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Sled Dogs Vs. Nature: The Iditarod
The Iditarod races started this past weekend in Alaska.
Historically protested by animal rights groups, the race pits sledding dogs against the worst forces of nature in our country in a 1,150 mile race in the Alaskan wilderness. The official Iditarod site even says,
Mother Nature…throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra, and miles of windswept coast…Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness, and treacherous climbs and side hills…”
There are two different arguments about the Iditarod.
Supporters claim that the dogs that lead the sleds were born to do so, that they are bred to survive harsh conditions and temperatures, that their coats and canine nature make them able to survive the temperatures, terrain and grueling work. One race supporter is Chasing Squirrels with Rusty’s author. Rusty’s mom is excited to teach her elementary school class about the Iditarod. (I have to admit the dog booties she ordered are cute and I am tempted to order some for my Golden Retrievers for the winter walks here in Cleveland.)
On the other hand, protesters claim that the race is deliberately abusive and has killed dogs before (which is true). The Iditarod has been likened to animal cruelty for years. A few years back the USA Today reported a story of a visitor to the race who turned into an animal rights activist after she witnessed the conditions there. Margery Glickman recalls:
Alaskan sled dogs living in their own filth, tethered in kennels…in inhumane conditions, forced to repeatedly run laps while attached to exercise wheels… It’s really shameful marketing carried out on the backs of defenseless animals.”
In 2007 a musher was disqualified for animal abuse, as reported by FOX news. Another musher was found guilty of animal abuse in 2005.
Everyone has their own opinion on the animals’ welfare during the Iditarod. Personally I am totally against these races. Regardless of the dog’s canine nature and abilities, the cruelty that comes with constant whipping, neglect, poor conditions and dehydration is enough for me to take a stance against these races.
Tell me what you think. You comments are encouraged.
Hello, I couldn’t find your email so I’ll just leave Rusty’s here.
rustysmail@embarqmail.com
Hello again! I forgot to leave Rusty’s birthday. It is April the 2nd.
You bring up good facts… I´m pro Iditarod myself, seeing mor pros than cons with the race… The cons are that there have been cases of animal abuse, which is sad and shameful… The pros are that it is a great adventure that if faced with the right attitudes is all good… A celebration of the age-old realationship between musher and husky… That huskies are bred (and have been bred for a long time) for these kind of conditions is true… The sleddog tradition could be dying, nearly gone, replaced with snowmachines and such, if the Iditarod and other such races didn´t excist… I am a musher myself (not in alaska though, sadly, alaska is my dream)and can testify that these dogs do love to run… and they positively thirve in arctic conditions… The abuse that exists is unfortunate and should be dealt with… but these races in them selves are NOT abuse…
Being a musher myself I must say that I am totally pro Iditarod. I was at the Ceremonial Start, Re-Start and the Finish this year and I am very proud to say that I also finished the Junior Iditarod the year. To say that the Iditarod is cruel just because there are some mushers that are cruel is like saying it is wrong to have kids because some parents abuse their kids. These dogs are bred to race not just run. I have 19 dogs and of those 19 7 of them have finished the Iditarod at least twice. After volunteering for the past 11 years I find it hard to belive that the Iditarod is cruel. If you listen to the Sled Dog Action Coalition youare listening to a person that lives in FLORIDA and who only bashes the Iditarod not the other major races like the Yukon Quest or Alpirod.
I am against this, and it is abuse. There is NO reason for this to continue and laws have to be incorporated and enforced. In this modern day that we live in you would think enough education exists throughout the world, but apparently not.
Enough animal abuse of any kind. We have to be their voice and the violaters will be punished. What kind of people still do this? What kind?
“The ways of society and how it treats its animals speaks to the core values and morals of its citizens.”
Thank you
To learn more about how the Iditarod promotes sled dog abuse, please check out the following websites:
Sled Dog Action Coalition: http://helpsleddogs.org/
Break The Chains – Save The Sled Dogs: http://www.lakotasong.com/sleddogs/
I notice how the pro iditarod people do not refute
the facts of – Alaskan sled dogs living in their own filth, tethered in kennels…in inhumane conditions, forced to repeatedly run laps while attached to exercise wheels… It’s really shameful marketing carried out on the backs of defenseless animals.”
Saying they are bred to do this – is hardly a rational argument for in humane treatment.
To use the argument that these dogs are bred to run and therefore this race is not abusive and the dogs thrive is to compare with man’s desire to walk and the forced Death March to Bataan. Is there a valid reason other than monetary for the race to be as grueling and harsh as it is?
Being a musher myself, I have a few things to say:
As a matter of fact, most racing sled dogs are fed well, and they do not live in their own filth. If they did, why would they even be able to race? Feces contain all sorts of diseases and parasites, which would rapidly infect the dogs. Yes, they are “tethered” in kennels, but if they weren’t, there would be puppies galore and possibly fighting. Running laps? How else would you train them? Marathon runners run laps to condition themselves and do we consider that human abuse? No. I rest my case.
