In this grainy image taken from a YouTube video, musher Isaac Teaford from Salt Lake City struggles to revive a dog that dropped dead in his team at the Nulato checkpoint on Sunday.
Update: This story has been updated to report a second dog death, which Iditarod was late to report on Sunday, and a 2024 death rate now significantly worse than the 10-year average.
Iditarod goes from bad to worse to horrible
No matter what happens next in the 2024 version of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, this year’s event will go into the history books as the Iditarod from Hell.
First, before the race even began, 2023 Iditarod Rookie of the Year Eddie Burke Jr. was disqualified because he was facing charges of domestic violence. Next to be banned from the race was 2022 Iditarod winner Brent Sass from Eureka who stood accused of sexual assault by two unidentified, former handlers who claimed their consensual sexual relations with Sass turned into anything but.
Seavey is lucky the dog lived given that he has said veterinarians in Anchorage told him that the animal had only a 20 percent chance of survival by the time it got to them. But they did manage to save it.
Musher Isaac Teaford from Salt Lake City was not so lucky on Sunday. He had a dog in his team collapse when he arrived at the Nulato checkpoint on the Yukon River and despite the valiant efforts of veterinarians at the scene, it could not be revived, the Iditarod reported.
It died.
Worst of all, its death was captured by a checkpoint video camera. That dog was quickly in the news because a dog dying on camera can hardly miss making the news.
The deaths might have set a new record for the modern Iditarod. The last time two dogs died on the trail was in 2017 when 72 teams with 1,152 dogs started the race. There were 38 teams with 608 dogs at the starting line this year.
Records reflect a total of five dogs did die in connection with the 2017 race, but two of those deaths happened in transport after the Iditarod loaded dogs into a plane with an overheated cabin and the third involved a dog that escaped handlers and was hit by a car in Anchorage.
The 10-year average for dog deaths in the race is eight-tenths per year with an average of 61 teams putting almost 1,000 dogs a year on the trail. The five-year average is only two-tenths of a death per year but the average number of teams dropped to 48 per year for that period.
The race has long recognized deaths are common in endurance sporting events, and once turned to Peter Constable, a veterinarian at the University of Illinois to explain the risks.
“During jogging, a much less strenuous and sustained activity for human athletes than is cross country skiing, the sudden death rate is 1/396,000 activity hours. This would translate to 0.2 deaths per Iditarod race.
“The fact that the actual number of sudden and unexpected deaths in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is much closer to 0.2 than 5.6 indicates that these sled dogs are much better conditioned for endurance exercise than humans are for cross-country skiing.”
As of Sunday, the Iditarod looked to have accumulated about 33,000 dog hours of exercise, putting the death rate at about 1/16,500 dog hours, which is near the cross-country skiing rate of 1/13,000 hours cited by Constable and about 24 times the rate for joggers.
If ever the devil were to come down onto a sled-dog sporting event, this is how he or she would descend.
Worse than you know
And for Iditarod insiders – not those spending their money on the pay-for-view Iditarod Insider internet channel but those who know what is actually going on beyond the Iditarod facade – it was even worse than what you read above.
They were Sunday bemoaning the fact that a musher whose handler produced a baby he doesn’t want anything to do with, a poacher, a dog doper, and a musher convicted of domestic violence were….
Well, let’s just stop there and say they are in the race. Anything more would identify them and that would be, strangely enough, unfair to the musher who years ago broke his female partner’s arm. He was subsequently sentenced to court-ordered therapy and, by all accounts, is a now new man.
Even other mushers who thought he was so bad that at one time they wouldn’t have anything to do with him say this is the case. Therapy for such abusers doesn’t always work, and that it did in this case, in a state where domestic violence is a huge problem, is something that should be celebrated.
But it should be left to the man in question to decide if he wants to talk about how he turned his life around. So he’s not about to be outed here.
