PETA also accused Iditarod of overworking the dogs in harsh conditions, for its promotion of animal abuse, the death of multiple animals due to overwork and stress, and denying veterinary care.
MELISSA LEMIEUX: ‘The new Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach has announced that he plans to meet with the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has been highly critical of the dogsled race before, and devoted to ending its annual occurrence. Previous CEOs have ignored PETA or condemned its attempts at getting the race permanently cancelled…
He will meet with PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman… at her location’s Los Angeles offices. Reiman told the Associated Press that she hopes to explain to Urback the difference between “the needs and behavior of dogs and those of humans”. However, Urbach said that he hopes they will be able to foster common ground between them by explaining the treatment of the dogs during the race.
PETA published an article about the race on its website on October 9 that criticized the Iditarod for overworking the dogs in harsh conditions, for its alleged promotion of animal abuse and accusing the race of causing the death of multiple animals due to overwork and stress… In 2018’s race, one dog, Blondie, passed away of pneumonia, according to Rolling Stone…
PETA also accused Iditarod organizers of denying the animals veterinary care and confining them in outdoor lots… Under pressure from PETA and other organizations, the race’s main sponsor, Wells Fargo, pulled out in 2017… The Iditarod is a 998-mile dogsled race that spans from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, and takes sledders and their team of dogs across miles of mountainous terrain and frozen lakes’. SOURCE…
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