Charley the Dog Died, Many Suffered: The Cruel Toll of the 2026 Iditarod
Bitter cold biting at their noses and ears, icy conditions causing their bleeding and raw paws to slip, and running to the point of collapse—this is the reality for dogs forced to haul sleds in the Iditarod.
A Brief Recap of the Deadly 2026 Iditarod
Just like the races before it, the 2026 Iditarod left a trail of suffering in its wake. A four-year-old dog named Charley died after a musher forced her to run more than 800 miles through grueling conditions. Multiple dogs on musher Jason Mackey’s team developed pneumonia. Expedition musher Thomas Waerner withdrew from the race after several dogs showed signs of kennel cough—a highly contagious respiratory infection. Other mushers openly admitted that viruses were circulating among teams still being pushed down the trail, and days later, Jody Potts-Joseph also withdrew due to symptoms of kennel cough among the dogs. Musher Jeff Deeter made a dog with known neck, shoulder, and rib issues continue racing, and another dog suffered a painful skin infection from extreme weather conditions. Musher Jessie Royer apparently lost her team of dogs three separate times before pushing them to keep going. More than 180 dogs were pulled from the trail, including one whose claw was ripped off while running, spraying blood “everywhere”—and the musher didn’t even notice at first.
The 2026 Iditarod “winner,” musher Jessie Holmes, is notorious for leaving dogs chained outside and for cruel training practices. Four of his dogs were removed from the race, leaving the remaining ones to struggle even harder to drag him across the finish line. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg.
To stop more dogs from suffering and dying, PETA is calling for the Iditarod to be permanently canceled and for its remaining sponsors to reconsider their future ties with it. PETA protesters are on the ground in Alaska, so stay tuned for breaking updates from the 2026 Iditarod:
Keep reading for the full story on the 2026 Iditarod, and take action below.
Update (March 18, 2026): PETA Reminds Iditarod Sponsors That There Is No ‘Winner’ of the Iditarod—Only Suffering Dogs
After musher Jessie Holmes finished the 2026 Iditarod, PETA is calling on the Iditarod’s sponsors to cut ties with the race immediately. PETA is sending each sponsor new video footage taken by eyewitnesses showing dogs used in this year’s race panicking; shivering dogs crying and begging to be brought in from the cold; handlers dragging dogs by the neck and shoving them into tiny boxes for transportation; and even a dog with a wound on his side.
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Behind every “champion” of the Iditarod is a team of suffering dogs. In this year’s race, Holmes pushed four dogs so far beyond their limits that they had to be pulled off the trail because of exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes. He also has an apparent history of cruel practices: In 2019, he posted a video on Facebook showing harnessed dogs forced to wade through neck-deep floodwaters while hauling a heavy metal carriage. And after the 2022 race, he let several dogs loose in a hotel parking lot, resulting in the death of a local woman’s companion dog.
Major sponsors, including Alaska Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Jack Daniel’s, and Wells Fargo, have all dropped their support for the race after learning from PETA how dogs suffer and die.
Update (March 17, 2026): Another Dog Killed By the Iditarod
A 4-year-old dog named Charley, forced to race by musher Mille Porsild, died on the Iditarod trail after being pushed to run more than 800 grueling miles through extreme conditions. Charley was part of a team already strained—Porsild had previously dropped two dogs she had pushed past their breaking points, forcing the remaining dogs to shoulder an even heavier burden.
As long as the Iditarod continues, the death toll will keep rising. It’s too late for Charley and the more than 150 dogs who have already run to their deaths in this race—but YOUR action can help spare others from this suffering.
Update (March 16, 2026): Norwegian Billionaire—Who Bought His Way In—Is First to Cross the Finish Line at Huge Cost to Dogs
Kjell Røkke—a Norwegian billionaire who paid the Iditarod at least $300,000 to participate—was the first to cross the Iditarod finish line. Every mile meant hazards and misery for the dogs pulling Røkke’s sled, and the only “reward” they’ll receive when they get home is being chained up in the snow.
