Specter of Death to Appear at Iditarod Banquet: PETA Out to Save Dogs From Being Killed

For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Anchorage, Alaska –

Iditarod attendees will face the specter of death at this year’s race, as PETA supporters dressed as Grim Reapers and carrying scythes will converge on the Mushers Banquet on Thursday. The action will kick off a vigorous new four-part push (see below) to end the lethal race, which has killed more than 150 dogs since its inception, including a dog named Ventana who was in a late stage of pregnancy when she collapsed and died after being forced to run more than 300 miles in last year’s Iditarod.

Up to half the dogs who start the race don’t finish it due to illness, injury, exhaustion, and other calamities, forcing the remaining dogs to work even harder. And their suffering doesn’t end when the race is over: A new white paper compiled by PETA offers damning evidence of long-distance endurance racing’s devastating impacts on dogs’ health—including heart conditions, muscle breakdown, stomach lesions, and chronic inflammation—and dogs are often forced to run even when they’re injured or ill.

“Death looms over the Iditarod as dogs are forced to run until their bodies break down,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s Grim Reapers want this bloody race to end before a different Grim Reaper claims yet another dog’s life.”

Where: Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, 600 W. Seventh Ave., Anchorage

When: Thursday, March 5, 5:30 p.m.

The chilling display will continue at the Wildbirch Hotel—the race’s official Anchorage headquarters—on Friday; the Iditarod’s Ceremonial Start in downtown Anchorage on Saturday; and the Official Restart in Willow on Sunday, where huge, scythe-bearing Grim Reapers will hover high over the crowd.

Where: The Wildbirch Hotel, 239 W. Fourth Ave., Anchorage

When: Friday, March 6, 12 noon

Where: Ceremonial Start, Fourth Avenue and D Street, Anchorage

When: Saturday, March 7, 9 a.m.

Where: Official Restart, Willow Lake Community Center, 23612 Willow Community Center Circle, Willow

When: Sunday, March 8, 1 p.m.

*PETA supporters memorialize three young dogs—Henry, George, and Bog—who died while being forced to run in a previous year’s Iditarod. Photo: PETA*

Why: PETA’s exposé of well-known Iditarod mushers’ facilities documented that, when not being forced to run, dogs are chained to dilapidated boxes or barrels in below-freezing temperatures. Just like the dogs who share our homes, they suffer immensely when they have only a few square feet of dirt or ice on which to eat, sleep, exercise, and relieve themselves.

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