Petition at 1 Year

My name is David Moeller. I started a petition entitled “Anti-Cruelty Protections for Sled Dogs”, which is a petition to change the animal cruelty laws in Alaska. Now that it’s been a year, I thought I’d take a minute to explain why I created it, what it’s about and who it’s for. Before that though, I’d like to give a really big thank you to everyone who has supported this so far. I am just one guy running this whole thing along with work and college studies, so never in my imagination, did I think it would catch so many people’s attention. That gives me hope for just how many of you care about these animals. So, on to the first point, what is this petition about and how did it get started. Well, simply put, this petition is aimed at the animal cruelty laws of Alaska, section 11.61.140 to be precise. This section includes the definitions for various animal cruelties and the penalties you can face if convicted of them. It also includes a line stating that “this section (11.61.140) does not apply to generally accepted dog mushing or pulling contests or practices or rodeos or stock contests”.(1) Needless to say, I was shocked to learn this. So the journey of this petition has been to find out why that exemption exists and to get it removed to give potential animal abusers the same punishment regardless of the context under which the abuse occurred. It is important to note that the point of this petition is not to broadly accuse mushers, handlers or kennel owners of abuse; rather, to create a legal context where any such abuse, should it occur, would be intolerable. This whole thing started with me doing a review of the movie Balto. (2) For those unfamiliar, it is a story based around the “Race of Mercy” which was a sled dog relay that brought diphtheria antitoxin to the city of Nome, Alaska in 1925. This event is often associated with the Iditarod; a fact that the movie even exemplifies. This led me to do research not only on the Race of Mercy, but the Iditarod. Unfortunately, it was during my research of both events that Nash, a sled dog in the 2016 Iditarod, was killed in an attack by a snowmobiler. The man was charged for quite a number of things, but essentially only property damage for the death of Nash. After I learned that, and found out about this weird exemption, this petition was born. Since its launch there have been a few developments. First, I learned that this exemption for sled dogs has only been enacted since 2004. I was surprised to learn it came into play so late in the game, and was not an older loophole that was inadvertently carried along unnoticed. As of yet, I am still on a journey to find out why it was incepted in the first place. There have also been some changes put into Alaska’s laws as of this January. The majority of these were from the so called “Pet’s Bill” which has done amazing strides to give pets more custodial considerations in the law, especially in cases of escaping domestic violence and divorce. This has made great strides in making pets treated more like family and less like property in the eyes of the law. The key word here is “Pets” though, as there was a line put into this new law making it perfectly clear that none of these new changes apply to sled dogs. “’pet’ means a vertebrate living creature maintained for companionship or pleasure, but does not include dogs primarily owned for participation in a generally accepted mushing or pulling contest or practice or animals primarily owned for participation in rodeos or stock contests”(3) I would also be curious as to why they felt this necessary and wish to see it removed to afford sled dogs these new legal considerations as well. The next big point I want to address is who this petition is for. I have been contacted by several people hesitant to support this because they are uncertain whether it is Pro-Iditarod or Anti-Iditarod. Well, not to disappoint, but the truth is, it’s neither. This petition is Pro-Dog. That is, how these changes affect the Iditarod or its supporting industries, is not the primary concern of this petition; it’s focus is to give legal equality to all dogs – period. I certainly have my share of opinions in these matters, but wish to keep the focus of this petition where it belongs – solely with gaining these animals the legal protections they are currently denied. If you wish to talk with me privately about these matters, you may email me at: david@sleddogsmatter.com. So in the end, who is this petition for? Well, everyone who wants to see sled dogs get legal equality. Whether you love or hate the Iditarod doesn’t matter – only if you want to see the animals get the maximum care and legal consideration possible. Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for all the amazing support you have given this effort. It really means more to me than you’ll ever know. More importantly though, it’s giving these amazing animals a voice and a say they didn’t have before. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions (or know a decent web developer), please feel free to contact me at any of the places below. Remember that everyone has a unique opinion on these matters. Whatever your beliefs are, be respectful of others in your comments and your discussions. You do not have to agree on everything to agree that these animals need more legal protections. All the best, David Moeller david@sleddogsmatter.com https://facebook.com/sleddogsmatter/ https://twitter.com/SledDogsMatter 1042 E. Fort Union Blvd #251 Midvale, UT 84047 (Commercial mailing box – not USPS box – receives all carriers) (1) http://www.sleddogsmatter.com/images/11.61.140.pdf (2) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIDaLt2zgW_3XXFogJvfoPw (3) http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#18.65.590