Sled dog dies during Iditarod race

The Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race began over the weekend in Alaska, and today the Anchorage Daily News reports that a sled dog has died while participating.  The dog, a six-year-old named Viktor, was a member of musher Jeff Holt's team and died between the Rainy Pass and Rohn checkpoints, although the cause of his death is not yet known.  From the Daily News:

That is a steep section of trail where some mushers ran into trouble Monday night and today, prompting a rescue attempt of musher Nancy Yoshida, 58, who lost both of her sled runners. Other mushers said Yoshida's sled and team blocked the narrow trail, causing wrecks behind her, though it's not clear Holt's dog died anywhere near where Yoshida crashed.

A necropsy will be conducted by a board-certified pathologist to try to determine why Holt's dog perished, the press release said.

Three dogs died during the running of last year's Iditarod, according to the Baltimore Sun.  Animal rights groups including PETA have long contended that dogsled racing constitutes animal abuse, while others (including our colleague Pete Thomas at the Outposts blog) say the dogs enjoy the grueling competition.  Thomas writes:

In fact, as any musher will attest, dogs enjoy the grueling competition as much as mushers do. Some dogs will become injured and a few will succumb to the severe weather and the incredible workload along the 1,150-mile route to Nome.

But sled dogs are bred for and live for this kind of competition, and seem to achieve the same sense of satisfaction their handlers feel after a successful, if long, bitter-cold day on a blustery wilderness trail.

What do you think -- does the Iditarod promote cruelty or celebrate the human-dog bond?  Can it be both?

--Lindsay Barnett

Correction: An earlier version of this post said Viktor was a member of musher Jeff Kent's dogsled team.  He was a member of Jeff Holt's team.  We've corrected the error; thanks to astute reader karrsic for pointing it out.

Photo:  Mac, a sled dog on Jeff Holt's team (note: not the dog who died during the race today), peeks out of his box as he waits to join the team and begin the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Credit: Al Grillo / Associated Press.

Comments

[Paw Dancer]

Celebrates human-dog bond. However, there are mushers who probably will accidentally overwork their dogs. These dogs will run until they drop. It's just how they are. And it's tough to recognize the dog that is way beyond its proper exertion point.

[Roger Galloway]

Sorry --there is no way I believe these dogs "live for this kind of competition." Really? That's in their minds? Are they saying "I can't wait to get out there and run 1500 miles until I possibly die?" Please. Is it possible they enjoy some of it? Yes. However, I just don't believe the grueling endeavor is something they "live for." That's a lot of bull. I've been there---they are totally spent, exhausted over what is a pure human-pleasure --winning a race.

[karrsic]

So was the dog from Jeff Kent's team or Jeff Holt's?

[Kat]

Like most animal-based sports, you encounter a wide range of owners and care-taking. It's true, the dogs enjoy running and the companionship with their mushers. However, while I like to hope that all mushers treat their dogs well (most do) there will always be a few jerks that don't. Much like there will always be some jerks who abuse their children. A few people shouldn't ruin it for the rest; but they should be punished by the Humane Society if found guilty.

[llbear]

Sled dogs/Huskies are bred for hard work, not for relentless punishing competition that kills them.

[Andi Anderson]

I have visited the kennel of one of the multi-champions of the great Iditarod. The animals were well cared for and a when a quick exhibition of race was performed, the dogs were instantly worked up and anxious to GO. The dogs that didnt participate were as excited as the ones that did. Its their life. Its what they do. Its what they live for. If there is any cruelty involved, it would be pushing any animal beyond its capability (sick, injured) rather than pulling it from the race to heal or mend. There are vets at all check points. At this point, its unknown why Victor succumbed before reaching the final destination, so its ridiculous to speculate.

[Lindsay Barnett, L.A. TImes]

Thanks karrsic -- Viktor was a member of Holt's team, not Kent's. We've corrected the post.

[Jan]

Punished by the Humane Society?

Oh, come on. The Humane Society is not a law enforcement organization, though they play one in the media.

No one who knows anything about dogs knows that they are happier and healthier doing what they were bred to do than sitting around getting fat.

[BClarke]

I have a couple Border Collies who go crazy happy whenever I pick up a tennis ball. But that doesn't mean I am going to toss the ball as close as I can to the edge of a cliff.
Until humans get over thier need to win at all costs, I will be no fan of competitive events such as the Iditarod.

