This video was created in honour of the hundreds of sled dogs who have died during the two 1,000-mile sled dog races. The DEADLY 1,000-Mile Iditarod Sled Dog race takes off in Anchorage Alaska tomorrow - in 2017 FIVE DOGS DIED IN ONE RACE! Many of the same mushers compete in the EQUALLY DEADLY YUKON QUEST and brag about the race veterinarians whose cursory ‘vet checks' are a JOKE! Even when the condition of a dog before the race is bad enough to kill it the vets will give them the green light to run a thousand miles in Arctic conditions. The very fact that a dog is forced to endure these inhumane races IS abuse! The vets savor the 'prestige' of being a race vet and enjoy plenty of media attention. It is a coveted position.
Over 400 dogs left the Yukon Quest start line in Whitehorse on Feb 2 2019 in -40 below F. – many with MODERATE to SEVERE FROSTBITE and yet the vets still gave them the ok to run a thousand-mile race in sub-zero temps. The mushers all claim they ‘love their dogs’ but anyone who truly cares about an animal including the vets and race sponsors would NEVER deliberately put a defenseless animal in harm’s way. Of course the mushers also fail to mention that dogs die in agony every year and if you mention that to them they often offer up the lame excuse that ‘things just happen’.
Yes 'things happen' like the death of yet another sled dog - a 5 year old named Joker the Sled Dog who choked to death on his own vomit on February 11 2019 during this year's Yukon Quest. That is the number one cause of death in 1,000-mile sled dog races, the other is pulmonary edema where they literally drown from sucking in frigid air for hundreds of miles on end. The Yukon Quest race is nothing more than blatant government-sponsored animal abuse!
Many mushers run teams in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. Out of 36 competitors in the 2019 Quest only four were Yukoners. Those with a vested interest in these unholy events will say anything to try and justify them. They try to make it all sound like a great adventure but the focus is clearly NOT on the welfare of the dogs. A single musher can: run a couple of dogs to death, be disqualified from a race due to the deplorable condition of his dogs, get caught cheating during the race and still never be permanently banned from the race! The whole thing is one big SHAM!
There is a large difference between mushing and racing. The exploitation and abuse of sled dogs was NEVER a ‘northern tradition’! The 'sport' of thousand-mile sled dog racing is right up there with bull fighting and pit bull fights – shameful events that are no longer tolerated in today’s world. The ugly truth about sled dog racing
A combined total of over 68,000 have signed this petition from 157 countries on all 7 continents telling the Government of Yukon and Premier Sandy Silver to STOP FUNDING & SUPPORTING THE DEADLY YUKON QUEST! Yet they continue to remain silent as the eyes and ears and hearts of the world continue to open. - Such sublime arrogance is truly rare!
You can help! Continue to SIGN, SHARE and make a DONATION to support this petition and create awareness. It really does make a difference! If we don’t stand up and speak out for the voiceless who will?
In celebration of my upcoming 25th anniversary as Canada's longest-serving poet laureate I have released a book titled "it's howlin' time!” that includes a section on the plight of the northern sled dogs. it's howlin' time!
Say a prayer for the sled dogs - they need it!
*Below is a form letter composed by Jean Johnston who asks you to cut and paste it and share it with your contacts and also send it to the sponsors of the deadly Yukon Quest including the Government of the Yukon.
To Whom It May Concern:
I have recently learned of the Yukon Quest, a dogsled race very similar to the internationally known Iditarod. I also learned that this race is currently sponsored by your company. Shame on you! These races are inherently cruel, inflicting unnecessary suffering on the participants all in the name of entertainment.
In both these races dogs are forced to run 1,000 miles in about 10 days, with very little rest. They're subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, and sub-zero temperatures. Their feet may become bruised, bloodied, cut by ice, and just plain worn out because of the vast distances that they're forced to cover. Up to half of the dogs who start the race don't finish. Many pull muscles, incur stress fractures, or are afflicted with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, pneumonia, or gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Some have frozen to death and others have been strangled by towlines, trampled by moose, or hit by snowmobiles or sleds.
Furthermore, if you look at the photos of either race, you see that many of these dogs are not northern breeds adapted to the climate of Alaska or the Yukon. Many are mixed breeds with no guard hairs and undercoat to protect them from the elements. You can also see photos of the living conditions they are forced to endure when they are not racing. Training for these dogs is equally brutal and those that don't make the cut are often killed in barbaric ways. Just as the Iditarod is shameful for the U.S., so is the Yukon Quest for Canada.
The tide of public opinion has turned against the use of animals for entertainment. In a modern, progressive society cruelty is being replaced by compassion and we are looking toward more ethical forms of entertainment. By sponsoring this race, you are sponsoring cruelty. A combined total of over 68,000 people have signed an online petition to the Yukon government asking for an end to this cruel race and have pledged to boycott your products or services until it does end. Please take a stand and help us put a stop to this race once and for all. Canada does not need another cruel welfare industry. The ugly truth about sled dog racing
Thank you,
CONTACTS: 2019 Yukon Quest Sponsors: Yukon-Quest-sponsors Contact the Yukon Premier at: Sandy.Silver@gov.yk.ca and the Yukon Government at: inquiry.desk@gov.yk.ca