The Iditarod: the ultimate test of strength and human endurance right in Anchorage, Alaska. The sleds, the cold weather, and the dogs. But what about the dogs? These days, the Iditarod is the most famous and well-known sledding race in the U.S.. However, it is also brutal, and dogs are forced to run in freezing temperatures, as well as suffer from sores and wounds that could become detrimental or even life-threatening. Many people who view the race aren’t aware of what goes on behind the scenes. So is the Iditarod really humane?
According to the Huffington Post, more than 142 sled dogs have died since 1973, and 20 more in 2005. In 2009, six dogs died in the Iditarod, and two of them allegedly died from freezing to death. Musher Lou Packer admitted to feeling ice beginning to form over his dog’s skin. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), states that “Many dogs pull muscles, incur stress fractures, or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers.” Dogs must pull heavy sleds through 60 to 80 mph winds, and temperatures can drop as low to a frigid -50 degrees fahrenheit. David Byer, senior corporate liaison for PETA, said, “We know dogs like to have fun and run, but this a completely different scenario. They’re running for hours a day in brutal temperatures. No animal is going to enjoy pneumonia or hypothermia. This is not something that is good for the dogs, no matter how they are bred.”
The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine conducted an assessment in 2005, which showed that at least 61% of the dogs studied contracted an increased frequency of gastric erosions or ulcers after completing the Iditarod, even though none of these dogs had any symptoms before they raced. In 2002, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine conducted a study and found that 81% of the dogs that raced had “abnormal accumulations” of mucus in their lower airways, and nearly half the dogs classified as a moderate to severe build-up. On March 3rd, 2014, the PETA released a Facebook post stating “Your race is not worth my life”, showing dogs lined up around their kennels. Dogs who didn’t run fast enough or who did not have enough stamina were usually killed, and one musher recalled it was like “weeding a garden”. The dogs that do manage to make the final cut are put in cramped kennels that aren’t regularly supervised- sometimes not even being inspected at all, and many kennel owners keep the dogs tethered onto short ropes & leashes.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) “. . . does not oppose the use of dogs in sledding, but has concerns about recent dog deaths in the Iditarod, and urges the organizers to reach for a higher animal care standard”. However, Iditarod officials already claim to house high care standards, with check ups at every stop. But even though there are veterinarians present at every checkpoint, some mushers skip the checkpoints since there is no rule requiring them to have their dogs examined. In fact, some dogs have died due to diseases and conditions that could’ve been monitored had they been checked at a checkpoint.
In the 2007 Iditarod sled race, Ramy Brooks was seen by witnesses punching, kicking, and hitting his dogs violently with a ski pole. Brooks denied ever doing any serious harm, but did admit to “spanking” his dogs. One day later, one of his dogs died- however the main cause has not been determined. On March 17, officials voted unanimously to disqualify Brooks from the Iditarod, and the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors also suspended him from racing in the 2008 and 2009 Iditarod. Another account of dog abuse goes to Frank Winkler, when in 1991, he was convicted of bludgeoning and murdering 14 dogs with an ax, shooting the surviving dog. A neighbor reported hearing whimpering dogs during the night, and an animal control officer found the injured dogs piled in a crate in the back of his pickup- two were barely alive and the rest were dead. One of the pups was ‘crying and was cold, clammy, wet, bloody, and showed clinical signs of shock.’
To paraphrase, we need better care for these animals and a way to keep tabs on every musher so that any abuse can be monitored and properly dealt with. Dogs who don’t reach the required standards don’t need to be killed, and most importantly, we need the number of dog deaths to reach zero. Innocent dogs are being strapped to heavy cargo and forced to run, and they’re not being well maintained. In a race this intense, we need to up our quality of living for these dogs. After all, they’re as human as we are.
