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.