Comments on: Does the Iditarod Have a Dirty Secret?

By: dirty love

dirty love — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:19:36 +0000

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By: Nearly-Dr Ferox

Nearly-Dr Ferox — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:48:12 +0000

I am a Vet Student at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and out current Dean used to regularly go to the Iditarod to help out with the regular vet checks spaced along the track. True, the dogs are working hard and facing an extreme physical challenge, but they also recieve a great deal of veterinary care and monitoring.

He told us that if there is any concern about a dog’s ability to run, it is pulled from the race. Many dogs do get pulled, and we were told that mushers need to finish with at least 8 dogs, but usually start with more.

There is a great deal of care put into the welfare of the dogs. Possibly more than there is put into the care of the humans.

By: Rook

Rook — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:37:05 +0000

And I have always been intrigued by dog sledding and the Iditarod. My school has done an Iditarod unit for several years in a row!

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:37:04 +0000

This has almost made me leave dogster…I am a musher, I have a kennel of 18 sled dogs, most of the semi-retired Iditarod dogs that I run in Junior races(Junior Iditarod, Junior Yukon Quest, Junior Cantwell Classic). What happens when most dogs get too old is that they go to junior mushers…like me! My lead dogs on Junior Iditarod this year were 9 and 10!

I would suggest NOT posting about something that you know nothing about!

You can not race dogs for money. Lance Mackey has been in serious debt for years because of his dogs. I know that I spent nearly 6 thousand dollars this year on my dogs alone!

You can not push a rope! AKA you can not FORCE dogs to pull you on a sled. Saying that it is bad for them is like saying running marathons is bad.

Yes over 125 dogs have died on Iditarod in 36 years, but this year there were well over 1500 dogs that started the race! Multiply that by 36 and see what you get, then figure how many people died in marathons in that amount of time!

I am getting sick of people who act like they know sled dogs, the post sadly unresearched facts like this…next thing you know Margery Glickman will be here….

By: Jonathan Hughes

Jonathan Hughes — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:39:06 +0000

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By: Jonathan Hughes

Jonathan Hughes — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:37:59 +0000

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By: Jonathan Hughes

Jonathan Hughes — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:20:04 +0000

Exercising to that kind of extreme should be banned! It seems to me it is only being done for the egos of the humans only. Humble yourselves and really think of your animal friends .exercise is good, to much is, well, you know, not good.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:28:34 +0000

I encourage everyone to check out Break The Chains - Save The Sled Dogs and the Sled Dog Action Coalition to begin to discover the horrors behind the sled dog racing industry and the Iditarod.

By: Escobar Driver

Escobar Driver — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:10:25 +0000

When looking at the death rate, one should consider the number of dogs running vs the number of drivers. If you run the numbers, it turns out that the death per mile run for humans in marathons is actually higher than the death rate for dogs in the Iditarod.

For a more detailed description, please read this post:

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2008/02/remembering-susan-butcher-master-musher-1954-2006/#comment-411714

By: Rook

Rook — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:26:04 +0000

And I totally agree with Chris. Don’t say anything or form an opinion unless you have thoroughly investigated the subject. If it’s for the love, and perhaps honor and prestige to win the race, I would think it would be worse, and embarassing to win and then know that you have injured or even killed your dogs in the process. That would contradict the whole reason for dog sledding. Then there would not be a true bond between human and his/her pack. Let’s hope the majority of humans really care for their dogs. Let’s find out more and go see for ourselves.