I'm going to get clobbered but........
I'm a newcomer to this forum, and I may not know what I'm talking about because I don't have sled dogs, live in Alaska or other places where sledding is possible, nor have I ever attended the Iditarod.........but it seems to me that just coming from a point of view of human's track record when it comes to using animals to do things that they wouldn't do naturally like rodeos, circuses, dog racing in a track, and maybe even the Iditarod, isn't it possible that they CAN be abused in the name of $$$$ and entertainment???
Isn't the check points for the dogs in the Iditarod race usually so quick that health problems could be missed?
When the mushers aren't racing their dogs [or training] aren't the dogs chained to their dog houses and ignored??
I'm not trying to sound like an idiot here. "Tell me there are NO dog abuses in the Iditarod and you won't here another peep from me. All I care about is the welfare and treatment of ALL animals--whether it's a house dog like mine or a dog who is strapped to a harness and raced.
Re: I'm going to get clobbered but........
Quote:
Originally posted by rebeccarichardson
I'm a newcomer to this forum, and I may not know what I'm talking about because I don't have sled dogs, live in Alaska or other places where sledding is possible, nor have I ever attended the Iditarod.........but it seems to me that just coming from a point of view of human's track record when it comes to using animals to do things that they wouldn't do naturally like rodeos, circuses, dog racing in a track, and maybe even the Iditarod, isn't it possible that they CAN be abused in the name of $$$$ and entertainment???
Isn't the check points for the dogs in the Iditarod race usually so quick that health problems could be missed?
When the mushers aren't racing their dogs [or training] aren't the dogs chained to their dog houses and ignored??
I'm not trying to sound like an idiot here. "Tell me there are NO dog abuses in the Iditarod and you won't here another peep from me. All I care about is the welfare and treatment of ALL animals--whether it's a house dog like mine or a dog who is strapped to a harness and raced.
I'll try to answer some of your questions. I do live in the Far North--not Alaska, but I could drive to Alaska in under 2 hours! I do keep a dog sled team and I have plans to race someday (not long distance, but shorter, close to home races)
It is absolutely possible that some sled dogs are abused. I'll guarentee it. Several of my sled dogs orginally lived in bad situations. I know far more good, kind, mushers than I do bad, abusive ones. Look close enough at any sport--horse racing, equistrian events, flyball, agility, whatever, and you'll find abusive owners who have no right to own goldfish! Same thing with dog sledding. But like any sport that involves animals, I believe that's the exception to the rule.
However, there is no way to force a dog to run and pull. If a dog doesn't want to run, it simply won't! There have been days when my dogs have been tired or bored or just in a bad mood and we have spent hours sitting on the side of a trail, waiting until they felt like running again. A scared dog won't work for the person it's afraid of.
Check points in the Iditarod can be very quick, but at every stop, every time each dog is inspected by a vet. A musher can not leave the check point until the vet says it's ok. Any musher who disobeys a vet's order is immediately disqualified. Any dog showing signs of distress must be dropped. Unfortunately, dogs are dang good at hiding illness and pain so sometimes things might be missed. Yes, dogs die in the Iditarod. In this year's race three dogs died, all of natural causes, not through any abuse by their musher. 80 teams started the race with 16 dogs per team. That's over 1200 dogs. Put 1200 pet dogs together for ten days, I'll guarentee you at least three of them will die for one reason or another.
Yes, most sled dogs are kept on chains, but no they are not ignored when they aren't racing. They get regular time loose. Most mushers have a play yard or an exercise pen where the dogs go just to goof off every day. To do any kind of racing, but especially the big ones, takes hours of training, dog care, ect EVERY DAY ALL YEAR. Most sled dogs see far more of their owner than lots of pet dogs do. It's much easier to throw a single pet dog into the back yard and ignore it for ten years. If you want a dog team to take 1000 miles in ten days, you better have an amazing bond with those dogs.
Additionally, there is no money in dog sled racing! Even for the guy who won the I-rod this year, he didn't make much. The prize is a substantial sum, but consider what it costs him to keep a dog team for a year. Most big racing mushers have 50 dogs or more in their kennel. I don't know any musher who doesn't feed a top end kibble and supplements with meat. I have 21 dogs in my kennel and my food bill is thousands of dollars a year. Then add in vet bills :eek: , harnesses, equipement repairs ( a basic sled new is worth 1200$), travel, dog truck, houses, bowls, ect, ect. In the end, Robert Sorlie (this year's winner) probably made next to nothing! Most mushers have day jobs to keep their teams. I know I have to work full time to pay their bills!
Sled dogs are trained their whole lives to run. There are thousands of years of breeding behind that urge to pull. To ask an untrained dog to race would be creul. To ask a sled dog not to pull, would be equally creul! This is what they were born to do, what they love and what they do best.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...05/lets_go.jpg
This is my team getting ready to take a customer out for a tour. Do they look unhappy to you?
For more information, please check out
www.sunhusky.com/facts
I hope that was helpful.