Iditarod 2008 Death & Injury Statistics

[lakotasong]

As usual, this year's Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race was a truly sad situation for the four-legged competitors.

One musher (Kim Franklin) was involuntarily eliminated from the race. Why? This happened because she lost two of her dogs during the 48 mile run from Rainy Pass to Rohn. She stopped the team for a short period of time and attempted to look for them, but then continued on. She left those two dogs alone in the Alaskan wilderness to fend for themselves while she continued to the next checkpoint, where she was then disqualified for arriving without all of her dogs.

The first death this year occured in the team of John Stetson: a seven-year-old dog named Zaster died on March 8th from aspiration pneumonia. (read more about aspiration pneumonia) + (AVMA note)

The second death this year occurred in the team of Jennifer Freking: a three-year-old dog named Lorne died after being struck by a snowmobile on March 10th - yet Freking continued the race (speaks volumes, doesn't it?).

The third death this year occurred in the team of Ed Iten: a four-year-old male named Cargo died on March 11, between Elim and White Mountain. The reason for Cargo's death is still unknown.

In total, from calculations on the Iditarod's official statistics page, 506 dogs were dropped from this year's Iditarod teams due to becoming injured and/or too ill to continue.

The Iditarod has been over for a bit now, and one can only imagine how many dogs were taken home and shot, bludgeoned, drowned or otherwise disposed of due to their lack of performance in the race. The ones that did survive (is that a blessing or a curse?) are left to live in dilapidated houses, on the end of short chains - many without any bedding or fresh water:

 

[elegy]

how many dogs competed in the race?

i read the javma article in its entirety a couple months ago. i didn't find it disturbing.

but, well, you've got an agenda and i don't.

 

[sisco16]

Why must you make me more sad. That is so depressing and im already having the worst day imaginable those people should be treated like that that is just totally sick. my husky would go crazy if she had to live in such conditions. Animals deserve better they have feelings to.

 

[PixieSticksandTricks]

How did I know before I even clicked that you were the one to post this? Yes its sad but not all sled dogs go home to be chained or killed.

 

[Renee750il]

You know there is a lot more to the story than what the OP saw fit to post

Like Elegy said . . .

 

[sisco16]

Maybe because she she understands the dogs suffering I mean come on there should be more of a punishment for such things its just not right for a working dog to be chained all there lifes, and when there done with just desposed of like garbage thats rediculous.

 

[sisco16]

Maybe Im not seeing the whole story but it sounds pretty wrong for someone to do such a thing to another living breathing being with feeling and emotion.

 

[Renee750il]

Sisco, the dogs running the Iditarod are ATHLETES. Their owners have serious money invested in them. How the owners/mushers may or may not feel emotionally about their dogs aside, do you really believe that anyone who was serious about the sport would abuse their star athletes that way?

Think about it.

 

[Dekka]

Most sled dogs do not live in those conditions. Accidents happen everyday. I know a dog who died jumping off the couch (well had to be PTS). Losing the dogs is sad. But really what was she to do? Is she supposed to keep the rest of the team out there? Did a group of people go and search for the dogs? oh wait the post doesn't say that.

All dog sports should be as safe as possible. But things will happen. Doesn't mean the whole event is bad and should be stopped.

 

[lakotasong]

A few more photos:

In the above photo, please note the exposed screws and rotted flooring in the house.

Pictured above is a typical barrel house, with no insulation, and a rusted water bucket (that was empty at the time of this photo).

A very arthritic Iditarod dog, forced to lie down on either cold plastic or the rocky ground.

And just a note - all of the photos posted so far in this thread are from a CHAMPION Iditarod musher's kennel... Isn't that lovely?

And for the record, my only "agenda" is to get better treatment for dogs like this. I own sled dogs myself, I run them in harness, I LOVE THE SPORT. What I do not love is all of the accepted cruelty and neglect which goes along with it.

 

[sisco16]

Yes I very well do Rennee have you ever read the book winterdance Well let me tell you a little he actually ran the iditarod and what he witnessed in real life when he ran if you read it was not how someone should treat there star dogs the other competitor in the race beat his dogs and actually killed them because they refused to run. you dont believe me the book is by Gary Paulson Its called winterdance it really does happen its WRONG That Its able to go on.

 

[lakotasong]

Yes I very well do Rennee have you ever read the book winterdance Well let me tell you a little he actually ran the iditarod and what he witnessed in real life when he ran if you read it was not how someone should treat there star dogs the other competitor in the race beat his dogs and actually killed them because they refused to run. you dont believe me the book is by Gary Paulson Its called winterdance it really does happen its WRONG That Its able to go on.

Are you talking about this passage?

