Urgent Volcano Warning: Mushers’ Dogs at High Risk of Exposure to Falling Ash, Respiratory Distress
For Immediate Release:
April 11, 2025
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
With Mount Spurr’s eruption expected within weeks, PETA is issuing an urgent warning that while all animals must be protected from volcanic ash, those particularly vulnerable to inhalation distress are those who are typically chained outdoors at mushers’ facilities. In letters sent this morning to Alaska State Troopers, PETA requests an emergency alert to go out, urging residents to bring dogs inside or evacuate them—and requests that troopers attempt to ensure that mushing operations and other large-scale dog kennel operators are making contingency plans to protect dogs before the eruption occurs.
While people who consider their dogs part of the family and keep them indoors will almost certainly protect them, PETA is concerned that mushers, dogsledding operators, and others who chain dogs outside 24/7 next to dilapidated wooden boxes or plastic barrels, even when they’re sick and injured—like this dog filmed by a PETA eyewitness—will not afford them the same consideration, jeopardizing their health. Since many dogs used in races such as the Iditarod suffer from persistent lung damage, they’re especially vulnerable to the risks of volcanic ash, which is hard and abrasive and not soft like ash from burning wood. Ashfall can harm animals’ eyes, lungs, and skin, and if ash lands in dogs’ food or water bowls, it can clog their digestive systems.
Residents in areas affected by falling ash should keep animals safe indoors with them and avoid all outdoor activities. Anyone who sees animals in danger or distress should assist if possible, but if unable to help, note the exact location and alert authorities right away.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any 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.