As to the others, let’s just say naming them would be unfair to the Iditarod in general because if ever a sporting event accurately represented a cross-section of the state hosting it, that sporting event is the Iditarod. To suggest the race attracts a worse cast of characters than Alaska in general would be misleading.
Alaska is home to plenty of poachers, including four-time and now-retired Iditarod champ Jeff King, who shot a moose in Denali National Park and Preserve, and present Iditarod contender Jessie Holmes, who didn’t like the big and potentially dangerous animals getting in the way of his dogs when he was training along the Denali Highway.
Doping, meanwhile, is endemic in high-level sports around the world, and Iditarod has a rich albeit unwritten history of it dating back at least to the start of the 1980s. Iditarod didn’t ban doping until 1994 and then only because of complaints from mushers who couldn’t afford to dope. But the race’s anti-doping program has never been much of an anti-doping program.
And sadly, there are too many men across the country who don’t want to take responsibility for the children they father. So an Iditarod musher of this style would be far from unique from others in Alaska or that part of the world Alaskans refer to as “Outside.”
Not good
Still, all of this has turned the 2024 version of The Last Great Race into The Last Great Shitshow for those in the known.
As usual, PETA was actively distorting what has gone down in this Iditarod, but there was enough truth to what it was reporting to continue to make things hell for a race in a sparsely populated state trying to find sponsors to back what it now likes to bill as something of the World Cup of Sled Dog Racing.
Seavey only delayed getting the dog to a checkpoint by three hours. The eight hours is the time between when he left Skwentna and when he arrived in Finger Lake. It included the time to travel to where the moose encounter occurred, his campout, and the time required to continue to the Finger checkpoint.
The dope found in Seavey’s dogs in Nome in 2016 was tramadol, a low-grade, manmade, pain killer the World Anti-Doping Administration (WADA) describes as “a narcotic analgesic that acts on the opioid system.
“…This drug is used across multiple sports in order to reduce exertional pain and allow the athlete to work even harder. In doing so, it is likely that tramadol is being used to provide the athlete with a performance advantage.”
WADA in 2019 announced the drug would be banned in all sports effective this year. Some sporting events, however, banned it almost immediately after the WADA statement. Among them was professional cycling. That ruling made the drug illegal in the Tour de France, a grueling event like the Iditarod, where the tramadol had been long in use.
The PETA statement contained a variety of other half-truths and distortions, but there is enough substance to what has happened in Iditarod 2024 to fuel a PR bonfire.
After years of problems like this, the Iditarod finally lost the PR agency that dealt with its image and hired an internal spokeswoman instead. She could not be reached for comment.
Categories: News
A lifetime ban for any dog death would make a significant difference
Now there’s a third Rule 42 scratch, again from a musher connected with the Seaveys. Disconcerting. Someone has to find out why this year has been so bad and take whatever action is appropriate. I’ve owned a husky, and coming from a mushing area outside Alaska, I know these dogs are never happier than when they’re running, but something is seeming rotten about the 2024 Iditarod.
the whole process is rotten to its core is why and dogs die before and after at alarming rates. “If the musher had gone immediately to a checkpoint out of concern for his dog, it is unlikely he would have been penalized at all, but in this instance, he neither dealt with the moose properly, nor went straight to a checkpoint. He continued to run his competitive race schedule.” Iditarod Trail Comitte talking about dalllas freakout seavey
Craig:
Thoughtful article and, you are right, it is never good to give sound bites to groups like PETA. But the fact is, they are simply wrong and we should not yield to, but rather actively resist, their narrative and way of thinking.
I don’t know Dallas Seavey, never met him. But I’m confident I can say two things about him that many will not take into account.
1. He views his dogs as most people have through time (including me): as means to accomplish an objective. Like oxen plowing a field or, in my case, a German Shepherd for home protection. There is nothing wrong with this and everything positive. Viewed this way, the animals are an investment to be cared for resulting in much higher levels than the average care otherwise.
