant at Krabloonik last month, charging MacEachen with 8 counts of animal cruelty. <05;05 Mayor Bill Boineau: "But I know Dan loves his animals."> [Duration:0:02] The mayor of Snowmass Village Bill Boineau {bueno} is defending MacEachen and his business. <03;19 Mayor Bill Boineau: "A number of the people in Snowmass Village do believe its a quality amenity."> [Duration:0:05] The mayor is on a family trip out of state, so 9Wants to Know reached him by phone. He says right now, there are no plans to break that 20-year lease. <06;24 Mayor Bill Boineau: "We have an arrangement. And I need to honor that arrangement."> [Duration:0:04] The "Voices for the Krabloonik Dogs" Facebook page has more than 13-hundred likes, in a town of less than 3-thousand people. Boineau questions the real motivation behind the social media blitz. <04;09 Mayor Bill Boineau: "It seems like this came down when a fellow was trying to buy it and he couldn't make it work."> [Duration:0:05] That "fellow" is Guy Courtney, Krabloonik's former General Manager for the last 4 years. <58;58 Guy Courtney: "I wanted to buy Krabloonik for the benefit of the dogs."> [Duration:0:02] Court documents filed last week by MacEachen's lawyer say Courtney only began publicly alleging animal abuse and neglect when the sale fell through. <59;39 Will: "How do you respond to claims that this is just a smear campaign? Guy Courtney: "I think that's absurd."> [Duration:0:05] Stuart Mace gave MacEachen his sled dog business in 1974. The gift came with a promise to carry on the tradition of loving and caring for the dogs. <01;11;43 Lynne Mace: "It makes me very sad."> [Duration:0:02] Mace's daughter believes that promise was broken. <01;11;26 Lynne Mace: "From a very noble business with noble animals and well cared for animals to a factory of funky looking dogs not being taken care of."> [Duration:0:12] <39;58 DOG WITH OPEN SORES> During our visit to Krabloonik, we saw one dog with an open sore, others with ribs showing. But overall, the dogs we were shown appeared healthy. <49;19 Will: "Are these animals being abused and neglected? Dan Phillips: "No, not at all."> [Duration:0:03] Employees were told not to answer any questions about the criminal charges or past allegations of abuse. MacEachen did have this to say about his critics. <33;33 Dan MacEachen: "Perhaps they don't have the education to understand what is really going on here."> [Duration:0:05] That question, what is really going on here, is dividing Snowmass Village. At the center of the controversy, 250 dogs, who just want to run. [Duration:0:02] Will: State animal inspectors have questioned whether sled-dogs at Krabloonik are being adequately fed. The owner says the dogs are athletes, and need to maintain a certain weight. He's still awaiting trial on those 8 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Will Ripley, 9NEWS.

KUSA