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Terry Cumming
Melfort, Canada
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Terry commented on the article |Stephanie - I am wondering (and the question should be posed to HSUS) if the Humane Society of the United States's softening of its stance regarding the Idiotarod has anything to do with the hiring in 2007 of ex-LA Times staff writer/author John Balzar.
Mr. Balzar wrote a promotional book about Canada's disgusting 'Iditarod-wanna-be', the Yukon Quest race (based on Balzar's following the1998 Yukon Quest race trail). The book contains plenty of instances of dog suffering, and also allegations of Quest mushers smoking marijuana during Quest races. This is apparently highly entertaining to Mr. Balzar and to most of the 'deep-thinkers' who support the Idiotarod and Yukon Quest.
[Book excerpt] 'Best bud contest'
"…And by writing about this ticklish question, I do not mean to imply that all Quest mushers are dopers. I know half a dozen who are and I'd guess there are others. They're not all also-rans either. Getting stoned is part of their lives and, oddly, does not seem to leave them in a stupor, as it does the urban pot smokers I know. The only explanation I can offer for this, purely suppositional, is that I understand marijuana to be a mood enhancer. So perhaps these hyperactive mushers only intensify their gusto for living by puffing their pipes. Either that or their drive is so strong it overpowers the tranquilizing effect of the drug. The question these mushers ask each other is not "Do you have any pot?" but "What kind do you have?" And, it so happens along the trail, the question is answered in the form of a competition."
[Book excerpt] 'Carmacks checkpoint':
"The first checkpoint is often an unsettling site: a half dozen or more quivering, forlorn dogs in veterinary triage. A few are hooked to IVs to restore hydration. The first couple of hundred miles tend to weed out the unsound dogs. Many of the remaining animals hit a rhythm and get stronger as the miles pass, or so it seems. Maybe that's not the case. Maybe they hold their own better than the humans they are dragging behind them. Maybe they just look stronger because the mushers will get weaker so much faster. The fact is, not much science has been devoted to the physiology or psychology of long-distance sled dogs."
Condensed version of 'Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race' book at:http://sleddogwatchdog.com/writings_yukon_alone.html
HSUS Executive Staff bio of John Balzar:
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/board_and_staff/experts/experts/john_balzar.html
Sled Dog Watchdog 'Help stop Yukon Quest cruelty':
http://sleddogwatchdog.com
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