[Doris]

The dogs don't *live* for this kind of competition, but they die for it.

[Erik Passoja]

Quite frankly, dogs are not intelligent enough to tell us if they want to go on this insane race. They're bred and raised to want something that could kill them, and the prize for winning? The same food any other dog gets in a nice, cozy home, with an owner who takes an actual interest in their well-being.

The owners of these sled dogs treat them well? Really? Yes, with an ulterior motive...they want these dogs to drag them over 1,150 miles of snow faster than that other group of dogs. Heaven forbid one of the dogs should break a leg during training six months before the race. Wonder what happens to that pooch. Well, maybe his seed will be useful...his father was a champion.

This is utter exploitation. The only difference between this and slavery is the species.

[A]

To give the dogs the true experience of what they were bred for -- this being the argument offered by some here -- the humans should have to live in the barren frozen wasteland searching for food and wearing fur pelts and the like. Then, we'll see if the humans feel as if running a 1,500-mile race is worth it. Surely they could devise something that involves running the dogs less drastic lengths over safer territory. We value the dogs' lives more now than when this race began.

[Clint Aluise]

What a bunch of Barbarians!! Taking poor dogs who they say ENJOY the competiion and putting them through such a cruel and STUPID GOOD for nothing BRAGGING RIGHTS crazy contest.
Ever heard of one of the MUSHERS dying??

[Elia]

Oi, maybe not as long and hard as the Iditarod, but mushing is fun for dogs. most dogs (not even huskies) will usually pull on a leash, and have a great time at that.
Dogs like to run, and they love to be with their caretakers.
Safety measures are to be encouraged, bet by no means must mushing dissapear.
I am all for animal rights , but I think PETA takes it way over the line sometimes.

[JMG]

There's no doubt that the dogs enjoy running and pleasing their masters. But I think these dogs can get the same enjoyment out of regular 20-30 mile races. I actually don't believe the dogs understand the concept of actual competion like we humans do. I think they simply enjoy the physicality of running and knowing they are pleasing their masters. 1500 miles is PURE CRUELTY!!! That was should have been obvious when the first dog died at a race. THREE IN ONE YEAR??? What does that tell us?

[Pam Hendrix]

These dogs are well trained athletes and are cared for probably better than our own Olympic athletes. I think I can tell that they do want to race much easier than you could tell that they don't. Just watching the majority of the mushers with their dogs you can see these dogs are more to them than just an animal. I agree there are some that will not fit this description which is no different than many parents of children I know! Before making judgement...GET EDUCATED!!!

[Denise Krause]

We have three dogs, all of whom LOVE to run, rough & tumble with each other and two of them (labs) LOVE to chase tennis balls. They chase the ball 10 - 20 times then wander back to the door of the house because they've had enough - and these dogs are all 4 & under. They're not old by any means but they DO have enough sense to know when enough is enough. Pushing a dog to pull a sled containing a human being is beyond cruel and I am by no means an animal rights activist. I just have enough common sense to realize what is reasonable and beyond reasonable. This is STRICTLY for the sheer (and rather strange) enjoyment of humans...who could probably learn a lot if they'd pay attention to the way dogs actually act. Geez.

[L]

To anyone who doesn't believe the dogs don't enjoy the racing has obviously never seen them in action. There is no way you can actually watch these dogs run and tell me they do not enjoy it.

I think it is sad anytime a dog is sick or injured or dies in one of these races. But, let's keep this all in context - 8 people die every year running marathons, but I don't see the outcry that these are abusive and should be outlawed.

[Sheila in NJ]

I oce knew a purebred Samoyed dog --that's a working dog, bred for herding & pulling sleds -- that unfortunately had a bad heart. Despite that fact, she loved to run, she loved to pull. She would even run until she made herself sick or until she fainted from the exercise. Was it cruel of the owner to let her run, or would it have been more cruel to limit her exercise and her enjoyment of life?

[Linda H]

I attended the start of one Iditarod and the dogs are very eager to run and pull. The lead dog on a 16 dog team is a long way away from the musher. You couldn't force them to run the way they do.

[G]

If you were tethered on a 4 or 5 foot chain to a dog house, you'd probably "live" to race, too.
This is exploitation of brave souls who do whatever their owners command. Of course a whip helps every once in a while. C'mon. We're educated. And we KNOW this is wrong.

[Cyrene G.]

