Iditarod 2007 Update

Lance has a broken runner, hopefully he can get a replacement part.............

Article you might want to read......
 
 
[linkhttp://ezinearticles.com/?Alaska-Iditarod-Sparks-Controversy&id=291732]http://ezinearticles.com/?Alaska-Iditarod-Sparks-Controversy&id=291732[/link]

Yahoo had something about the Iditarod and it said that usually half the dogs will be sent out for an illness or some other kind of treatment during the race...is that really true? That seems like so many, almost half.

Most mushers were in the habit of carrying stuff to repair the sled while on the trail. I know they are allowed some sled substitution.
 

Actually, the Iditarod started before 1973, was much smaller, and was originally held in honor of Leonard Seppala, founder of the Seppala line of Siberian Huskies. In the 70's, it was expanded to its current size and was re-dedicated to the efforts of the Diptheria Serum Run of 1925. In 1925, the serum was delivered with a combination of planes, trains, etc. and the final run was with several relaying teams of dog sleds.
 
Today, single teams are making the run in less time. While I love a sled dog doing what he/she does best, I do worry about sacrifices for the vanity of man. I'm sure culling happens but no one talks about it as its not popular. A breeder of Alaskan Huskies may get 3 mixed litters in a year and out of those 3 litters, 6 may make it to a team. What happens to the other 9 or 10 dogs?
 
But I like the race, on the whole, and the sled dogs are one of the last true working dogs, like Great Pyrenees, still doing what they were historically bred for. In Nome, there is a statue of Balto, lead dog on the last team as it brought the serum into town. I would like to see the race as a tribute to the dog, not a competition of breeding and feeding.

Guys, do me a favor and don't go all emotional on here, this is a tuff issue, and it has gotten ugly before.
Let's keep it light[]

Lance Mackey still in the lead[sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif]

In Nome, there is a statue of Balto, lead dog on the last team as it brought the serum into town.

 
Just a minor correction to this.  The statue in Nome is *not* of Balto, although it is often mistaken for him - it is actually just an anonymous sled dog.  The only statue of Balto is in NYC Central Park - it's near and dear to me as I see it every day!  [linkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto[/link]

our rescue has gotten more emails about this than I can count...several a day
I am not sure I have a feeling on it to be honest.
There is that "rescue" part of me that feels like it should bother me...but for some reason I just cannot get ramped up about it. I am told by other rescues I am an ( some questionable language) for not signing evey petition that comes along.
 
It is difficult for me to form any kind of opinion without having seen it, met the dogs and the people involved...I feel like it is easy to form an opinion from a thousand miles away from what you read on the internet...but I also find that most often in life...actual experience will change most opinions.
I am so 50/50 on this issue....my problem is that is seems like we hear alot of the bad stuff about it. Finding a sad story seems easy as pie (and the sad stories are always ALL SAD, no good parts)...but the good stories are a wee bit more difficult to find. That leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. It leaves me feeling that the stuff I read is not factual representations of what is really happening. It leaves me feeling like I am being "convinced" by someone elses agenda.
I do not like being "convinced"...
 

I don't want to spam, as I already posted this in the Training - Sports and Work section, but, it seems some of you have been tightly following the Iditarod.  Can you shed some light or understanding on this?  (PETA makes my skin crawl, so I'm looking for info from folks who might have an objective opinion/perspective.)  I don't watch tv now, so I'm missing what folks may/may not be saying about this.
 
+++***WARNING for sensitive folks***++++
Iditarod musher disqualified for hitting dogs..
[linkhttp://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6584440?MSNHPHCP>1=9232]http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6584440?MSNHPHCP>1=9232[/link]

First of all, I know Ramy. I know how long he has been mushing and I KNOW he's not an abuser. I've seen his dog yard. I have stayed at his place, eaten with his family, and small wonder, he's my boyfriend's nephew. Ramy is a good guy.

I also know that Fox News is AWFUL.

Here is a much more balanced and NON-SENSATIONAL article about what actually happened.
He didn't HURT ANY DOGS. He had tired dogs, he was extremely frustrated, and he took a piece of lathe (1.5" wide and .25" thick--a thin little flat board, basically) and whapped each dog once on the rump to try to get them to get up. Even the officials said that sled dogs with thick fur wouldn't feel it the way a person would. He wasn't beating the dogs, for heaven sakes.

