The 2021 Iditarod death race is just days away from its March 7 kickoff, which means that PETA’s already hit the ice protesting. Carrying suitcases sporting a spoof “Millhellium” logo, activists descended on the Millennium-owned Lakefront Hotel (Millennium Hotels and Resorts still sponsors the Iditarod) today …
… driving home the message that Millennium should be disgusted at the thought of supporting a race that has run 150 dogs to their deaths and countless more to the brink of collapse.
This is Birch. She endured horrific neglect at this “kennel” co-owned by former Iditarod champion John Baker. Despite sustaining a crippling, extremely painful spinal cord injury when she was just a puppy, she was denied veterinary care and chained in the freezing cold 24/7.
Up to half the dogs who start the Iditarod don’t finish it, and during the 2020 race alone, more than 220 dogs were pulled off the trail because of exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes. The leading cause of death for dogs made to race in the Iditarod is aspiration pneumonia—caused by inhaling their own vomit. Many more have died during the off-season while chained up outside in subzero temperatures or were killed because they weren’t considered fast enough. Thanks to a PETA investigator, the world was given a glimpse of what it’s like for some of these dogs, including Snickers—she was kept chained near the icy sea, limping, crying, and left to pace in circles all day.
Rather than providing Snickers with the veterinary care and comfort that she desperately needed, former Iditarod champion John Baker chained the elderly dog beside the frozen sea, all alone and unable to escape the Arctic cold.
For Birch, Snickers, and countless other victims of the Iditarod, PETA will continue to protest the event’s cruelty—expect to see activists at the start of the Iditarod on March 7 in Wasilla, Alaska. We’ll be monitoring this year’s death race, so check back—this story will be updated as the 2021 Iditarod continues.
Dogs Deserve Better Than the Iditarod—They Need Our Help
Chained dogs, starved dogs, dead dogs—it’s no wonder that so many major companies, including ExxonMobil, Chrysler, Alaska Airlines, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, State Farm, and Wells Fargo, have listened to PETA and dropped their sponsorships. So tell Millennium Hotels and Resorts to quit dragging its feet and cut its ties now:
If you’re planning a trip or cruise to Alaska, please don’t buy any packages or excursions that include dog-sled rides or visits to dog kennels. Ask your friends and family not to, either:
Learn more about the abuse of dogs in the Iditarod: Watch the documentary Sled Dogs—which shines a spotlight on the dogs who are forced to run until their bodies break down or who are killed if they don’t measure up—available now on Prime Video and Plex.
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