To say that dogs enjoy and "live for" racing and should be allowed to race until they die is like saying teenagers "live for" driving recklessly and doing stupid things. Should we let our kids go around doing the many things they love enough to hurt or possibly kill themselves? Or are our children and teenagers not as smart as dogs?

[TN]

I am amused at how many people talk about their labs or collies and can even make a comparison. It's like me saying "well I shoot hoops on the weekend and that makes me Michael Jordan". Did Jordan get as good as he was by sitting at home watching tv eating potato chips? No, he practiced, he started out at he pace he could handle and then progressed leading him to be one of the greatest athletes of all time! The same is true of these dogs. It's not as if they wake up from their warm dog bed in a suburban neighborhood waiting for a nice stroll down to the end of the cul de sac! These dogs are trained from birth to be ran and to endure the cold. This race is not about torturing dogs or about winning a prize (the prize isn't even enough to pay for all the incurred costs of the mushers!) it's a celebration and remembrance of where we've been and we're we've come from. A life that many of us cannot even comprehend or have the brain capacity to begin to understand. PETA should be out stopping needless hunting and all of these people abandoning their animals as the recession grows deeper, not a dog race where animals are taken care of better than any one person who has made a comment on this blog. There is a bond that is formed between man and dog that very few understand and I know for a fact that I would give my life for ANY of my dogs because that's how much they mean to me. There are bigger more heinous things to be complaining about when it comes to the care or miscare of animals (Michael Vick, etc.) I know many will not understand and will be close minded and that's fine, but know that many of your views and comments are way out of context and I would encourage you to gain more knowledge of the subject matter before making comments as if you're the subject matter expert.

[TN]

And by the way, watching "Iron Will" does not make you a subject matter expert! There are no whips in the Iditarod!

[Nigel Garner]

Many reading this blogg will not appreciate that Iditarod remembers a heroic event back in 1925. In the 'race' to save the diptherior epidemic from claiming the lives of children in Nome, dogs and men risked all to get serum across the interior by the only way possible. Read 'The Cruelest Miles' by the Salisburys. Then, perhaps, you might in part understand why this race is so significant. Dogs died on the Serum Run in 1925 yet the likes of Seppala were willing to risk their lives in their determination to save others. The brave souls of 1925 relied totally on their dogs. Today's dog drivers are no less vigilant in their care for the canine athletes.

[Dawn Gardner]

Instead of an Iditarod Dog Sled Race, why don't they have an Iditarod Human Sled Race? I mean, the humans love it so much, and get great prizes. Let them earn it by themselves!

[Kimberly]

Nigel, I'm glad you mentioned the Great Serum Race in 1925. Working dogs have been an important part of Alaska's history, and have been pulling sleds for years. Dogs were bred to pull heavy loads, it's how the mail was delivered many years ago. The Iditarod race is a celebration and remembrance of not only the heroic efforts of mushers and dogs to save the lives of the children suffering from diptheria, but the important role that the dogs have played in Alaska's history.

While there are certainly dogs who are mistreated, there are many that are well cared for and enjoy this pasttime. The Itidarod is just one sled dog race, there are others of varying distances and difficulties, in many areas of the world.

[Garth R]

I am sick of people who know nothing about something and want to complain about it and make someone elses life miserable'GET A LIFE!!! I do not have sled dogs but have had lots of dogs.Mostly working dogs and I care for one as much as the other.Oh I also have the little Princess that gets to stay in the house.I have deep feelings for all my dogs and to see the partnership these mushers and dogs have is emotional.I am 50 years old and if I could get someone to teach me the art and I do mean art of mushing the right way I would go for it! So go cuddle your little princess and leave the BIG Dogs alone.P.S. I have to go out and see my dogs they are way more understanding and intelligent than most people.Go get your fat butts off the couch and go outside and excercise with Princess!

[Kirk]

As the owner of a sporting class dog, a Gordon Setter, I can attest to a dog wanting to work all day. We hunt grouse in the Blue Ridge mountains which is incredibly rigorous for both human and dog. My Gordon Setter wants to continue hunting long after I've worn out(and I'm an elite level Masters aged compettive cyclist). I think too many of those posting that the Iditarod is cruel live a fairly sedate and insulated life and have no inkling as to the compacity of sled dogs and their mushers. Vive la Iditarod!

[bob jonea]

how hard is the race?