This Race is a Matter of Life and Death for Dogs

Alaska’s dangerous Iditarod dog-sled race begins on the first Saturday in March each year. During the event, dogs are forced to run about 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome in less than two weeks, enduring freezing temperatures, blinding snowstorms, and often, painful injuries or illness.

Dogs bred in the dog sledding industry are commonly treated like inventory: kept outdoors year-round in all weather extremes, in crowded, unsanitary yards where disease and parasites run rampant. With nothing to do but run in endless circles around dilapidated boxes or barrels, which are the closest things they have to a “home”, they often spend much of their lives on a chain.

During the racing season, they face other dangers. PETA recently released the first in-depth collection of studies on the severe and lasting damage long-distance dog-sled racing inflicts on dogs’ bodies. In addition to publishing reports, PETA hosts protests, runs a week-long text-in campaign, promotes online actions, and continues to expose the abuse dogs endure in the annual race.

Here is just a glimpse of the suffering dogs endured during the 2025 race:

• A pregnant four-year-old dog named Ventana was forced to run so fast and so hard that she collapsed and died on the trail.
• PETA confirmed that the Iditarod tried to conceal a serious incident involving a dog named Jett, who collapsed on the trail and required emergency veterinary care.
• A dog named Hank fell into a freezing river and was dragged.
• More than 180 dogs were pulled from the trail due to illness, injury, or exhaustion—including one dog who suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon—forcing the remaining ones to work even harder.

This pointless race is a matter of life and death for dogs, but you can help!

1. Contact Iditarod sponsor, Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, on Facebook and Instagram. Then chat with the credit union to tell it to rethink its sponsorship of the abusive Iditarod.

2. Contact another Iditarod sponsor, Alaskan Brewing Company, on Facebook and Instagram. Then use the company’s contact form to ask it to reconsider its future support of the death race.

3. Contact Iditarod sponsor, Blood Bank of Alaska, on Facebook and X to ask the organization to reconsider its support of the Iditarod’s cruelty.

4. Host a watch party. Invite friends over to watch the award-winning film Sled Dogs, and urge your loved ones to take action to help the dogs forced to endure these cruel races. Prepare vegan snacks and appetizers to share!

5. Visit PETA’s Iditarod rapid action center page to read more and take ten actions in just a few minutes.

Thank you for your compassion for animals.