Full-Page Newspaper Spread Blasts Iditarod and Its Sponsors for Pregnant Dog’s Death

For Immediate Release:
March 28, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA has placed a full-page appeal in today’s Fairbanks Daily News-Miner pointing out that the Iditarod and every company still sponsoring it are responsible for the death of Ventana, the four-year-old pregnant dog who collapsed and died on the trail this month after musher Daniel Klein forced her to run for more than 300 miles. The ad, which the Anchorage Daily News refused to run without explanation, features artwork of Ventana’s body still attached to Klein’s sled.

“Forcing a pregnant dog to haul a sled for hundreds of miles goes against common decency and the Iditarod’s own rules, yet the Iditarod failed to stop it or Ventana’s death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on GCI, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Alaskan Brewing Company, and every other sponsor still propping up this death race to yank their support before its body count rises any higher.”

More than 150 dogs have died in the Iditarod since the event began, including three young dogs who collapsed and died on the trail last year. The 2025 race was rerouted due to insufficient snow, adding more than 150 miles to the nearly 1,000-mile race. In addition, dogs experienced grueling trail conditions and harsh weather—including a sandstorm that caused mushers and the dogs to get lost. More than 180 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes, forcing the remaining ones to work even harder to pull the mushers.

This year’s race was tied for the smallest field of mushers in history, indicating that the Iditarod is declining in popularity even among long-time participants. Alaska Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Jack Daniel’s, Wells Fargo, and many other sponsors have all dropped their support for the race after hearing from PETA.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.