Borough investigation finds no evidence of wrongdoing at Seavey kennel

PALMER — On Oct. 28, an Animal Care officer with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough investigated a complaint at the dog kennel facilities owned by Iditarod Sled Dog Race champion Dallas Seavey. Officer Nick Uphus closed the investigation after finding no evidence of any violation—no evidence of failure to provide humane animal care and no evidence of cruelty to animals, according to a news release from the borough.

The person who complained gave the complaint to PETA before filing it with Animal Care. PETA, an international animal rights activist group, emailed Animal Care first.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Vern Halter, himself an Iditarod enthusiast, said the Seavey kennel facilities give a high standard of care for their sled dogs with proactive health, including homeopathic care, acupuncture, and even dog massage.

“This complaint is absolutely false,” Halter said.

The complaint came on the heels of a report released by race officials naming Dallas Seavey as the musher whose dogs tested positive for a banned substance after the finish of the 2017 Iditarod.

Seavey forcefully maintained his innocence in a YouTube address.

PETA officials, long critical of the race, requested the investigation after another musher alleged dogs were being mistreated and even killed at the Seavey kennel.

"Dallas Seavey was already under investigation for alleged dog doping, and if reports are true, dogs and puppies at his kennel were left to suffer and die from illness," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Every day brings new revelations of routine cruelty in the sledding industry, and PETA is calling on authorities to investigate each report fully."