Saddened by Unnecesary Death of Dog

[nataliets]

I am disapointed you feel this way about the Iditarod. I am a life long Alaskan and look forward to this race from year to year.

This race is far from inhumane and cruel. These dogs are bred to run, in fact the most recent research out of the University of Oklahoma shows at 1000 miles, these dogs are just reaching their peak. The scientists (who are out on the trail right now studying the dogs) have no idea how far these dogs can actually run, the humans are the weakest link!
Hence, the ability to run two 1,000 + races back to back and win both!

This special breed of dogs replinish their reserves as they run, we as humans deplete our reserves as we excercise...a totally suprising find by these scientists and a completely different way of thinking for us humans!

I own a husky and I also own a retired sled dog, the sled dog is the most amazing creature to watch run, he has giant paws, very long lean legs and gets into what you could say is a rythym when he runs, low and sleek. My regular husky also is a fine runner, but the difference is obvious as you watch them.

Yes, the loss of a dog is tragic and no one wants to see it, the same as a human running through Central Park dying of a heart attack. It's horrible and no one wishes that on anyone. But before you make untrue statements about the Iditarod being inhumane and cruel, please do some addition research and educate yourself on this amazing breed of dog...you will be suprised what these athletes are bred to do.

In the meantime, I invite you to come take my sled dog on a walk, or as we like to call it in our family "a drag"...and you will see how inhumane and cruel it is to NOT allow these dogs to run. It is what they were born to do.

[UP 'n MQT]

Well said Natalie. I am a new observer to the sport of dog sled racing. As a volunteer at the UP 200 (starting and ending in Marquette, MI) it is so apparent to how loved and taken care of these dogs are. All the mushers I saw were doing it for the dogs and if a dog is not enjoying it, they will put him/her in their basket or drop him/her at a checpoint (to be taken care of by a veterinarian and volunteers, and then returned to that team's dog handlers). Like you said, Natalie, they were born to run. If you watch them race, in person and in video, their little tails are wagging and they look so happy. It is true of any athlete, there are unforunate, unpredictable and tragic deaths in sport. As well as any healthcare provider can screen for disease or disqualifying factors, there are always things that can be overlooked or come up later. Just my opinion. All are valid

[skyellab]

I have been with the dogs at the actual Iditarod for the past two years. I have heard how cruel it is and how the dogs get mistreated.

Taking it from someone who has been out with the dogs for many hours while they raced in the Iditarod, in the FREEZING cold, and after they finished in Nome, I just have to tell the truth.

These Huskies are the best treated, happiest, and best checked over animals I have ever seen. The mushers or owners put the dogs first and everything else second. They are WELL fed. They are absolutely doing what they want and loving it! Dogs that for one reason or another decide it is not fun anymore let you know and as one did today, rode in the basket for 40 miles and now is ready to run and wants to.

They always can get dropped and do if their life is in ANY WAY in danger. Come on people, get real. The dogs love it and the sport is not cruel. Everyone gets to eat, rest, and run in the beautiful snow. They even get blankets!

OK another truth, I have seen people apparently sent to convince the viewers how cruel the race is. The people were loosers who FAILED in life themselves and wanted to make others miserable to make themselves feel better. It was not about the sport or cruelty.

I was on the front lines where it is impossible to hide something going wrong or bad. All I see are happy dogs, people, and loving vets. No beating, starving, dragging, or forcing. The people of Alaska would not allow it, the vets would not allow it and the dogs would just lay down and anchor themselves. They can't wait to run. Just watch the video of the start.

GET A LIFE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

[Nightwolf]

I think that a point that has to be made is that a musher has no way of forcing his dogs to run... They run because thay want to, and if they don´t, then you can be sure that the let you know! I have seen one dog stop a team of ten because it got wet feet and didn´t like it...

[1stimestar]

It might be easier to take if you do the math. There were 67 teams that started the race with each musher having at least 14 dogs. That's 938 dogs. Now think about all the dogs sitting on couches and in their sweet little fenced in back yards in your town. If you take 938 of THOSE dogs, how many, on average, would die within a two week period? At least one. So yea, racing is not the issue but probability. It's just a matter of media exposure. You don't hear about your neighbors Fido dying on the news.

[Ari]

That is a good point to make. It's too bad ignorant people who are simply unexposed and uneducated on dogsledding will be quick to rebut with some sort of nonsense.

I've just been reading too many stupid comments/responses to the article that was posted on FOX sports, unfortunately.

[libby the lab]

I bet I can guess what organizations those people making comments belong too!! Not worth even mentioning their names. I will respect the poster and call him or her "Under Educated"

Cindy, Libby and Hank

[still_questions]

I still have some questions:
1. what are the reasons for a dog's death?
2. dogs show in general when they do not want/feel to run. what is the behavior of these dogs that die on the trails before it happens? are there warning signs?
3. it appears that dogs in not so well known teams die. does this mean anything?

[Ari]

I'm sure well-known mushers in the past have had inexplicable complications, but "well-known" might go hand in hand with experience. I haven't read anything yet regarding the specific reasons of the dog's death. Perhaps it is still being determined.

As for deaths, I've never experienced that on the trail (same goes for most mushers). Musherdeb talks about how some things are just so inexplicable:
http://www.iditarodforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1149&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=20

[yooperdawg]

My daughter trained for three years before she ran her first really competitive race (Midnight Run,1998, Chatham MI to Escanaba MI, 80 miles or so in the dark). 28 miles in our big ( 57 #) wheel dog Simba was churning up the snow and lovin it when all of a sudden his feet weren't moving any more and he was basically being dragged by the team. My 16 year old daughter stopped the team, tried to bring him around, thought he was dead, put him in the basket and cried her team to the next road crossing where she scratched. Well Simba wasn't dead, vets showed up and checked him out and told him to rest for a week(he retired from racing that night). Simba just wanted to run and run fast.. He had run farther than that in training but being in a race made him put out 175% and he passed out. He loved to run fast. Now adays (12 years later) he's still around at the age of 15+ , doesn't run anymore, would rather eat the neighbors goats if we let him ( there might be some wolf in his jeans, his father really looked wolfy) and he is a sweetheart. We never thought his racing career would end like that and he probably didn't either. He ran till he passed out. Some run till they die. They love to run. I wish I could be as excited about something as sled dogs are about running, well that might be a stretch. As far as being cruel, unless you have witnessed the love these dogs have for running day in and day out, training and racing ( there's alot more training than racing) you know not what you speak!