The Iditarod Is Not Cruel To Dogs
Why the Iditarod is Not Cruel to Dogs
Lao Tsu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” This may be how mushers in the Iditarod feel before beginning their daunting 1,000 mile race in Alaska. The Iditarod is a sled-dog race that starts the first saturday in March. The Iditarod starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome. Because of how long and had this race is, some people may think it’s dangerous and cruel. However, it is not. The Iditarod is not harmful to dogs.
One of the reasons that it is clear the Iditarod is not cruel is because mushers take great care of their dogs. In this race, because of how exhausting and long it is, the mushers must stop at 3 checkpoints among the 26 of them. They are required to stop for two 8 hour stops, and one 24 hour stop (Houston Dreves). Mushers can stop as much as needed though. At every checkpoint there is at least one professional vet that checks and makes sure the musher and the dog are able to continue on in the treacherous, back aching race. Also, straw is provided at the checkpoints for the dogs to sleep on (Jensen). Because of all the checkpoints, it is very clear the Iditarod cares and wants to see the …show more content…
The rules of the Iditarod race assure that the mushers cannot be cruel to their dogs. If the musher does anything unkind or harmful to their dogs they’re automatically disqualified and band from the race for life. If you’re a rookie in the Iditarod and it’s your first year you have to be in two other sled dog races that are 300 miles each to prepare yourself for the 1,000 mile Iditarod race. The dogs are not allowed to have any drugs in them unless the drugs came from a vet at a checkpoint. The dogs are tested at every checkpoint for drugs (Basic Rules of the Iditarod). With all of these official rules in place it is clear that the dogs are the number one concern of the
Lao Tsu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” This may be how mushers in the Iditarod feel before beginning their daunting 1,000 mile race in Alaska. The Iditarod is a sled-dog race that starts the first saturday in March. The Iditarod starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome. Because of how long and had this race is, some people may think it’s dangerous and cruel. However, it is not. The Iditarod is not harmful to dogs.
One of the reasons that it is clear the Iditarod is not cruel is because mushers take great care of their dogs. In this race, because of how exhausting and long it is, the mushers must stop at 3 checkpoints among the 26 of them. They are required to stop for two 8 hour stops, and one 24 hour stop (Houston Dreves). Mushers can stop as much as needed though. At every checkpoint there is at least one professional vet that checks and makes sure the musher and the dog are able to continue on in the treacherous, back aching race. Also, straw is provided at the checkpoints for the dogs to sleep on (Jensen). Because of all the checkpoints, it is very clear the Iditarod cares and wants to see the …show more content…
The rules of the Iditarod race assure that the mushers cannot be cruel to their dogs. If the musher does anything unkind or harmful to their dogs they’re automatically disqualified and band from the race for life. If you’re a rookie in the Iditarod and it’s your first year you have to be in two other sled dog races that are 300 miles each to prepare yourself for the 1,000 mile Iditarod race. The dogs are not allowed to have any drugs in them unless the drugs came from a vet at a checkpoint. The dogs are tested at every checkpoint for drugs (Basic Rules of the Iditarod). With all of these official rules in place it is clear that the dogs are the number one concern of the