The use of sled dogs in this sporting event if not in and of itself abuse. I would submit that the abuse of toy breeds with diets excessively rich in cholesterol or even sugar is far more detrimental to the health of the animal than anything which enables the animal to be well fed and exercised. This is the type of argument which resolves to should an animal be used at all. After all, the natural state of any animal absent human intervention is feral. Simply because the dog is by evolutionary pressure able to run at a higher average speed than most other animals on Earth does not mean that using that fact in competitive sport is abuse.
The abuse of animals is probably more evidenced through those that breed excessively small dogs which are impossible in the wild – since animals of that size are most commonly lunch for other dogs.
Just because the dogs like it doesn’t make it alright. My pitbull would gladly pull me in a sled until she dropped dead from exhaustion.
I happen to agree about “toy” breeds… Why not just get a cat?
First off I will let you know a little bit about myself. I am a dog musher. I have been running sled dogs for about 5 years now. I love every minute of it and so do my dogs. We also race in the 3-dog junior class in sprint races all over our state..
Now to the topic.
I completely understand it when someone is concerned about the welfare of sled dogs who race the Iditarod because yes, it is a very long and very grueling race. Dogs have died and dogs have been injured(mushers have also been injured). I am not going to act like that isn’t true because it is. But really what athletic dog sport doesn’t have injuries?? No matter what sport out there that involves animals there is going to be some risk of injury. There is also going to be someone who is in that sport for the wrong reasons but that doesn’t mean that the WHOLE sport is bad, it just means that that one person has a problem. In the pet world, there are some people who abuse their pets but does that mean that ALL pet owners abuse their dogs? Does it mean that the whole idea of pet ownership should be outlawed?? No. The same goes for mushers and sled dogs.
Only the best dogs and the best mushers can compete in this race. I couldn’t run up to Alaska and race it with my team. It takes years and years of experience in driving/owning/and caring for sled dogs.
Now I can’t speak for ALL dog mushers but I can speak for almost ALL of them.
We mushers, whether we sprint race, mid distance, long distance(Iditarod) or stage race, we all LOVE our dogs. They are our star athletes and they are treated that way. You can’t run any race much less the Iditarod with dogs that are not well cared for. It just wouldn’t happen. Mushers establish very strong bonds with their dogs from the moment they get them and they learn to trust their dogs just as much as their dogs learn to trust them. Our dogs aren’t “tools” to win money with and nor are they just an object that isn’t cared for.
Now the way that we keep our dogs can seem very cruel from the outside. Yes some of us do keep them on short chains. Here is a few paragraphs of me explaining why we keep them this way.
“Sled dogs are kept this way mainly because they are excellent escape artists. If they were kept in a regular kennel or pen it would be easy for them to find ways to get out. Sled dogs also are not like pet dogs, they will not come when they are called. They are driven, working dogs who’s greatest passion is to run. Some will stop at nothing to be able to run. When they are kept on chains, they are kept safe from roaming around in the wilderness and along roads and highways.
The chains are kept short( usually about 6 to 8 feet) to reduce the risk of getting tangled in their own chain.
We also keep them this way so they can interact with and play with the dogs next to them. The dogs are spaced far enough apart so they can’t tangle, but close enough so they can still play.” (This is off of my website. You can check it out if you want to learn more about me here http://www.willowrunsleddogs.webs.com )
Mushers also keep a very large amount of dogs so they have sort of a “pool” of dogs to choose from to be on their Iditarod team. The dogs that don’t make the team are not killed as some people say and the puppies are not culled. The dogs that don’t make the team are sold or given to less competitive mushers to be on their teams.
All sled dogs get proper vet care and they all have their routine shots. (they couldn’t race with out proof of these shots)
Now for what I know about the Iditarod. Along the Iditarod trail there are check points. Each check point is about 1 to 2 days apart. At each check point there is an experienced and professional veterinarian that checks each of the dogs on each team to make sure that they are fit to continue. If any vet or musher has any doubts about a dog’s aability to continue the race, then that dog will be “dropped” out of the race and flown back home to be taken care of by family members or whoever the musher has to take care of the dogs at home. No dog is forced to run while they are sick or injured. If a dog becomes sick or injured between check points then the musher will put the dog into their sled bag, which is ventilated, and carry it to the next closest check point(whether it be the next or the previous one) and it will be flown home or to an animal hospital.
I will finish with this: Sled dogs LOVE to run. It is their passion. Like our passion is for animals, their passion is to run. They love to run, they live to run. They will stop at nothing to be able to run. I suggest that you go to this website http://www.sleddogcentral.com and go to the race page and see if there are any sled dog races in your area. If there are then go on out and watch. All spectators are welcome at all races. It is really something to watch. The dogs get sooooo excited to run, they scream and jump and pull on their harnesses. I have literally been pulled off of my feet when taking a dog to the sled to get hooked up. You can’t force a sled dog to run. If they didn’t want to run, they simply wouldn’t. They would lie down and stay there.
So I hope, if anything, I have at least given you some insight on this sport and the Iditarod. It really isn’t has cruel as some people make it out to be. If you take the time to really learn about it, it really is a fascinating sport and race.
I just want you to know that I am not in any way trying to be rude or bash your opinion or anything. I am just trying to give you some insight on a sport that is hard to understand.
Feel free to email me and ask all the questions you want!!
-Anna
Thank you Anna!