The Iditarod is a long, grueling race that has become known for its abuse of animals, causing hundreds of injuries and deaths. Dogs' paws become bruised and bloodied and are cut by the ice. Many dogs incur stress fractures or become sick with intestinal viruses.
Dogs often die in the 1,150-plus-mile race from hypothermia, pneumonia, gastric ulcers, accidents, beatings, and "sled dog myopathy"—literally being run to death. Twenty dogs used in the Iditarod have died since 2005. On average, more than half the dogs who start the race don't make it across the finish line, and 81 percent of those who do finish have lung damage, according to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Many compassionate companies have pulled their sponsorships of the Iditarod, including, just this week, the Transportation Security Administration after hearing from PETA. With the Iditarod starting on March 5, we need your help NOW to urge the remaining sponsors to end their support of this cruel event.
Please take a moment to send a single e-mail to the executives of the companies that are still sponsoring the Iditarod. Ask them to cancel their sponsorship of this event, which results in injured, and often dead, dogs.