2. Because of #1, he’s probably given a better life to a much higher number of dogs than any of us ever will. Indeed, there’d no doubt be fewer dogs without people like him. And he keeps his dogs very healthy (pro-level athlete healthy).
I’m less confident of this next point but I’m willing to defer to his judgment on it. He made the decision to transport his injured dog to the next checkpoint. Whether he was right or wrong, I don’t know. But he’s been around more and knows dogs better than I so I am in no position to criticize him for the decision to go on. And ultimately, the dog did live so his judgment was proven anything other than unsound or wrong.
Huh: “Ultimately, the dog did live so his judgment was proven anything other than unsound or wrong.” I knew a number of now dead Alaska Bush pilots who spent years doing stupid shit based on that logic.
But to the bigger and more important point, the issue isn’t about PETA or even about being right on the bigger issues about whether animals should be viewed as our “friends” or “food” or workhorses. What it is about is the great silet majority and how they think dogs should be treated becuase they are the folks to whom race sponsors market.
They are the key, capitalist element both the Iditarod and PETA are trying to influence because they are the money. And without the money Iditarod becomes pretty much nothing more than maybe annaul Iditarod expedition adventure to Nome for the wealthy.
Mr. Craig:
The unfortunate bush pilots you reference…obviously their judgment proved unsound. But for the grace of God, they could be me, could be you. Alaska is harsh. But in the case of Mr. Seavey, in this instance, it worked out. Every decision we make in life is risk-based, for us individually as well as for those we love. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes not. We are uncharitable to our fellow humans if we use our 20-20 hindsight to criticize their risk-based choices.
The latter two paragraphs of your response are a bit difficult for me to make out but I think they are rooted in a view deferential to what others may think of the Last Great Race. This is the problem. Those antagonistic views must be resisted, not considered.
If we don’t resist, with vigor, information, and the beauty of how Alaska dogs benefit from this race, and gain Alaskan support in doing so, we are conveying neutrality or, worse, concession. In such a case, why would any sponsor stay with the Iditarod given the pressure the race committee endures?
Our lack of firm resistance to and concern about what the wrong like PETA or the silent majority (which I don’t think is really a majority) might think cedes the ground to them. You are playing their game. Stop.
You clearly didn’t understood the pilot example. Those pilots didn’t die becuase they were “unfortunate.” They died because their risk assessment was bad, and their bad risk assessment was reinforced by their belief that dangerous behavior was “safe” because they got lucky and didn’t get killed the first time they did something stupid.
If Seavey’s claim is true that vets told him the dog had only a 20 percent chance of survival when they got their hands on it, then he simply got lucky that it survived given it had an 80 percent change of death. Obviously, the risk of death for the dog was high, although the risks for Seavey were compartively low. If the dog had died during the campout or on the run to Finger Lake, he could easily have told Iditarod the moose did it, and “I did everything I could to save him, but he died so we stopped to campout and mourn the loss.”
Who’d be the wiser? For Iditarod, it might actually have been better if that dog had died. Then the death could be blamed on that harsh Alaska where, well, sometimes shit just happens. Instead, there is the baggage of a musher deciding his race is more important than the health of a badly injured dog.
It’s not a good look to most people no matter how much you might believe that “if a dog dies, a dog dies. so what?” and suffer from some belief that any other attitide is a “concession.”
This view of concessions would seem to be the source from which the rest of your magical thinking flows. Have you not noticed the major sponsors that have already abandoned Iditarod? Most people today own companion animals, not working dogs. These people are not inherently opposed to Iditarod. Most of them think its cool dogs have fun racing to Nome. The problem comes when they are exposed to things that make the run look less than “fun.”
Iditarod recognized this long ago. Why do you think it tried to minimize dog deaths by increasing pre-race exams and after those exams removing some dogs that might have been fine running to Nome but have hints of hearts issues that only slightly raise the risk they won’t be fine? Why do you think Iditarod started pitching the theme that the race is “all about the dogs?”
