At least 136 dogs have been run to death or have died from other causes in the Iditarod. There is no official count of dog deaths available for the race's early years. Read about dog deaths A dog is being dragged on the ice. He may be dead or unconscious. The musher may be sleeping. Read about mushers sleeping while dogs race [click for a larger image] The Iditarod is described by the Iditarod Trail Committee and by the Alaskan media as an exciting contest of man against nature. What the descriptions do not tell us is the untold suffering of the dogs that often give their lives in this race. Dog deaths and injuries are common in the Iditarod, and when they are not racing, the dogs live under inhumane conditions. Iditarod Race Facts He cannot speak for himself but you can. This dog's picture was taken at the kennel of a leading musher. [click for a larger image] Read about abuse in kennels   The Iditarod is a dog sled race held every March in Alaska. The 2008 Iditarod will begin on March 1. In this race mushers (dog sled drivers) force their dogs to run 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome in 8 to 16 days over a grueling terrain. This is the approximate distance between Los Angeles and Seattle, New York City and Miami, Chicago and Houston. Mushers press their dogs to run at ever increasing speeds, so that the dogs get little rest or sleep. The current speed record is 8 days, 22 hours and 46 minutes, less than half the time it took to run the first Iditarod race. No dog wants to run so far and so fast. READ QUOTES

 

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