Is the Iditarod Cruel to the Animals...?
Allie Miller
I do not think that dog sledding is cruel to dogs. Dogs love to run. When the mushers stop, the dogs jump and bark and want to run more. in the summer the mushers train their dogs so that they like running and are used to running for long periods at a time. Huskies are the most common dogs that run in the Iditarod. Huskies are very strong dogs, so therefore there is no cruelty in dog sled racing if they are built, bred and just love to race. Mushers frequently stop along the race to change their booties on their feet and put ointment on the dogs. This shows that the mushers care about eh dogs during the race and that they are safe. The dogs are fed very well. This shows that the mushers give the dogs the food they need to give them energy for the race. The mushers have to do so many things for the dogs that the race is impossible to run if you're a musher that only wants to win for the prize. Reading Winterdance has turned my opinion around because it made me realize that the dogs are in safe hands and that the dogs are in as much risk and harm as the mushers themselves are. This is why I think that dog sledding is not cruel to dogs.
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Casey Warren
No, I do not think that the Iditarod is cruel to the sled dogs. These dogs are raised to be immune to the kind of weather and conditions that they undergo throughout the Iditarod. Huskies LOVE to run. It'd be cruel to keep them locked up all day and keep them running. They have a thick coat that keeps them protected from the cold and they have many other qualities that make them perfect for running in the cold and snow. Not only that but mushers absolutely love their dogs and would never let anything happen to them. After reading Winterdance and seeing how Gary treated the dogs better than he treated himself I don't think that the Iditarod should be a huge concern for PETA and other groups that are concerned about animal cruelty. They should be more worried about people who are abusing their animals intentionally just to hurt them instead of people doing what them and their dogs love to do. The Iditarod has become a big Alaskan tradition and if it was shut down because of people being afraid that it was animal cruelty I'm sure there would be a lot of disappointed mushers and dogs.
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Marissa Goetz