Seavey posts poignant remarks about loss of dogs, updates status of injured dogs

Late last week, following an investigation into a snowmachine accident that involved renowned dog musher Dallas Seavey and two of his handlers and their dog teams, Alaska State Troopers (AST) report that a citation has been issued to the operator of the snowmachine involved. The accident has claimed the life of two of Seavey’s beloved dogs.

While AST announced that 28-year-old Austin Gibbs of Healy, was issued a citation for Negligent Driving on Friday, November 24, for his part in the recent crash with sled dogs, Seavey has been grieving the loss of his dogs and updating on the healing and recovery of the dogs injured in the crash.

Seavey initially posted to Facebook about the accident, in a post that has since been shared by other groups on social media, and has received an outpouring of sympathy and support from thousands of people from Alaska, and around the world.

He has since shared a poignant post and update about the accident, reflecting the grief he has over losing two of his canine teammates, Olaf and Oreo.

“Olaf had just turned five, was enthusiastic to a fault, and had never seen a day he couldn’t be overly excited about. He lived and ran with passion and was loved by all,” he wrote, adding that the other dog, three-year-old Oreo, was happy and sweet, and that he was looking forward to Oreo’s future.

“He had just begun to turn the corner from puppyish enthusiasm to capable and competent sled dog.” Seavey went on to write that as a musher, there is nothing harder to go through than losing dogs like this and being powerless to help or ease the pain.

“You have spent every second of their life showing them they can trust you. They have spent their entire life believing you. Then this happens.”

Seavey provided an update on his other dogs that were subsequently injured in the collision, with one of his dogs, Whopper, requiring a leg amputation and needing a second surgery following complications, but now appears to be stable at the moment and “is fighting his heart out.”

A second dog, Sigfried, needed surgery shortly after the crash and is said to be healing nicely, with Seavey writing that with luck, will have some reasonable use of his injured leg.

Finally, a third dog that wasn’t able to go into surgery immediately following the crash due to complications may have turned a corner and there is now hope he will not need to have to lose his leg

“He has regained some feeling in his limb and we are now hopeful he may be able to keep his leg. He went through surgery yesterday and is stable.”

Seavey then wrote a message of thanks to the thousands who have written messages of condolences since the collision.

“Thank you all for your kind messages, thoughts, and prayers over the past week.”

Seavey, a five-time Iditarod champion, is the youngest competitor to not only compete in the Iditarod, but he is also the youngest to win the famed sled-dog race. He has gone on to win the Iditarod five times, making him only the second musher to win five times.

“You both are loved and missed. We are grateful for the time we had and that you were entrusted to us. I am so sorry I couldn’t answer your final need.”