Why These Six Mushers Deserve a Spot in the Iditarod’s Hall of Shame

Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach claims the race’s new “Hall of Fame” will honor mushers and dogs, but the six inaugural inductees are really being celebrated for a lifetime of forcing animals to suffer and die for profit and prestige. That’s why PETA is launching its own Iditarod Hall of Shame—because racing dogs to death is nothing to be proud of.

The Six Mushers Added to PETA’s Iditarod Hall of Shame

1. Rick Swenson

Swenson participated in the grueling Death Race a whopping 36 times—meaning that he pushed dozens of dogs to their limits in the Iditarod over and over. While racing in the Iditarod in 1991, Swenson forced dogs to race through blinding storms. Many other mushers turned back from the obviously dangerous conditions, but Swenson refused and risked the dogs’ lives instead. He was rewarded for his selfishness and claimed first prize.

Although Swenson doesn’t currently have a mushing kennel—where dogs are forced to live outside on short chains and pace endlessly in circles—he breeds dogs for sale, contributing to the animal overpopulation crisis.

2. Libby Riddles

Libby Riddles forced dogs to race in the Iditarod six times, and in 1985, she claimed victory by forcing dogs to run through extreme winds and camp in the dangerous conditions of a “whiteout” snowstorm. While other mushers stayed back and waited out the storm, Riddles refused to put her dogs’ health and safety first and was rewarded with the Iditarod’s first prize.

Riddles last raced in 1995, but still kept 23 dogs chained outside year-round as of 2016. Dogs used for sledding are just like the ones we share our homes with: They love to run and play, enjoy attention and affection, and have physical limits to what they can endure. But they rarely get to engage in their favorite activity—running—when they’re not being forced to pull sleds. During the off-season, dogs used for sledding are often chained up outside like bicycles in all weather conditions with nothing but inadequate plastic barrels or dilapidated wooden boxes for shelter. During the summer, they may get as little as one hour per month off their chains.

3. Susan Butcher

Susan Butcher forced dogs to run in the Iditarod 17 times and is responsible for the deaths of at least four dogs, who all died during the race:

• In 1985, two of Butcher’s dogs were killed by a moose during the Death Race, and 13 other dogs were injured.
• One dog died suddenly on day two of the 1987 race. She continued on despite the death.
• In 1994, a female dog named H.C. died suddenly after running about 230 miles. The exact cause of H.C.’s death was never determined.

Unlike many of the mushers in PETA’s Iditarod Hall of Shame, Butcher at least admitted she knew what they were doing was cruel. At a dog-sled racing conference, she made this eyebrow-raising confession: “There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in dog mushing. We wouldn’t, as a group, pass anybody’s idea of humane treatment of animals. As a group, we don’t pass my standards of humane treatment of animals.”

4. Martin Buser

Martin Buser has forced dogs to race in the grueling Iditarod 39 times, pushing them past their limit year after year. In 2021, Buser apparently put an injured dog back in the harness and forced them to continue racing, despite video footage showing the dog limping at the Rainy Pass checkpoint.

Although Buser retired from racing the Iditarod in 2022, he keeps dogs tethered in miserable conditions with just a few feet of space to move in at his ironically named “Happy Trails Kennel.”

5. Jeff King

30-time Iditarod racer Jeff King won the Iditarod’s “Humanitarian Award” despite having a criminal record and having dogs die under his care during a race. During the 2016 Iditarod, a dog named Nash died in a snowmobile accident, and two other dogs—Banjo and Crosby—were injured.

In a show of callous disregard for animals, King faced charges in federal court for illegally killing a moose inside Denali National Park and Preserve.

6. Lance Mackey

Lance Mackey raced in the Iditarod 16 times before his death in 2022, forcing dogs to run to their breaking point during several races. Mackey’s dog Wolf died during the 2004 Iditarod race, and three-year-old dogs named Wyatt and Stiffy were run to the point of death while being forced to compete in the 2015 race. Like many other infamous mushers, Mackey also kept dogs chained outside with no meaningful protection or companionship during the off-season.

In addition to pushing dogs to the point of disaster, Mackey also has a criminal record. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2013, and he was disqualified from the 2020 Iditarod after testing positive for meth.

How You Can Help Dogs Forced to Race in the Iditarod

Thanks to PETA’s documentation of cruelty and the public’s outcry, numerous companies have cut ties with the race. These include Millennium Hotels and Resorts, ExxonMobil (which was a major Iditarod sponsor, giving $250,000 a year), Jack Daniel’s, Coca-Cola, Chrysler, Wells Fargo, and Alaska Airlines. 

The Iditarod’s remaining sponsors should be ashamed of the blood on their hands. Help us urge them to stop supporting this cruelty.