Alaska’s Iditarod dog-sled race is nothing short of a nightmarish ordeal for the dogs who are forced to run approximately 1,000 miles while pulling a heavy sled in some of the most grueling conditions on Earth. More than 150 dogs have died running the race—not counting those who suffered and died while chained up outside during the off-season or who were killed because they lacked the speed or stamina to make the grade. Yet Alaskan telecommunications provider GCI continues to power the Iditarod through its sponsorship.
Dogs forced to run in the Iditarod are no different from those we share our homes with—they only want to live and enjoy loving companionship. Making them race is a form of speciesism, discrimination based solely on species.
Here’s how YOU can tell GCI to end its Iditarod sponsorship:
- Call the company at 1-800-800-4800 (press 2, then press 4), and tell the representative that you want GCI to cut ties with the Iditarod. Ask that your message be passed along to management.
- Call between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Alaska time (12 noon–12 midnight ET), Monday through Friday.
- Call between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Alaska time (1–10 p.m. ET), Saturday and Sunday.
Here are some talking points:
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- More than 150 dogs have died in the race, not counting innumerable others who have suffered and died while chained up during the off-season or who were killed simply because they lacked the speed or stamina to make the grade.
- Please follow the lead of former top sponsors ExxonMobil and Wells Fargo as well as Alaska Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and other major companies by cutting ties with the Iditarod.
LET US KNOW HOW YOUR CALL WENT
- E-mail Gregory Chapados, the president and chief operating officer of GCI, at [email protected] and urge him to cut ties with the Iditarod. Feel free to use our sample letter, but using your own words will be more effective.
- Contact GCI on social media. Let everyone know that it sponsors dogs’ deaths.
Sample Text
Even though dogs keep dying, @GCIAK is still sponsoring the #Iditarod dog-sled race. Join me in demanding that the internet service provider stop powering cruelty! via @PETA
- Contact Greg Maffei, the CEO of GCI’s owner, Liberty Media.
LET US KNOW HOW YOUR CALL WENT
E-Mail Maffei at [email protected]
Feel free to use our sample letter, but using your own words will be more effective.
Sample Letter
Subject:
Please Stop Sponsoring the Deadly Iditarod
Body:
I was disturbed to learn that GCI is sponsoring the Iditarod, despite the race’s egregious history of cruelty to dogs.
More than 150 dogs have died in the race, not counting innumerable others who have suffered and died while chained up during the off-season or who were killed simply because they lacked the speed or stamina to make the grade. Up to half of those who start the race don’t finish, and during the 2022 race alone, nearly 250 dogs were pulled off the trail because of exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes.
Please follow the lead of former top sponsors ExxonMobil and Wells Fargo as well as Alaska Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and other major companies by cutting ties with the Iditarod.
Thank you for your consideration.
