A Chilling Start: “Death” Itself Attends the 2026 Iditarod
Bitter cold biting at their noses and ears, icy conditions causing their bleeding and raw paws to slip, and being forced to run to the point of collapse are all that dogs have to look forward to in the 2026 Iditarod.
Since the race’s inception, it’s killed more than 150 dogs—not counting those who have died while chained outside during the off-season. Nearly every year, more dogs are added to the death toll. Despite having only 33 mushers participate, the smallest number of competitors in the race’s history, there was no shortage of suffering during last year’s Iditarod. During the 2025 death race, more than 180 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes, forcing the remaining dogs to work even harder to pull the mushers. Some of those dogs include:
- Ventana, who died after she was forced to run 300 miles while in a late stage of pregnancy.
- Hank, who broke through ice into a freezing cold river and was dragged by the rest of the dogs because the musher did not stop.
- Jett, who collapsed on the trail and required emergency veterinary care after being brought to a checkpoint in a sled bag. The Iditarod livestream cut audio and panned away as the team approached, then blatantly lied, claiming all dogs were “in good health.”
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:
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 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.
