America's Deadly Dog Race is an 'Icy Grave' for Animals, PETA Complains

iditarod
A sled dog team heads down the trail during the official restart of the Iditarod Race in Willow Alaska March 8, 2009. Four dogs associated with the race died in 2017. Reuters/Nathaniel Wilder

The Iditarod sled dog race, which came to conclusion Wednesday, cost five dogs their lives and created a public relations challenge for the famed Alaskan event.

Two dogs died on the nearly 1000-mile long trail; one died while in transit to Anchorage, Alaska, and another was hit and killed by a car after being taken off the trail.

The animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA, slammed the race in an email to Newsweek.

"In less than a week, four dogs used for the Iditarod have died, bringing the total number who have paid with their lives for this desperately cruel race to at least 150," PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien said. "And while the human winner of this deadly race gets a trophy, the dogs get an icy grave. Enough is enough: The Iditarod must end."

A fifth dog died hours later.

In recent years, pressure from animal rights groups led SeaWorld to cancel its orca breeding program and Ringling Brothers circus to end its popular elephant acts.

The organizers of the Iditarod did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The race, which began in the 1970s, has long been subject to criticism from animal rights activists who feel it is cruel to the dogs. One dog was killed in 2016 when someone drove a snowmobile into teams of dogs. In 2015 two dogs died along the trail while another was killed after it was hit by a car in Anchorage.

Iditarod organizers have pointed out in the past that the dogs go through extensive screening before racing, including heart and blood tests. Veterinarians approve the dogs shortly before the race and check the animals along the trail. And while PETA slams the Iditarod, the Humane Society in years past said dog sledding itself can be fine as a recreational activity while the grueling race can be problematic.

Update 3/16/17 12:15 pm: This story was updated to reflect the death of a fifth dog.

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