Originally posted by Shantidog
if you support any sport where a dog or animal is hurt maimend or killed...YOU.....YOU are suppporting animal abuse...
A dog can be hurt, maimed, or killed in ANY dog sport. The Iditarod is only the tip of the iceburg. Way more dogs are injured or killed while hunting, working cattle or hogs, etc. I once heard about a dog going over a jump in agility, tripping, landing on his head and breaking his neck, killing himself. I've heard about dogs turning awkwardly in flyball and spraining/breaking a leg. I saw a dog on TV injure himself while doing frisbee. I suppose this means that we should discontinue every single dog sport there is? No matter WHAT a dog is doing, whether it's running in a race or running around the backyard, it is susceptible to injury. I guess that because I love dog sports, I'm supporting animal abuse.

You can't force a dog to run. There's absolutely no way on earth. They don't listen to whips or any means of physical abuse. If a dog wants to stop, they dog will stop. The owner in no way at all "makes" the dog run.

I think you should do some research on the breeds involved in the Iditarod. Alaskan huskies, Siberian huskies, etc. Sibes were originally bred to run alot longer and in alot rougher terrain than what the Iditarod has in mind. And unlike the dogs nowadays, they weren't fed all the time either. Alot of times they had to find their own food, their own shelter, and tend to their own needs until they would continue to run once again. That is what has shaped it into such an independant, lively, and energetic breed. It lives to run. I would never dream of asking a dog not bred for or not capable of such rough work to run the Iditarod. That would be incredibly cruel; but a husky knows what he's doing and can set his own pace. It's in their blood.

Personally, I've heard of and seen more dogs killed in their own backyard than out doing sports.