It was marketing, not a concession. It was a recognition of reality. It was an attempt to claim, “yes, we are racing, but the dogs come first.”
The issue of the moment is that actions, as reflected by outcomes, speak louder than words. It doesn’t look good when the race winner gambles with a dog’s life because he wants to win again. It doesn’t look good when the tiny field produces three dead dogs.
Remove your head from that place where the sun doesn’t shine.
Greyhound racing followed your “no concessions” policy. Where is greyhound racing today?
We have to appreciate reporters like Craig that dig into in depth details that are not obvious to most observers. Craig gives more meaning to “the rest of the story.” Does anyone recall the year GB simply had a dog get lose and he spent weeks to rescue it even to the extent he risked his own safety?
The ITC is complicit by continuing to not make an example of DallASS Sleazy. They are horribly mistaken if they think turning a blind eye to their golden boy’s irresponsible and arrogant behavior is in the best interest of the race.
He is a terrible role model, IMO.
They got tough with Brent Sass and should continue to clean house, immediately. – Before the 1st musher crosses the finish line in Nome!
Appreciate your honest appraisal. Uplifting positives of some and pulling curtain aside on others. Money, ego rules and not the race that used to connect village natives with ‘newcomers’ or resemble the Serum Run.
fk PETA and fk The seavys and all the other mushers going back to people from two rivers. 21 years ago The Saunders Sisters gave me an earful. What it was like to grow up next store to a famous musher who although has passed, remains an icon of the sport. What her “breeder” did to cull puppies, and the “bones forest” they stumbled upon when small kids and following a loud sound of flies. When I said I lived in Two Rivers they replied “we are sorry”. I have a long list of stories about racing mushers and the dogs they dumped on people who wanted to be mushers recreationally but really had no clue how to take care of a poodle. Those are the dogs i had to rescue, rehome, euthanize, and otherwise witness the cruelty and inhumanity these poor dogs suffered. I can’t unsee what I have seen. ever. fk them for that and for the dogs.
I don’t believe you
When the dog shizzle hits the Iditarod fans.
I am an activist for animal welfare, but I am not involved with PETA. (Their historical stance on pit bulls is abominable.) However, they have probably saved the lives of dogs with their actions related to the Iditarod.
But the main purpose for my comment is to let you know that I really appreciate your takes on the mushing scene in Alaska. I don’t always agree completely, but they add nuance and depth that I don’t find in other news sources, and–along with Gary Paulsen’s book Winterdance–they’ve have helped me, a city girl from Baltimore, appreciate the cultural and historical context around mushing.
Initially, I believed mushing should be outright banned. After the reading I have done, I don’t think it has to be problematic. When humans behave in ethical, humane, and responsible ways, it seems like mushing can be fun for the dogs and the humans. (Although the dogs probably don’t think 1,000+ miles or more in one go is all that fun.)
Unfortunately, some people’s greed or ambition outweigh any concern they have for the dogs. Paulsen clearly loved his dogs and he did a wonderful job writing about his connection with them. He explains how there were mushers that did things that disgusted him and others that he admired. Like any human pursuit, it’s complicated.
I hope you realize Paulsen’s book is partly fiction, and his dog care was pretty much shit.
I am curious as to exactly what you think PETA has done in their actions related to Iditarod that has saved the lives of dogs. Looking for specific actions that can be linked to specific effects.
I will admit my mindset is changing along with the rest of the story.
This is yet another Seavey Inc. dog to die this year since Isaac Teaford is ONE of Dallas’s “handlers”.
This makes number 11 for Seavey Inc dead or injured dogs this year alone.
Two died after the impact with snowmachine in November, another 3 or 4 lost their legs and will never run again.
Then the rest suffered various injuries like getting stomped by a moose and nearly dying as Faloo did.
At this point PETA needs to place protest attention against ADN news outlet since their propaganda is the main reason this race exists at this point.
