No seriously, the Yukon Agriculture Association's (YAA) newsletter "The Ploughboy" recently ran an article regarding animals that are used to provide an income for their owner. Horses are regarded as farming here by YTG and Federal Agriculture, but Dogs aren't. Therefore Dog Kennels are excluded from the benefits of Agricultural Programmes.
Initial discussion with YTG Agriculture was very short, about two letters long actually - "no". The Feds felt classing Dog Operations as agriculture wasn't a good idea "given the number of sled dog operations in the Yukon" - which is no basis for a system of democratic government: there's too many, so the answer's "no", if there were just a few it'd be ok.
The article sums up the pros and cons very nicely I believe (probably because I wrote it) however, if you are interested in furthering the "sled dog voice" in the Yukon, please email Rick Tone (Executive Director YAA: admin@yukonag.ca ) and ask for an electronic copy, then please send your comments back to Rick. As a Board member of YAA I am bringing this to the next YAA Board Meeting, and I need support from dog mushers. If I get support we can take it back to the Government
Bringing Dog Kennels into Agriculture will more than triple the number of active farms in the Yukon, boost Agriculture's standing in Government, and give financial and political support to Sled-dog operations - we might actually be recognised for the economic benefit we bring the Yukon, as well as our cultural and heritage benefits.
Jonathan Lucas, Board Member YAA, Board member ACAAF, Vice-President Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon, Vice President, Aquaculture, Icy Waters Ltd
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