PETA And Sled Dog Racing

PETA & Sled Dog Racing
Mar 16th 2010
wolfmoonsleddog
Southeast
Location: Armuchee, GA
Time - 10:26pm Eastern Daylight Time
Temperature: 49 degrees F (9C)
Conditions: Cloudy, cool, damp
Forecast: Cloudy tonight, showers tomorrow morning, then clearing. Highs in the 50s, lows in the 40s.

Above photo courtesy of Don Deckert

SPEAK OUT IN SUPPORT OF THE IDITAROD!!!

I was not able to get a list of Iditarod sponsor contacts from the Iditarod itself this year. However the Sled Dog Action Coalition has a list of emails for race sponsors and supporters. Since I knew they were getting a barrage of anti-mushing emails from the SDAC, I sent them all notes THANKING them for their involvement with the race. I have been delighted to recieve responses back over the past few days telling me how happy they were to hear from me and how nice it was to hear something positive.

So I ask anyone reading this to go to http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm and send the sponsors and supporters THANK-YOU notes as well. Go to the very bottom of the page and you’ll find email addresses in block form, which makes things really, really easy. Try to keep your letter short and to the point. If you have personal experience with mushing, include it. Make it clear from the title of your email that you are THANKING them for their support. The sponsors need to know that there are plenty of people who approve of their involvement with the sport.

———————————————————————————-

NOTE: I have edited this page this morning. Not because I think what I wrote last night was bad but because it wasn’t necessary. I’ve saved a copy of the original if anyone wants to see it, but I wanted what I posted here to be a little more mature (me and “mature” in the same sentence? I know, I know). Anyway, what follows is a response to a PETA article about sled dogs - http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/15/90359/racing-dogs-to-death.html PETA’s comments are in bold talics while mine are in non-bold italics. I have used pictures from my time at MCK to emphasize some of my points. Big thanks to Don Deckert for letting me use his excellent photos.

People everywhere watched in awe recently as Olympic athletes skied for miles, skated for hours and performed amazing physical feats. But even gold medal winners wouldn’t be equal to what the dogs in the Iditarod will be forced to do in the next few weeks.
Forced. I have heard the claim far too often that sled dogs are “forced” to run. Huskies are stubborn dogs who like to please humans but like pleasing themselves even more. If they do not want to do something, then you are not going anywhere! Fortunately huskies do LOVE to pull a sled (even if they’ve been playing in the free-run yard for the last two hours) and have endurance that Olympic athletes can only wish for (for more on this, check out the excellent article “It’s The Dog In You” in the March 2010 issue of “Outside” magazine, WHICH I JUST FOUND OUT IS ONLINE HERE - http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/201003/sled-dogs-human-athletic-performance-research-1.html ).


The dogs’ feet are torn apart by ice and rocks.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen our dog’s feet “torn apart” by training or racing. But then, we use protective booties a LOT. We spend an enormous amount of time sorting them, hanging them up to dry (above) and go to a lot of effort to make sure we have enough when we need them.
There is one particular dog at MCK who has had ”bad feet” since she was a pup. We are always especially careful with her and brought her in for pedicures a lot this year (Kim had her sleeping in her room most nights for a long time). If we thought conditions were bad, we double-bootied her. Her case is unique, however. Most of the dogs have very “good feet”.

I don’t want to know how much time I have spent in the hookup area putting booties on dogs before a run. If several teams are being hooked up, this takes a lot of time. If conditions are abraisive, we bootie, no questions asked. If a dog loses a bootie on a run, we stop the team right away and put another bootie on. When temperatures are warmer, we might run without booties but we still keep an eye on the dogs’ feet.

Many dogs pull muscles, get stress fractures or suffer from diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses or bleeding stomach ulcers.
Saying “many” is pushing it here. We do a lot to avoid this kind of thing. Jen has been great about making sure the dogs get anti-acids to prevent ulcers and we all try very hard to make sure the dogs get adequate water, etc. In fact, we’ve hardly had any injuries this year apart from mild soreness which quickly goes away with a few days of rest.

Mushers ride, eat and sleep while the dogs pull.
And also run up hills, kick alongside the runners, help push with a ski pole…and then massage the dogs when they arrive in checkpoints, feed them, wrist-wrap them, check their feet (still waiting to see if they ever get “torn up”) and then let them sleep. Then the musher eats, finds a bathroom, finds something to drink, makes sure the dogs are resting well and aren’t being disturbed. Then the musher can rest if there is time. Then it’s time to get the dogs up and make sure nobody is stiff, offer snacks…You get the picture.

