Six dogs died in the 2009 Iditarod. It is believed that two of the dogs froze to death. Musher Lou Packer admitted that he could feel ice form under the skin of one of the two dogs before he died. Three other dogs dropped dead on the trail and the cause of their deaths is "inconclusive." The sixth dog died of unknown causes during a flight out of the area after her team was scratched from the race.
Hundreds of dogs are abused and exploited every year
in Alaska’s Iditarod dog sled race—a grueling
trek of more than 1,150 miles. Today’s race has
virtually nothing in common with the original Iditarod,
which was intended to deliver an emergency supply of
diphtheria serum. Today’s participants, almost
none of whom are indigenous Alaskans, are motivated
by only one thing, the cash prize, and they will do
almost anything to attain it.
Typically, dogs are forced to run four- to five-hour stretches with little rest. The official Iditarod rules only mandate that the dogs be provided 40 hours rest in total—even though the race can take up to two weeks. They are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and the danger of falling through treacherous ice into frigid waters. Dogs have died from “sudden death syndrome:” literally run to death.
Over the years, the death toll has surpassed 136. Three dogs died in 2008 and 2007. Studies have indicated that the dogs have a high incidence of ulcer-related illnesses and deaths because of the anti-inflammatory drugs that are frequently used to mask their injuries and allow them to run farther and faster.
Sick and Tired
In July 2002, the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine detailed a study of
airway-passage disease in dogs who had recently completed
the Iditarod—81 percent of the dogs studied had
abnormal accumulations of mucus or debris in their bronchial
tubes that resulted in injury and inflammation.
The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published an assessment in 2005 showing that 61 percent of the sled dogs studied exhibited an increased frequency of gastric erosions or ulcers after completing the Iditarod, compared to 0 percent prior to the race.
 In a March 20, 2004, Santa Rosa Press Democrat
article, Dr. Paula Kislak, president of the Association
of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, stated that “[w]ith
a buildup of lactic acid and other chemicals from muscle
degradation as a result of extreme exercise, toxicity
in the liver and kidneys may not cause death for days
or weeks after a race.”
Life on the end of a chain
Besides the obvious cruelty, dogs also pay a terrible
price behind the scenes. Not every puppy born is a fast
runner, and those who do not make the grade are usually
killed—by bludgeoning or drowning—for not
possessing monumental stamina and speed. Manuals and
articles written by top mushers blatantly recommend
killing dogs who do not measure up. One musher equates
it to “weeding a garden.” Many kennel
operators keep dogs tethered on short ropes or chains
or cram them into tiny confined spaces.
Even though most kennels are not inspected by any regulatory agency, countless cruelty cases have been exposed over the years.
- In January 2009, three dead dogs used for sledding were found chained to stakes and frozen to the ground on the coast of the Beaufort Sea in Canada's Northwest Territory. The musher operating the kennel admitted that the dogs were sick and that he had failed to provide them with shelter.
- In May 2008, 25 dogs, including many who were nearly starved to death and some who were chained on short wire, were found abandoned with no food or water in a kennel outside Palmer, Alaska. The dogs' teeth were broken from trying to eat rocks.
- In May 2006, authorities in British Columbia seized 51 emaciated, dehydrated, and sick dogs from a dogsledding kennel.
- Eleven chained dogs used for sledding were left to starve at an operation in Kasilof, Alaska, in March 2005.
- In October 2004, a Wasilla, Alaska, musher was found guilty of failing to provide his dogs with adequate food, water, and veterinary care. Authorities seized 28 dehydrated dogs who were so emaciated that their spines and hip bones protruded through their fur.
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