The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the eleven-hundred-mile dog-sled race across the inhospitable Alaskan wilderness, is often called "The Toughest Race on Earth." However, some animal-rights activists contend that it is more deserving of the title of Most Inhumane.
One journalist called it "maybe the cruelest sporting event in America." Jim Rome of Fox Sport prefers to call it the "I-killed-a-dog" sled race.[i] Leading the charge of accusers is the Sled Dog Action Coalition[ii], a group whose stated mission is to expose the dirty truths behind Alaska's most popular sport. On their website, they list numerous ways in which sled dog racing abuses dogs:
#1: Dog Deaths
The naked truth of the matter is that the Iditarod has never been run without the death of at least one dog.
At last count, over 136 dogs have died during the race since its inaugural run in 1973, although exact numbers are impossible to ascertain due to the fact that no official tally was taken in early years. Causes of death in recent years have included strangulation, hemorrhaging after being impaled by a sled, heart attacks, drowning, muscular arrest, pneumonia and being hit by a snowmobile.[iii] In 2008, three dogs died.
These numbers include only the dogs which die in the race itself. No statistics exist to show how many dogs die in training, or in the aftermath of the race, but arguably these numbers could be much higher.
#2: Poor Veterinary Care
Although the dogs undergo stringent physical exams before the race, and veterinarians are present at all checkpoints, the Sled Dog Action Coalition cites several published comments by mushers who pushed dogs to continue to race despite being sick with viruses or suffering from diarrhea. Although veterinarians may be present at every check point, there is no requirement for the mushers to stop to have their dogs examined, and many don't.
Furthermore, the distances between some of the checkpoints range from 60 to 120 miles, with no veterinary care available during these large portions of wilderness.
Finally, even if a vet does examine a dog and find it to be sick, there is no rule that a dog must be pulled from the race if a vet advises it; the decision is left up to the musher.
#3: Mistreatment of Dogs During Races
Animal rights activists point out that, unlike many other races, the Iditarod has no law banning whips.
They also claim that in some instances dogs are beaten and forced to run when they were tired or reluctant. Jerry Riley, the winner of the 1975 Iditarod, was banned for life in 1990 after being accused of hitting one of his dogs with a large metal object called a snow hook. In 2006, musher Remy Brooks was suspended for two years after allegations that he had beaten his dogs during the race.
#4: The Costs of the Race: illness, injury, fatigue
Activists claim that the grueling pace of the competitors causes many dogs to become exhausted, stressed, or sick. The amount of time taken to complete the race has dropped nearly in half since the beginning of the race in 1973, which means that the dogs are running longer and faster.
On average, the top mushers covers between one and two hundred miles a day for ten straight days. The Sled Dog Action Coalition writes, "No dog wants to run so far and so fast."[iv]
Of the approximately twelve hundred dogs who start the race, approximately half do not make it to the finish line. The rest are dropped' for reasons of injury, fatigue, illness, or attitude problems. The Sled Dog Coalition cites a Journal of Veterinary Medicine reports that 81% of the dogs who do manage to finish are found to have some form of lung damage, which was not detectable before the race. 61% are found to have ulcers.[v]
#5: Problems with Iditarod rules
Animal rights activists have numerous complaints about some of the rules of the Iditarod which they believe may amount to or contribute to dog abuse.
The rule forbidding a musher to replace dropped dogs, which causes added stress on the remaining dogs of the team who have an increased load to bearThe volunteers who help to care for the tired and sometimes sick dropped dogs do not necessarily have any dog trainingVets cannot force a musher to withdraw his or her team from the race despite signs of exhaustion, injury, or illnessThe race goes on regardless of weather conditions.' In the past, that has included hurricane force winds and temperatures of eighty below
#6: Culling and Abuse in Kennels
The Alaskan SPCA has expressed concern over how sled dogs are treated at their homes as well as in races.
The most highly criticized practice is that of breeding far too many dogs in the hopes of getting champions, and killing off the ones who do not make the grade as racers, usually by shooting them. Ethel Christenson, director of an animal welfare organization, wrote, "what they're doing is breeding and breeding and then they cull and cull and cull. And culling to the musher doesn't bother them one bit. And they use to take them into animal control here and then also up in the valley, but they got such criticism so now they're doing their own killing. And it's not humane. Believe me, it's not humane."[vi]
Furthermore, many dogs are kept constantly chained to a tether as short as four feet long, which is condemned by activists and animal health groups for affecting the dogs' quality of life, physical health, and mental well-being.
#7 Violation of Anti-Cruelty laws
Activists point out that the Iditarod would violate the anti-cruelty laws of most states, due to these states' definition of overworking' or overdriving' of an animal as cruelty.
Alaskan animal cruelty law does not define overworking' as animal abuse.
#8 The Iditarod does not Honor Alaskan History
Activists argue vehemently that the conditions of the Iditarod are not an accurate representation of the history of dog sledding. The race is supposed to commemorate the famous 1925 Diptheria Run, when sled dogs were used to transport a life saving vaccine to the city of Nome, which was otherwise inaccessible.
Activists point out the differences between that run and the current race: the serum run was a relay, where twenty dog teams were used to cover only 674 miles. No dog ran more than ninety miles, and the total operation took three weeks. It is a far cry from the thousand-plus miles which a single team must run in ten days, and for far less noble of an aim.
The Iditarod Defends itself
Iditarod Chief Veterinarian Stuart Nelson flatly rejects claims that the Iditarod is inhumane. In an interview with June Price in 2004[vii], he stated his belief that few of the activists criticizing the race had ever been to Alaska
or witnessed a sled-dog race firsthand:
'People need to understand that if an animal isn't well cared for, it can't perform, so good care is the norm, not neglect.'
He argues that mushers take excellent care of their dogs, and are usually the first to spot a problem with a dog. The healthiest dogs are the fastest, and a sick or injured dog slows the team down, so it is in the musher's best interest to take excellent care of his team. He points out that the dogs undergo a stringent exam before beginning the race, and are monitored throughout by an experienced and highly organized team of veterinarians and volunteers.
Although he admits that the goal of having no dog deaths during the race is one which has yet to be reached, he states that the Iditarod staff in passionate in making that goal a reality.
Sources:
[i] "Happy to see this race is over." Jim Brown, Fox Sports, March 14, 2001. http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks.htm
[ii] Sled Dog Action Coalition.
http://www.helpsleddogs.org/
[iii] Ibid, "Iditarod Race Facts." http://www.helpsleddogs.org/faq.htm
[iv] Ibid,
http://www.helpsleddogs.org/
[v] Ibid, "Dog Injuries, Sickness, and Stress." http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks-doginjuries.htm
[vi] Ibid, "Abuse in Iditarod Kennels." http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks-abuseinkennels.h tm#killing
[vii] Price, June. "Taking it Personally: An Interview with Chief Veterinarian, Stuart Nelson."
Jan 1, 2004. http://www.iditarod.com/learn/dailyarchives/story_5. html