Cross Breeds

How do you feel about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race?

The 37th annual Iditarod Dog Race has begun. Its well over 1,000 miles and goes from Anchorage to Nome Alaska. How do you feel about this race? I thinks its a great race that shows how much the mushers and dogs must rely on each other not only to win the race but also survive the race...traveling through the night over frozen lakes, ponds and rivers...i would love to go and watch loki - your right i guess the races today are not as "harsh for a lack of a better term" on the dogs or the mushers b/c of all the care they receive at each stop...but when the race just begun 37 years ago i'm sure the dogs and mushers had to rely on each other to survive b/c the care was not as great as it is today...great answer i thought some of the people would actually think its cruelty to animals and be totally against it...i'm sure my lab would love to try it

Public Comments

1. It is a fun race to follow. The vet care along the race route is stellar, the local towns are extremely supportive. It's not as much about "surviving" the race as completing it. Dog care is paramount in a long distance race. The musher is nothing without the dogs. I have had the good fortune to run a team along portions of the Iditarod trail...it gives you a lot of respect for the type of training and mentality required to complete the entire thing.
2. I think its an awesome race that the dogs love to do. It has amazing history.
3. It's an amazing race that marks a great point in dogdom. The dogs obviously love what they're going and so do the human participants.
4. i think it is awesome it is a bunch of dogs doing what they were bred to do... and enjoying it
5. I love the race and think it's wonderful that the dogs get to do what it is they love to do. It's definitely one of the most grueling races out there! Loki, I would love just once to be able to run a team in the Iditarod! I would just love to be able to do mushing someday.
6. I would give my eye teeth to be able to go up and follow the race. It would probably surprise most to learn about the medical and nutritional advances that have come about because of the Iditarod.
7. My sister bought a retired Iditarod team. She and her entire family were into skijoring or dog-sledding, and those dogs were amazing, well conditioned and well trained.. Her son became Alaskan/Canadian skijoring champion in his age group. The dogs that don't love it, are not competitive in the big races, especially the Iditarod. .
8. The whole thing is great. It allows these dogs to do what they were bred to do. It allows them to do what they LOVE to do, and what they live to do. They are well trained dogs. They are in great shape, and well cared for. Anyone who thinks that allowing a dog to do what it loves, is animal cruelty needs to get their head checked. Not many dogs today are bred for their original purposes. Most are bred to be pets and companion animals. So allowing a dog to do what it loves and what it was bred to do, is in no way animal cruelty.