Musher charged with animal cruelty

Frontiersman reporter

WILLOW -- David Straub lives in a one-room cabin at the end of a dirt road off the Parks Highway near Willow. Behind the cabin is Straub's dog kennel, rows of doghouses and chains. A sign above the cabin entrance reads, "sled dogs rides here." But this week nearly every doghouse is empty.

Officers from Mat-Su Animal Care and Regulation took 28 of Straub's 32 sled dogs on Saturday. He has been charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty for neglecting the animals, some of which were in danger of starvation, according to borough officials.

Out of Straub's 32 dogs, 17 appeared to be in an emaciated condition when Animal Care and Regulation officer John Frey responded to a written complaint filed Monday, Oct. 11.

The complainant, Daniel Blythe, stated in writing that when he saw the dogs Oct. 10 they were starving, dazed, running in tight circles and foaming at the mouth.

Straub, who moved to Alaska from Missouri in 1996 to pursue dog-sledding, admitted one of his dogs died that day. He said it wasn't from starvation, but from the flu. He also said he has not had a dog die in more than two years.

But Dave Allison, chief officer of Animal Care and Regulation, said that when the borough veterinarian examined the animals at Straub's kennel Tuesday, all of them were at various stages of dehydration and at least 10 were classified as emaciated.

"He knew better," Allison said. "He told me he had been a veterinarian technician for a number of years, and he's run the Iditarod before. He knew what condition his dogs were in."

Straub, however, said he feels duped by the system. Out at his kennel Tuesday, he said he didn't realize the handwritten agreement he'd signed with Frey would be binding, or that by signing it he was agreeing to get rid of his dogs.

The agreement stated that Straub was to find suitable homes for the dogs before Saturday, Oct. 16, or the borough would take them away.

By signing the hand-drafted agreement, Straub effectively signed over ownership of the animals to the borough. Straub, who was allowed to keep four of the dogs, has since questioned the legality of the handwritten note.

Straub has run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race twice, in 2001 and 2002. He was unable to run last year due to a back injury he sustained when he fell off the roof of the Wasilla Senior Center while working construction.

Straub has not been able to work or run his dogs since then, and his dogs are not currently in racing condition.

"All I want to do is get back to work and run my dogs," Straub said. "It isn't right to take my kennel license and take all but four of my dogs."

The animal cruelty charges filed against Straub are borough violations, Allison said, and carry only a fine, not jail time. The state has its own animal cruelty standard, which is a misdemeanor charge. As of Wednesday, the state had not filed charges against Straub. The borough also revoked Straub's kennel license when it seized the animals.

Allison has placed the 28 dogs under his protective custody as chief administrator of Animal Care and Regulation. He said the best scenario is to find homes for the animals, and other dog mushers have come forward to care for the dogs. However, there is no decision about the dogs' fate at this time.

Allison said he wants to give Straub time to have his grievances heard.

"Mr. Straub has painted a picture that we're the big bad wolf, but it's quite the opposite," Allison said. "We had dogs that were dying at the end of their chain. We tried to work with [Straub] to find homes for those dogs and he was given five days and nothing happened."

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.