When sled dogs were put down en-mass at Whistler, following the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, it created public outrage.
It also prompted the creation of the Ministry of Agriculture Sled Dog Code of Practice which was released in February 2012 and will go into effect in October 2012.
A group of 15 people from government, the academic community, animal welfare advocacy, veterinarians and industry formed The Sled Dog Standard of Care Working Group to develop the code and among them was 100 Mile House veterinarian sled dog owner and racer Dr. Pam Barker.
In an effort to familiarize mushers with the new code, Barker will be giving several presentations throughout British Columbia in the coming months.
Recently, she was in Kimberly to make the first presentation, which she said was well received, and others are planned for June in Quesnel and in Kamloops in July.
Barker says the majority of sled dog owners are already operating within the specified standards and the official code of practice should work to elevate the level of care given by people who are not.
"It gives them a standard, so they know what's required and it gives enforcement people the ability to come in and intervene."
The regulation is enforced under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Barker says a few items regarding record-keeping might be new to sled dog owners. In general, the regulation establishes legal requirements, including containment, health and working conditions.
She adds the meetings are not mandatory, but the committee felt it was important to get the information directly to mushers and give them the opportunity to ask questions and have their concerns addressed.
The code will be coming up for review early in 2013.
The Sled Dog Code of Practice can be viewed on the Internet at www.gov.bc.ca/agri/down/sled_dog_code_of_practice.pdf.