Iditarod 'sport' encourages inhumane treatment of dogs

Spectrum, by Terri David

Can you imagine hooking your dog up to a sled with 15 other dogs, and running them in four- to five-hour stretches for 9-14 continuous days in an 1,150-mile race? That would be the approximate distance between Asheville, N.C., and Bangor, Maine. Under the best of circumstances this would be grueling, but add to the mix sub-zero temperatures, arctic winds, snowstorms and ice. This is the Iditarod.

Most of us would consider such brutal treatment to be animal cruelty punishable by law, but the Iditarod is Alaska's biggest "sporting event," and is supported by major corporations. Organizers discount the 120 recorded dog deaths as just a tiny fraction of the animals that run. The "I-Killed-A-Dog" race has a death rate of 2.9 fatalities for every 1,000 competitors, which is the mathematical equivalent of 290 deaths in the Boston Marathon during the last decade. Susan Butcher, a four-time winner of the Iditarod, has publicly stated, "We {dog mushers) wouldn't as a group, pass anybody's idea of humane treatment of animals."

Behind the scenes, the situation is even worse. Many dogs are bred, but few are considered racing material. The ones who are thought to be unfit for racing are culled. That's a nice way of saying they are shot in the head, or beaten to death with a snow hook or baseball bat. Musher Lorraine Temple justified the shootings saying, "They (the big racing outfits) can't keep a dog who's a mile an hour too slow." Many operations keep more than 100 dogs who live outside in sub-zero temperatures, chained to barren wooden dog houses or plastic barrels. Constant tethering of dogs is a practice considered inhumane by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and virtually all humane organizations. Adequate veterinary care is out of the question since racing is a money-making proposition. These animals are not family "pets," and are trained by being beaten into submission. A retired Air Force colonel and Alaska resident, Tom Classen, has been an outspoken critic of the Iditarod. He points out that abuse is common, and the dogs cower when approached. "They've had the hell beaten out of them … These dogs are beaten into submission the same way elephants are trained for a circus. The mushers will deny it. And you know what? They are all lying."

We often hear that the dogs love to run. Wouldn't you like to run if you were tethered on a short chain 24-7? You would also be more inclined to run if you were whipped, and there are no rules against it. "A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all, but is effective," wrote Jim Welch in a mushing training manual. The dogs have no choice but to run since they are tethered to 15 other dogs. Should they become too weak, tired, or sick to run, they cannot stop. They are dragged along, sometimes flipping on their backs.

The race is so grueling that, on average, 54 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it to the finish line. Lung damage has been found in 81 percent of the animals that do finish. The dogs' feet become raw, cracked and bloody. Many dogs pull muscles, incur stress fractures, or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers. Some dogs die because their muscles and organs deteriorate from the prolonged and extreme exercise. Other causes of death include strangulation in tow lines, internal hemorrhaging, liver injury, heart failure, and pneumonia. Some dogs are working so hard that they can't stop gasping for air. They inhale their own vomit and choke. Most states have laws against overworking animals, but in Alaska it doesn't constitute cruelty. Mushers start out with a 16-dog team, but toward the end they might only have a handful of dogs pulling a 400- to 500-pound sled. Many dogs die after the race, but they aren't part of the official statistics of racing deaths.

Dogs normally sleep about 14 hours per day, but mushers are only required to rest their dogs for one 24-hour period and two eight-hour periods. The race can last as long as two weeks. One musher had eight dogs left and 401 miles to the finish line, but only took one 9-minute rest stop.

Approximately three dozen veterinarians are stationed at 24 checkpoints of the race, but 1,000 dogs can go through each station at all hours. Veterinary care is grossly inadequate. Veterinarians say that in a grueling race, injury and death are expected. Physical exams are not required at checkpoints, and the mushers can overrule a veterinarian's recommendation to take a dog out of competition. Regular doses of aspirin, ibuprofen and naprocen are given to fight inflammation, swelling and pain, giving the dogs gastric ulcers.

As Jon Saraceno, sports writer for USA Today stated, "It is the most immoral, reprehensible 'sporting event' in the USA." Other sports writers have had equally disparaging remarks about the Iditarod. You can help to end this brutal race by writing to the sponsors. Go to www.helpsleddogs.org for contact information. Major corporations have dropped their sponsorships of the race after hearing from the public about the brutal treatment of the dogs.

Terri David is vice-president of Carolina Animal Action, an Asheville-based animal rights group advocating on behalf of all animals. She can be reached at P.O. Box 19242, Asheville, NC 28815, carolinaanimal@aol.com, or 828-298-4647.