"I did not know this man, had never seen him run dogs, but clearly there was something terribly wrong with his team and he had done something bad with them. They seemed completely down, beaten, driven in some way into the ground. They tried to move away from him and when held in place by the gangline and tugs they instead tried to hide beneath each other - anything to avoid the man who was now leaning over them with his fist raised, screaming. He had his back to me so I could not see his face but his body was rigid, stiff with anger. He swung at one of the dogs nearest him with his hand and the dog ducked away so that he missed. He aimed for another blow at a different dog and this one, too, dodged and avoided the strike. Then he changed and reached for the dogs, tried to pull them, jerk them to their feet, working up the team and back down again, his rage growing so that his voice was incoherent, bubbling and seething with it. But they would not rise. He would snatch them to their feet but they would immediately crumple back into the snow. He faced me now, had worked around the team so that he was facing in my direction, but I do not think that he could see me in his fury. I was quite close - twenty, thirty feet - close enough to see that his eyes were red with blood and anger and he could not see past it, past the dogs in front of him. Then he did it. With great deliberation he selected one of the dogs near his feet, a small brown dog with a white ruff of fur around its neck and a thick, dense coat, and he kicked it. He did not kick it to get it up. He was wearing bunny boots - large, heavy, rigidly insulated boots that weighed three or four pounds each, boots that easily become weapons. He kicked with one of these boots and he did not kick simply to make the dog rise and run. 'You son of a bitch,' he hissed, 'you dirty son of a bitch, I'll teach you not to duck...' And all the time he was kicking the dog. Not with the imprecision of anger, the kicks, not kicks to match his rage but aimed, clinical, vicious kicks. Kicks meant to hurt, to hurt deeply, to cause serious injury. Kicks meant to kill. He kicked the dog in the head and it screamed in pain and again in the head and then carefully, aimed carefully and with great force, in the side just to the rear of the rib cage. The dog's screams had gone on all this time but with the last kick - the blow must have almost literally exploded the dog's liver - the dog fell back and grew still and it was over..."

There are also other instances of abuse and neglect in literature, here are a few I have compiled so far.

 

[adojrts]

And just a note - all of the photos posted so far in this thread are from a CHAMPION Iditarod musher's kennel... Isn't that lovely?


Please prove it, where did the photo's come from, who took them? And who is the CHAMPION musher?

 

[sisco16]

Yes thats it thank you I know your right and i believe its a noble cause i love the breed and i caint stand to see tham suffer or any animal for that matter.Thats pathetic actually you think he could acommidate his dogs a little better.Ive never seen such a crappy means of shelter.

 

[lakotasong]

adojrts - I took them, at a champion Iditarod kennel which I visited, and I am not ignorant enough to post the name in a public forum and get sued.

sisco - Thank you for speaking up. I'm sorry that you will meet opposition on this topic anywhere on this forum. Many people are willing to accept abuse and neglect simply to protect their own right to treat their animals however they see fit. But bless you for caring about these dogs!!! If you would like to get more involved with helping them, feel free to PM or e-mail me.

 

[mrose_s]

In everything, there will be abuse. In any competition there will be people that do the worng thing (read a story last night about someone that put anti-freeze in another dogs water at a show, the owner came back to find their dog dead)

This does not mean that everyone doess it or that the sport is cruel, I guarentee in a lot of sports you'll find the good and the bad horse/dog racing, agility, herding, flyball etc. It's a fact of life, there will always be people that will keep their agility dogs with elbow/hip injuries going because they're doign well at the moment.

Most sports arn't cruel, like Renee said, why would someone abuse top athletes?

 

[skittledoo]

But you're willing to post pictures of their dogs on a public forum?


a few of us were just talking about you today saying we hadn't heard anymore of your crazy threads in a while. Seems we spoke too soon.

Anyways... I think you're not looking at the bigger picture Summit. Sure... some of the dogs are kept in those conditions and yes it's sad. But not ALL sledders treat their dogs this way. It's just like what was already stated... these dogs are ATHLETES. With that said, most mushers do what they can to ensure their dogs stay in tip top shape and keep them in the best conditions possible.

 

[lakotasong]

Many top sled dog racing kennels have 50-200+ dogs on hand at any time, and constantly breed more. When dogs are disposable because so many can and are bred each year, abuse and hardcore culling are no surprise.

 

[adojrts]

In everything, there will be abuse. In any competition there will be people that do the worng thing (read a story last night about someone that put anti-freeze in another dogs water at a show, the owner came back to find their dog dead)

This does not mean that everyone doess it or that the sport is cruel, I guarentee in a lot of sports you'll find the good and the bad horse/dog racing, agility, herding, flyball etc. It's a fact of life, there will always be people that will keep their agility dogs with elbow/hip injuries going because they're doign well at the moment.

Most sports arn't cruel, like Renee said, why would someone abuse top athletes?

Well said and agree, I spend most of my life working with high end thourghbred race horses and because of that I refuse to work for a smaller trainer/farm etc because the care just isn't the same and its frustrating.

 

[lakotasong]

Feel free to surf websites, conduct a poll, or talk to mushers nationwide. The large majority do tether their dogs with small dog houses as their only shelter.

Those pictures are legally mine, and have already been processed through state animal control cruelty databases. And in all honesty, I believe the dogs in said photos are already dead.