PETA Statement: Jessie Holmes Earns Top Spot Among Iditarod’s Dog Abusers

For Immediate Release:
March 14, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in response to Jessie Holmes winning the 2025 Iditarod this morning:

“Jessie Holmes’ trek to the finish line was filled with anguish and misery for the dogs hauling his sled, with six of them pulled from the race after Holmes pushed them beyond the breaking point, leaving the remaining ten exhausted dogs to work even harder. Back at his kennel, he’ll thank them all by chaining them up like bicycles when not subjecting them to cruel ‘training’ practices, like hauling a large metal carriage through neck-deep floodwaters. With the 2025 Iditarod having already run a pregnant dog to death, PETA asks what sort of people support this wretched race that should meet its end before any more dogs meet theirs.”

Ventana, a pregnant four-year-old dog, collapsed and died along with her unborn puppies on the trail last week after being forced to run for more than 300 miles, and PETA has called on the Alaska State Troopers to launch an immediate criminal investigation into her death. The 2024 Iditarod was 975 miles; this year’s race, rerouted due to insufficient snow, is approximately 1128 miles. So far, more than 160 dogs have been pulled from the trail due to illness, injury, or exhaustion.

Alaska Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Jack Daniel’s, and Wells Fargo have all dropped their support for the race after hearing from PETA, which is calling on Alaskan Brewing Company and Providence to follow suit.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other 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.