Victory! Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours Drops Dog-Sledding Excursions After PETA Plea

For Immediate Release:
December 2, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Hollywood, Fla. –

After hearing evidence from PETA that dogs in the dog-sledding industry spend the majority of their lives isolated and chained outside in all weather extremes when they aren’t being forced to pull sleds of tourists or run in races that claim some of their lives, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has removed dog-sledding excursions from its website. The company also confirmed that it does not offer captive “swim with dolphins” encounters in which many dolphins are abused and torn away from their families and ocean homes. PETA is sending the company delicious vegan chocolates in thanks.

*Dogs chained outside at a dog yard in Alaska. Photo: PETA*

“Dogs in the dog-sledding industry are no different from the dogs we share our homes with, yet they’re used and abused like disposable equipment,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges other travel companies to follow Scenic Cruise’s compassionate lead and reminds travelers to leave animal-exploiting activities off their itineraries.”

Dogs used in this industry typically spend the bulk of their lives chained to metal posts, ramshackle barrels, or dilapidated wooden “houses,” and just as any dog would, they suffer physically and mentally when isolated and chained up with only a few scant feet in which to sleep, eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Dogs used for tourist sled rides are also often used in deadly races like the Iditarod. In “swim with” programs, dolphins are confined to barren tanks or makeshift lagoons with no choice but to swim in endless circles, and many die prematurely because of the stressful conditions of extreme captivity.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours joins a growing list of businesses that have cut ties with the dog-sledding industry, including Costco, Maxwell House, Nestlé, Pizza Hut, Safeway, State Farm, and Wells Fargo. Dozens of companies—including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Tripadvisor, Viking Cruises, and Virgin Voyages—have stopped offering dolphin encounters.

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.