For Immediate Release:
February 9, 2018
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Yukon Territory – Below, please find a statement from PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in response to reports that a dog owned by Iditarod veteran Hugh Neff died while racing in the Yukon Quest:
Another dog is dead at the hands of an Iditarod musher, and with the 2018 race just around the corner, PETA fears that he won’t be the last and asks when this bloodbath will finally end. This cruel, greedy pastime pushes dogs, whose paws often become painfully damaged, to run up to 100 miles a day across treacherous ice through biting winds, blinding snowstorms, and subzero temperatures. As damning reports of Iditarod dog doping and routine behind-the-scenes neglect and killings continue to emerge, PETA says that the Iditarod must end before more dogs follow this one to the grave.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about our campaign against the Iditarod is available on PETA’s website.