Their constant lies and “feel good” musher propaganda leaves the Alaskan public second guessing whether or not this race should continue…we’ll I can honestly say from firsthand experience that these mushers in the top 10 are abusing their dogs and have been for decades. Anyone who loves their dog and understands an animal’s compassion needs to speak up and say, “enough is enough”.
Dog racing is a dead-end sport and nothing good can become of this mess.
This sick and deadly spectacle needs to end. Now. Full stop.
I would like to know the names of the sponsors of the Iditarod. The way to get their attention and their thinking about whether it is a good business decision to fund the race is to simply not buy what they are selling. I generally do not like the idea of a boycott. But when sponsorship and the kind of money that is invested ends up quietly encouraging bad behavior, injury, unethical treatment of the animals, cheating and a firestorm of
terrible publicity, it may be time to publicly denounce the sponsorship by these businesses and simply ignore their products.
Providence hospital, Alaska brewing company, Ryan air, Northern air cargo are some sponsors left in state.
I also feel ADN is their biggest promoter at this point and should be boycotted.
How about just letting it go down as the last Iditarod.
And you forgot this:
“Personally, I have never witnessed such a violent attack on a living creature before. The image of that explosion of anger and physical force of one man on a smaller animal is burnt to my memory.”
“It is around one year ago today as I write this, fewer than two weeks before the legendary 2011 Iditarod race start, that, as a dog handler at a private kennel location in Alaska, I witnessed the extremely violent beating of an Iditarod racing dog by one of the racing industry’s most high-profile top 10 mushers.
Be assured the beating was clearly not within an ‘acceptable range’ of ‘discipline’.
Indeed, the scene left me appalled, sick and shocked.
After viewing an individual sled dog repeatedly booted with full force, the male person doing the beating jumping back and forth like a pendulum with his full body weight to gain full momentum and impact.
He then alternated his beating technique with full-ranging, hard and fast, closed-fist punches like a piston to the dog as it was held by its harness splayed onto the ground.
He then staggeringly lifted the dog by the harness with two arms above waist height, then slammed the dog into the ground with full force, again repeatedly, all of this repeatedly.
The other dogs harnessed into the team were barking loudly and excitedly, jumping and running around frenzied in their harnesses.
The attack was sustained, continuing for several minutes perhaps over four minutes, within view at least, until the all-terrain vehicle I was a passenger on turned a curve on the converging trails, and the scene disappeared from view.
This particular dog was just under 10 days out from commencing racing in the long distance Iditarod race. It was later seen to have survived the attack, although bloodied as a result.
Personally, I have never witnessed such a violent attack on a living creature before. The image of that explosion of anger and physical force of one man on a smaller animal is burnt to my memory.”
– Jane Stevens, Australia
– Letter to the Editor, Whitehorse Star, February 23, 2011
She was ignored by the Iditarod when she went to them about this.
I am aware of that letter. I spent a lot of time trying to confirm the incident and could never confirm it. But I did confirm similar behavior from another competitive musher now out of the sport. The big question is whether the incidences of such behavior are greater in the Iditarod than is the norm for society in general. One has to accept we are a violent people.
In this business it’s always dog eat dog.
Indeed we are a violent people. Maybe time to move on to the next life form. Something that eats plastics perhaps
Thanks for clearing up some of the PETA lies. It is why I won’t give them a dime. They are dishonest. Years ago, the LA Times caught them setting up photographs that they had made up. Why they don’t just report the truth is beyond me. It is certainly bad enough this year. Hopefully, the real Iditarod Insiders will learn by this and tighten up the rules.
It’s weird that one of Dallas seavey dogs died in his other team. It says something is amiss in that kennel.
Frankly dallas should have been dq for breaking rules and state law. Dallas made no effort to salvage the meat . Others did it .
He is guilty of prolonging the suffering of the moose stomped dog . He didn’t even care enough to call for a dog medic on his sat phone. And delorme. That means he broke a dog welfare rule.
He needs banned from the sport before he destroys it.
Good work.