PETA Statement: The Iditarod Claims Another Life

For Immediate Release:
March 10, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien in response to the death of a dog while running in the Iditarod:

Deacon, the 2-year-old dog who died Thursday while running in the Iditarod, is at least the 28th dog since 2004 to die in this deadly race in which dogs are forced to run up to 100 miles a day through biting winds, blinding snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and treacherous ice. They deserve far better than a lifetime of isolation, cruelty, suffering, and death training for and running in the Iditarod. PETA is calling for a permanent end to this dangerous race.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about our campaign against dog racing is available on PETA’s website.

For Media: Contact PETA's
Media Response Team.

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind