The 2022 Iditarod death race is still more than a month away, but already at least one dog has been killed. On January 19, a team of dogs forced to race by Jaye Foucher—a musher registered for next week’s Willow 300 and this year’s Iditarod—was hit by a truck, killing one of them (Noddy) and injuring others. One dog, Felicity, is reportedly still missing.
The Willow 300 is a qualifying race for the Iditarod.
Foucher may now understand what PETA has been saying for years: The dog-sledding industry is rife with dangers for dogs, from being hit by vehicles to asphyxiation, heart attacks, and freezing to death.
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 2021 race alone, nearly 200 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 die during the off-season while chained up outside in subzero temperatures or are killed because they aren’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.
No prize is worth a dog’s life, and we’re urging Foucher to do what’s right and best for dogs by dropping out of the Willow 300, the Iditarod, and racing altogether. And 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 5 in Anchorage, Alaska. We’ll be monitoring this year’s death race, so check back—this story will be updated as the 2022 Iditarod ensues.
Sponsor by sponsor, PETA’s been taking down the Iditarod. Learn how you can join us in speaking out for dogs.
Injured dogs, missing 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:
Urge Millennium Hotels and Resorts to Cut Ties With the Deadly Iditarod
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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The post The 2022 Iditarod Hasn’t Even Started Yet, and Already at Least One Dog Has Been Killed appeared first on PETA.