Did you know that the animal cruelty laws in Alaska only apply to pets, and that dogs used in competition are not pets, therefore the animal cruelty laws do not apply to them? Crazy, right?
The Iditarod race is ran in commemoration of the Serum Run that took place in 1925, when the town of Nome suffered a Diphtheria outbreak. The Serum Run, AKA the Great Race of Mercy transported the antitoxin by dog sled RELAY across the US territory of Alaska. There were 20 mushers, and about 150 sled dogs that took part in it. They covered 674 miles in just 5.5 days, and started from Nenana to Nome.
When the use of snow machines and cars took over, the use of mushing became obsolete. But in 1973, Jo Redington and a group of mushers came together and decided to bring it back. They created the Iditarod, a 1,100 mile race from Willow to Nome to test the best sled dog mushers and teams. The race usually lasts 8-14 days. Entry fee is $4,000 and the winner for 2018 was Joar Ulsom from Norway. It took his team 9 days and 12 hours. In 2017, Mitch Seavey won the contest and won $71,250 dollars, a truck and more sponsors!
Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion about the Iditarod, and I respect that, but when money a truck and more sponsors are the ultimate prize, people and their ethics change. Do you think it is asking too much of dogs to pull a sled 1,100 miles when the original race they are running in commemoration for was only 674 miles and had a group of 150 dogs and 20 mushers?
Did you know that kennels in Alaska have no dog limits and are pretty much unregulated? If you have five dogs, you have to have a kennel license, but you can own greater than 90 dogs! Did you know that most people tether their dogs to a 4 foot chain, which seen from first hand experience causes extreme aggression issues? Did you know that dog boxes have no set regulations? It just states, "all dogs must have full access to a shelter adequate for the conditions (protection from wind, rain, snow and direct sun), but what about -30 degree weather? According to Sled Dog Action Coalition, at least 153 dogs have died on the trail since 1973. There is no official count of dog deaths available for the race's early years, and there are no records kept on how many dogs die in training or after the race each year, because it is not mandatory to report it.
Honestly, if we could do anything about the Iditarod, it would be to remove the clause in the current laws that exempts competition sled dogs from anti-cruelty protections. This loophole should be taken out because all animals deserve a right to be treated humanely. Now, I am not saying that all mushers treat their dogs terribly, but when over breeding takes over and there are more dogs to take care of than physically possible, the tables can turn.
What about holding a relay with the dogs, like they did during the Serum Run? What about rerouting the trail and make it shorter or easier on the dogs? I mean, they reroute the trail anyways if there is not enough snow. What about holding multiple short events like the Olympics for dogs? What about having more kennel and mushing facility regulations to prevent unethical treatment?
Awareness is the greatest agent for change, and I am just putting it out there.
Thanks for reading.
After my boyfriend's father passed away, he left 56 dogs without an owner. Instead of putting all the dogs down and just saving the puppies, he moved into his father's trailer in Willow and took over, because that was the right thing to do for the sake of the dogs.
We now house 23 of these same dogs are are seeing out the rest of their lives by giving them the most love and attention we can. We do not mush them. This is not just our story, it is actually a pretty common thing that happens around here. Mushers die and dogs are left without anyone to take care of them.