The official Iditarod rules require only that the dogs be provided a total of 40 hours of rest - even though the race can take up to two weeks. Many dogs don’t survive.
But anyone knows you cannot make it to Nome without resting your dog team more than the required rest. The rule of thumb is, if you run four hours, you rest for four. Run six, rest six. You can rest in a checkpoint or camp out along the trail (where your dogs will probably rest better).
Given that over a thousand dogs are running in the Iditarod, there are chances of something bad happening - just as there are in a 30-mile race or even with a pet running up a flight of steps. But to say many dogs don’t survive is really, REALLY pushing it. Most dogs do survive, in fact. I for one, hope they all do.
EDIT: The Anchorage Daily News reported that no dogs died in the 2010 Iditarod - http://www.adn.com/2010/03/20/1192545/iditarod-ends-with-no-dog-deaths.html

It’s estimated that at least 150 dogs have paid with their lives in the Iditarod.
This may be accurate, especially considering that dog care in the early seventies when the race began was not what it is today and more dogs died in those early races.


And that awful number doesn’t include the countless dogs who are killed when they don’t make the cut. Dogs who aren’t fast runners or simply aren’t inclined to participate are unloaded like defective inventory. Some are killed outright - by bludgeoning or drowning - for not possessing monumental stamina and speed.
By that logic, the black-and-white, brown-eyed dog pictured above should be dead. That’s Scout, who didn’t make the cut for the MCK race team. He now lives with Don Deckert (who contributed this photo) and pulls a tour sled at Gunflint Lodge. Scout is not an exception - there are other, similar stories. In the two years I have worked at MCK, nobody has been put down because they didn’t make the cut.

Manuals and articles written by top mushers openly recommend killing dogs who do not measure up.
I’d like to know which articles and manuels O’Connor means here. There’s only one (older) book that I can think of that even remotely mentions this and I wouldn’t go so far as to say it recommends it. But I could easily provide you with dozens of manuals and articles by mushers from around the globe that recommend just the opposite.


The vast majority of dogs used in sledding live at the end of a short chain, their entire worlds measured in a few muddy feet.
Above photo is MCK. And if you were to just glance at it, you might think it fits with the PETA description. But that is because you aren’t there day-in, day-out. You don’t see the mushers and handlers spending hours doing chores in the dogyard (and giving the dogs attention while out there). You don’t see the work or the amount of time that goes into dog care.
And you don’t see the picture below, which is a commonplace routine (in both Winter and Summer).

Free-running. Note that the dogs are off their chains in the above picture.


These two photos courtesy of Don Deckert.



Free-running is an important part of training at MCK (and many other kennels). Dogs at MCK get to free run before and after every sled or ATV run, as well as enjoy hours-long free time in the several-acre enclosure where they can spend time playing with each other and their mushers.


Most dogs used in sledding are treated like outdoor equipment. They aren’t allowed inside the house with the family…



Of course, it’s important to remember that the cabin at MCK just isn’t very big (scroll to the very bottom of this post to see what I mean). You honestly can’t fit very many dogs inside. There isn’t enough room. And it’s not like we spend all of our time indoors either - not when there is stuff to be done outside and in the dogyard. I spent our last blizzard out in the dogyard replacing straw in the dogs’ houses.



…and they never play a game of catch.

Do I even have to comment? Note the tennis ball in Jen’s hand. Blake was actually delayed the morning he left for Alaska because we couldn’t find one of the dogs’ bouncy balls that he was supposed to take with him.

I have often been riled up over anti-Iditarod/anti-mushing comments. Not because I feel theatened by them but because I hate the injustice. Think of it this way - you have a really good, close friend whom you have known for a long, long time. Then someone comes along and starts spreading gossip about your friend, gossip which you know for a fact is untrue. That makes you angry. You could just let it slide and not say anything but people are believing what is said and you really, really want to set the record straight. It’s the same with sled dog racing. I get angry when I hear someone saying things about the sport which I know aren’t true and I want to set the record straight.

I’ve tried to keep the communication lines open with at least some of the “other side”. Unfortunately I think I may have slammed the door on some of that. I’ve prided myself on trying not to get extremely confrontational and snippy…but I have. I’ve gotten way too caught up in the mushing debates on occasion and done some things that were stupid and I probably shouldn’t have done. For instance, I used to be on Dogster and active on their forums. One user was constantly slamming Blake and Jen (not by name but I know who was being talked about). I took it personally and got personal in my retort (something I try NEVER to do). The whole debate escalated and I left Dogster.

And one more thing about PETA. When Whitey went missing, they reported it widely and loudly on their blog (http://blog.peta.org/archives/2010/03/iditarod_musher.php). They have not said a thing about him being found. I even submitted a comment reporting that Whitey was back with his musher. It was never published. Finally today I see that someone opposed to the race posted a comment saying that they had heard Whitey had been found and hoped it was true. I sent in my comment days ago. They have published no comments from anyone supporting the race. Actually, I’d sent in an earlier comment that was also not published. However I kept a copy of what I wrote and, even though it says a lot of what I’ve already pointed out on this page, I’m going to post it here.

