February
2005
Cruel
Traditions: The Alaskan Iditarod
By Margery Glickman
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When we hear about dogs running 10 to 12 hour stretches
without proper food, rest and shelter, we assume they are being pushed
to these extremes for some noble purpose. But they are not. The dogs
are racing in Alaska's annual Iditarod, which starts the first Saturday
in March.
Iditarod supporters liken this 1,150 mile race to a romantic adventure
in which pioneer-spirited individualists and indomitable beasts are
united in a struggle against almost insurmountable odds to conquer
the harshest forces of nature. But when we look closer, the romantic
notions and noble purposes evaporate, leaving us with a clear view
of dogs who are terribly exploited.
The dogs who pull the sleds are not the invincible animals Iditarod
officials portray. Instead they burn themselves out running for hours
without food or rest, enduring painful injuries, serious illnesses,
and even death. The dogs are also subjected to biting winds, blinding
snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and falls through treacherous ice
into frigid waters. Here’s a short list of what can happen to
dogs during the race: localized paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding
ulcers, broken bones, pneumonia, ruptured discs, hypothermia, broken
teeth, viral diseases, torn footpads, lung damage; death.
The Sore Losers
Virtually every year, several dogs die of “sudden death syndrome”—they
are literally run to death. Dogs who died in the 2004 Iditarod had undiagnosed
stomach ulcers, a condition often found in Iditarod dogs. One dog died from blood
loss due to ulcers. Another dog regurgitated and then inhaled his own acidic
stomach contents, causing him to choke to death. Veterinarians and mushers ignored
the detectable signs of ulcers—lack of interest in food, severe vomiting
and abdominal discomfort. These two episodes are part of the Iditarod’s
long, documented history of dog deaths, illnesses, injuries and poor veterinary
care.
The rules do not require vet checks at any time during the race. Nor is veterinary
care required for sick or injured dogs. And no rules prohibit mushers from forcing
sick and injured dogs to race.
On average, 53 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it across the
finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine, 81 percent of the dogs who finish the race have lung
damage. A report published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine said
that 48.5 percent of dogs who participate in the Iditarod have ulceration, tissue
erosion, gastric hemorrhage, or a combination of these conditions.
At least 122 dogs have died in the race thus far. There is no accounting of dog
deaths in the race’s early years and no one knows how many dogs die in
training or after the race each year.
Beatings and whippings are also common. “They’ve had the hell beaten
out of them,” retired Air Force colonel and 40-year Alaska resident Tom
Classen told USA Today’s Jon Saraceno. “You don’t just whisper
into their ears, ‘Okay, stand there until I tell you to run like the devil.’ They
understand one thing: a beating.”
“These dogs are beaten into submission the same way elephants are trained
for a circus. The mushers will deny it, and you know what? They are all lying.”
Iditarod winner Dick Mackey wrote in Iditarod Classics, admitting that he and
Rick Swenson used whips to drive their dogs across the finish line: “I
reached in my sled bag and pulled out a whip just as he glanced around and saw
it. So he reached in and pulled out his. And that’s the way we came down
the street, just driving those dogs for all there was in us.”
Time Off
When they are not racing, what happens to dogs in their prison-like puppy mills
is enough to make your stomach turn. Many kennels have over 100 dogs and some
have as many as 200. It is standard for the dogs to spend their entire lives
outside tethered to metal chains that can be as short as four feet. Dogs are
very social creatures and chaining keeps them in solitary confinement, unable
to touch or interact normally. Tethers also make them easy marks for attacks
by wolves, coyotes and other animals, and vulnerable to lightning strikes and
injuries. Contrary to their natural instincts, the dogs are forced to eat, sleep,
urinate and defecate in the same space.
Mushers breed large numbers of dogs to get a handful of good racers. Boosting
the cruelty quotient, dogs who aren’t good enough to compete or who aren’t
worth breeding, who are simply unwanted, are routinely shot, clubbed or dragged
to death. An article in Alaska’s Bush Blade newspaper said that “On-going
cruelty is the law of many dog lots. Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and
if they don’t pull are dragged to death in harnesses.”
Money
The Iditarod is a morally bankrupt race run by people who won’t tell the
true story about the cruelties the dogs suffer. The Iditarod is also a public
relations ploy designed to turn mushers into sports heroes, and to line the pockets
of mushers, race officials and Alaskan businesses. The salaries of race officials
are never disclosed, but we do know that in 2004 the prize pot was $700,000.
The race’s economic impact for Anchorage (pop. 260,283 per 2000 census),
the home of the ceremonial start, is estimated to be well over $5 million. For
many mushers, participation in the Iditarod has meant lucrative book deals, advertising
contracts, speaker fees and a big boost for their sled dog tour and dog breeding
businesses.
The Iditarod, with all the evils associated with it, has become a synonym for
exploitation. People with common sense understand that the race imposes torture
no dog should be forced to endure.
Take Action
The 2005 Iditarod starts on March 5. The Sled Dog Action Committee, an organization
committed to helping the Iditarod sled dogs has posted an extensive list of 2005
Iditarod sponsors and promoters as well as individual musher sponsors. Please
send them a letter or email to protest their involvement with this event and
let them know you plan on boycotting their company until they stop supporting
this cruel tradition.
Margery Glickman is founder and director of the Sled Dog Action Coalition (www.helpsleddogs.org).
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