Hundreds of dogs are abused and exploited every year
in Alaska’s Iditarod dog sled race—a grueling
trek of more than 1,000 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. They are subjected to biting
winds, blinding snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and
the danger of falling through treacherous ice into frigid
waters. Almost every year, several dogs die of “sudden
death syndrome,” which means that they are literally
run to death.
Over the years, the death toll has surpassed 120. At least three died in the 2005 race alone. 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.
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.”
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.” Almost invariably,
those who are left after the cull spend their entire
lives in cramped, substandard kennels that are rarely
or never inspected by any regulatory agency. Many kennel
operators keep dogs tethered on short ropes or chains
or cram them into tiny confined spaces. In 2003, an
Ohio man was charged with cruelty to animals for keeping
and transporting 14 huskies, whom he claimed to be training
for the Iditarod, chained to barrels on the back of
a homemade trailer.
In October 2004, nearly 30 malnourished sled dogs were
seized from David Straub, who has run the Iditarod three
times, last in 2002. Straub was charged with 17 counts
of cruelty to animals, and the dogs were taken to a
local animal-care facility.
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