Nevertheless, it was wrong, and he feels TERRIBLE. But he didn't hurt them and the Iditarod officials even said so. They also said that Ramy, who has been mushing for years, has never, EVER been known to abuse any dog. I know that's true. He is not going to be censured for what was a one-time loss of temper. As for his dog Kate dying, there is no evidence (and believe me, they look very closely during the necropsy) that Ramy did anything wrong.

http://www.adn.com/iditarod/race_2007/features/story/8719515p-8621560c.html


My feeling is that being out in -50° and trying to run a race is an incredibly hard thing to do. I couldn't do it. I'm satisfied that the Iditarod officials are extremely conservative about dog care.

These are not pet dogs, remember, they are extreme atheletes and every dog is valuable and loved!

I think it's outrageous that Bobby Knight treats his players the way he does. I think that is totally unacceptible. But I also think basketball is a wonderful sport, and most coaches out there are doing wonderful things for young athletes.

That is how I feel here too. If the worst interpretation of the news report is true, then they were right to disqualify him, and I don't think he should be running dogs. (I really have no idea if the reporting is accurate. Jean may well be right -- all the mushers I've ever met would do anything for their dogs and would never mistreat them. I'll also add that, if the reports are true, then it would be VERY out of synch with musher culture and ethics. The community would not tolerate that if it were known. These people love their dogs.)

But I get the sense that there is an anti-dog mushing question underlying the thread . . . and if so my question is, have you ever seen sled dogs run? They LOVE it. It's like watching a border collie on sheep, or a retriever retreiving. They were made for it and they love it and you can see it when they are working. So even if there are some bad people doing it, that's not a basis for condemning the whole sport.

Raja, lots of dogs are dropped, and for lots of diffferent reasons. It doesn't mean a dog is sick or injured. It just means the musher decided to send that dog home instead of keeping him on the team for the rest of that race. Mushers intentionally start with many dogs, expecting to leave some behind along the way. (They are vetted, cared for, and sent home.) A dog may be entering heat or lagging behind for some reason, or not getting along with the team, not eating well, or just not having a very good time -- mushers need to think about speed, team morale and cohesiveness, endurance -- lots of different reasons you might decide to send a dog home, to get the best combination of dogs you can. Also, near the end of the race many mushers will drop some dogs as it turns from a distance race into a sprint race at the end, since it may give them a burst of speed. Lots of dogs are dropped for medical reasons too, but almost always something very minor -- a sore joint or pad, for example -- something that on a pet dog you would probably have a wait-and-see approach about. But a working dog can't do a lot of resting or taking it easy during a race, so the musher will drop him rather than carrying the weight of an extra dog inside the sled. These are top canine athletes and most of the dropped dogs will probably be at or close to 100% by the time they arrive back home.

I grew up in northern Alberta, I know what happens to the dogs that dont make it.  I really depends on the musher or breeder, some will give them away, some will sell them, others drown or starve them.  We used to have team come through town with dogs, sometimes they had pups that they would give to anyone that asked, child or not, or drop them of on one of the reserves.  We would also find dogs tied to trees pretty close to town, sometimes injured, sometimes just about starved.  It also depends on the age of the culling, some breeders would drown the ones with the wrong coat type at birth knowing they would never make a sled team, then keep the rest of the litter and cull as they aged, the older the dogs got before they were culled to worse of it was for them.  I have seen breeders homes where all the dogs are tied to 3-4 foot ropes, with barrels for houses and snow to eat, those further away from the house were the once that didnt pan out, they were fed less and treated poorly, they often died of starvation.  On the flip side I also have seen breeders that only cull those with illness, and rehome, usually altered, those dogs that dont work out.  They only re-home to people interested in working the dogs though, weather sledding for fun, or skijoring(sp), or to places that use dog sledding to tour people around.

every dog is valuable and loved!

I agree they are probably valuable. But, it's debatable whether they are loved in the sense that you mean.   They are probably loved maybe for their value or the ability to win.  But, not loved as a life that could never be replaced. 
 
And, while I don't know what's going on with this man.  I can tell you this.  I grew up in a house that was beautiful.  I wanted material wise for nothing and yet didn't have the best childhood.  Let's just leave it at that regarding that he's got a great dog yard. 

And, these dogs bodies are beat up enough by the elements and just the effort it takes to complete this race.  They certainly don't deserve or need the mushers hitting them with anything for any reason.  That's completely unacceptable.  An adult should be able to control their temper and if winning means so much they get to that level then maybe something needs to be reassessed.