The task force looking into sled dog care and animal cruelty after the slaughter of dozens of dogs at a Whistler kennel this past winter has come forward with some strong recommendations.

Included are recommendations requiring mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by veterinarians, and a huge increase in fines, up to $75,000 and two years in jail for the most serious offences.

They have also recommended that the sled dog industry create an industry association, and establish a standard of care for sled dogs.

Brenda Birrell, the driving force behind the local Bootleg Sled Dog Races near Kimberley, says she sees all the moves as positives, although there is plenty to be worked out logistically.

"I think it's a great start," she said. "But it's a big project. Some of the things, like the maximum fine of $75,000 and jail, that's huge."

And Birrell says there is nothing to fear if you are treating your dogs humanely.

"If someone is treating their animals right there is nothing to fear. It doesn't matter if it's cattle, chicken or dogs. I grew up on a farm and I know that it's a business but animals have a right to humane treatment."

There are new regulations around care, housing, feeding and euthanasia, but Birrell said certification of those standards has been left up to the industry and that could be a bit difficult to get off the ground.

"If it's just the sled dog tour operators and those with tenure on Crown land, it's easy enough to track them down, but there aren't really that many of them. But if you are looking at all sled dog kennels, there's a lot of them. There are a lot of people racing dogs for recreation and sport and $150,000 to the SPCA to monitor all of them isn't going to go very far.

"What defines a kennel? Some people have three dogs, are they included? There's a lot of work to be done to set up an agency to regulate all of this.

"You could say everyone coming to race has to have an inspection, but then it starts to get cost prohibitive. And there are a lot of little kennels whose dogs are rescue dogs from larger kennels. You'd hate to see someone with a little four dog kennel not being able to afford the inspection fee."

However despite logistical problems, Birrell is pleased to see the issue being addressed.

"It's a good thing. From my understanding it's been very regulated for quite some time. Hopefully it will all work out being better for the dogs."

The BC SPCA has endorsed the findings.

"The report contains strong recommendations which we believe will help prevent another tragedy like the devastating slaughter of the 100 Whistler-area sled dogs in April 2010," said Craig Daniell, chief executive officer for the non-profit animal welfare society. While the BC SPCA supports all the recommendations in the report, Daniell said the society is particularly pleased with three key recommendations, including a call for the creation for a mandatory sled dog "standard of care" for B.C.

"It would be a huge step forward to have a code of practice that sets out clear standards for the care of sled dogs, including housing, food, water, exercise, socialization, "retirement" plans for dogs no longer needed by an operator and acceptable forms of euthanasia," said Daniell. "A mandatory standard of care would also be an important enforcement tool when our special constables are called out to inspect sled dog operations and in recommending animal cruelty charges."