As a non-competitive musher, he was permitted to swap dogs out during the race, wasn’t subject to standard minimum and maximum numbers of dogs, and was not required to take the rest breaks mandated for other mushers. Røkke’s expedition partner, Thomas Waerner, withdrew from the race yesterday after several dogs he had forced to race showed signs of kennel cough. Multiple other mushers have admitted that viruses are circulating and affecting dogs, including some who are still being forced to race. Studies have shown that in long-distance races, dogs are often forced to continue running even if they’re ill.
Ultimately, the dogs paid the price for Kjell Røkke’s “expedition,” which forced them to run hundreds of miles in a grueling, deadly race that has killed more than 150 of them. PETA urges Røkke to use his fortune to help—not hurt—dogs, and calls on the dwindling number of Iditarod supporters to ask themselves why they find the spectacle of dogs’ suffering and deaths entertaining.
Update (March 13, 2026): A Misfiring Gun, Pneumonia, and More Than 70 Dogs Pulled Off the Trail
As the 2026 Iditarod continues, more torment unfolds for the dogs forced to run in extreme conditions.
- More than 70 dogs have been removed from the race so far, putting even more strain on the dogs still on the trail.
- Multiple dogs on musher Jason Mackey’s team developed pneumonia. Referring to the situation, he apparently said: “It is what it is man, that’s the Iditarod.” When mushers push dogs past their breaking points in biting winds and subzero temperatures, pneumonia is common. The leading cause of death for dogs in the race is aspiration pneumonia from inhaling their own vomit.
- Musher Jody Potts-Joseph reportedly tried to fire a gun at a bison. The animal was simply minding his business in his own home when the team came across him. As bison are highly protective animals, the encounter could have led to the dogs being injured or killed in an attack—yet another example of how the Iditarod puts animals at serious risk. The musher says her gun jammed and did not go off, but she did throw sticks at the bison.
Update (March 11, 2026): High Winds, Lost Dogs, and Dozens of Dogs Already Pulled From the Race
The 2026 Iditarod just started, but the chaos and suffering are already mounting on the trail. So far:
- In just the first few days, about 50 dogs were pulled from the race, including one dog whose toenail was apparently broken off while running, causing him to spray blood “everywhere.” The musher stated that he didn’t even initially notice. The hundreds of dogs who remain are being forced to work even harder, dragging sleds across hazardous terrain and weather.
- Musher Jaye Foucher “scratched” (dropped out) after describing a punishing stretch of trail with 60+ mph winds and blown-down markers, conditions so severe they battered the dogs and destroyed equipment.
“That particular section of trail really beat us up. Beat my sleds up, beat the dogs up, beat me up … “I don’t know how hard [the wind is] blowing but I’m guessing must be 60+ miles per hour. A lot of markers are blown down, so we keep missing turns … The dogs are a little fried from this run, too.” –Jaye Foucher
Musher Jessie Royer apparently lost her entire team of dogs three separate times. She blamed one incident on a pair of new mittens that, she claims, made it hard to hold onto the sled. In another, she crashed so hard going downhill that it knocked out her contact lens, forcing her to walk “maybe a mile” searching for the dogs. After finally finding them, she immediately lost them again before managing to get the lead dog to stop, then forcing them to continue the race.
Update (March 6, 2026): “Death” Itself Joins PETA Protestors at the Mushers Banquet Gala
Iditarod attendees came face-to-face with the specter of death at this year’s race, as PETA supporters dressed as Grim Reapers and carrying scythes converged on the Mushers Banquet.
The chilling display continued 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 unforgettably hovered high over the crowd.
The reapers served as a regrettably needed reminder to mushers and the watching crowd that death and constant suffering loom over dogs forced to run in the Iditarod. Up to half the dogs who start the race don’t finish it due to illness, injury, exhaustion, and other calamities. The leading cause of death is aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when dogs inhale their own vomit.
The surviving dogs’ 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.
The Iditarod’s Death Toll Will Continue to Climb Until It Ends
Learn more about the deadly dogsledding industry by watching the award-winning documentary Sled Dogs, which is available on Prime Video and Plex.
The Iditarod’s remaining sponsors should be ashamed of the blood on their hands. Help us speak up for dogs and urge the remaining sponsors of the Iditarod to rethink supporting the cruel race.