I would hope it’s a bit premature to write Whitey off as dead. I for one am hoping that he will be found alive and well. Justin Savidis has scratched from the race to continue searching for his dog. His wife is posting updates on http://www.snowhookkennel.blogspot.com/I do not expect to be welcome commenting here as I am a musher and I work for an Iditarod kennel. But what I have experienced does not reflect the comments made here. Most mushers I know put their dogs first. And as a general rule with sled dog racing, you rest your dogs just about as much as you run them. You run four hours, rest four. Run six, rest six. You get less rest because you spend a good portion of your rest taking care of your dogs. Checking feet, massaging, preparing food, etc. It’s important to keep the dogs happy…you won’t be going anywhere if you let them go too hard. If for any reason you think a dog should not continue racing, you can drop him or her at a checkpoint (either with handlers at a handler-assisted race, or in the case of the Iditarod, with vets, who will transport the dog back to your handlers). These dogs, as well as dogs from teams that scratch from the race make up the vast majority of those huskies who do not finish.
I cannot speak for every kennel, but where I work all the dogs have names (and every dog knows his or her name), as well as an ever-increasing range of nicknames. As a handler, I make a point of giving dogs the love and attention they deserve - as do the mushers I work for. In the two years I have spent working here, no dog has been put down for not making the cut. I got into the sport because I love dogs as much as anyone here and it’s hard not to get caught up in the enthusiasm of dogs who clearly enjoy sledding. They run and it’s an honor to come along for the ride.Again, I don’t expect to be popular here and I don’t expect to change everyone’s mind. But just think about it. Before you go slamming a sport, open your mind to the other side.
Sincerely,
Alice White
————————————————————
Here are links to some other good essays on this subject:
“No Need For Concern Over Iditarod Dogs’ Welfare” - http://www.alaskadispatch.com/voices/tundra-talk/4421-no-need-for-concern-over-iditarod-dogs-welfare
“Dog Drop” - http://tonichelle.blogspot.com/2010/03/dog-drop.html
“Comment Moderation” - http://muddymoosecrafts.blogspot.com/2010/03/comment-moderation.html






What’s that? A cabin for ants?!? Blake and Jen’s cabin which is at least three times as big as a doghouse. (Whoever recognizes that reference gets the prize…or whatever)
Edit This
7 Comments »

7 Responses to “PETA & Sled Dog Racing”
Ivy on 17 Mar 2010 at 11:15 am # edit this

I will make this brief, or I will go on and on….

People who write crap about other family’s and their 4-legged pets, need to spend a couple of days working with the ppl they are accusing!!!.. dog handlers are the best, with the time, money patients they give their team, should be praised for all to see!!!!…so who, really!! who ever writes crap, why don’t you ppl take the time and spend it with a mushing team, you actually will think different, and get obsessed and might in turn become a musher yourself one day…

to wolfmoonsleddog, thank you for showing the idiot ppl out there what dog sledding is really all about and the hard work and love we all put into taking care of our team/comapions/pets!!!!

I know Don Deckert, awesome guy and met the Freakings 2 years ago, and Rick and Nettie’s place…Love them all,,,awesome ppl’s!!!

Ivy a packmember 2:P

Dave Lukosik on 17 Mar 2010 at 3:00 pm # edit this

Great response you wrote but I doubt the SDAC and PETA will be moved by it. They unfortunately have their agenda and selective listening and reasoning that is anti dog mushing. It is up to each individual person in the sport and the dog mushing way of life to treat their dogs humanely and follow the guidelines in Mush With Pride to the best of their abilities or find a home for their dogs that will do it in my opinion!

wolfmoonsleddog on 17 Mar 2010 at 8:13 pm # edit this

I know that we won’t sway PETA or the SDAC. My target audience, I guess, are those people who have heard what said groups have to say and believe it because they have not yet been presented with a different side. Plus, I feel a lot better after putting together what I think is a strong case.

But I agree, by continuing to mush and by following guidelines for humane treatment of dogs, we can represent mushing at its best.

Thanks for your comments!

A

Jan on 22 Mar 2010 at 2:26 pm # edit this

I am a big fan of the Iditarod. Whenever I write a post on my blog, that nutty lady in Miami does her big paste thing in comments. I always leave a comment explaining who she is, but I am going to direct them to this post in the future for an excellent refutation.

Most of my readers know what animal rights people have in their hearts though.

We all worried about Whitey and were ecstatic when he was found. We are sure though, that Peta will tell people about the poor abandoned dog.

wolfmoonsleddog on 22 Mar 2010 at 2:45 pm # edit this

Thank you for your comment, Jan! And good for you for taking the time to look beyond the claims of SDAC and PETA. I hope you will continue to post Iditarod/mushing updates on your blog.

As of this writing, PETA has neither reported that Whitey is home safe nor that no dogs died in the 2010 Iditarod.

Cheers!

Alice

Toni on 06 May 2010 at 11:57 am # edit this

honored to be featured on your blog, just found this through a search. glad you appreciated it

wolfmoonsleddog on 07 May 2010 at 6:48 pm # edit this

Hi Toni. You are most welcome! This year especially I have seen an argument used saying that the fact that sled dogs are dropped from race teams somehow makes racing cruel. Your blog post provided great first-hand information on dropped dogs (and their condition) and sled dog racing in general. Thank you much for writing it!

A