Cross Breeds - What is your opinion of the dog sled racing?

What is your opinion of the dog sled racing?

Do you think is should be banned? Do you think it should be televised? Do you think it is cruel to the dogs involved ? I love it myself! I think it should be televised; sorry so many of you misunderstood. I saw an a story about someone complaining about the it being cruel to the dogs, I am husky mix myself, my mom takes me running everyday twice a day or more and I love the snow. I think it should be an Olympic sport. I misrepresented my question. Sorry

Public Comments

No. Sure No they are working animals that's what they were bred for.
yes, no, its cruel if they get thrown out after they can not longer sled
I don't know enough about the sport to say anything. Edit: After some research I would say that the sport shouldn't be banned, the dogs were bred to pull sleds in the snow over 100s of miles. It would be cool to see it televised but how would the cameras keep up with the racers. No cruelty, they dogs have a job, they do it and feel satisfied.
Banned? Of course not. Televised? I suppose. Or not. It doesn't make a difference to me. Cruel? Honestly? Not in the slightest. These dogs were bred for the climate and for the work. This isn't some kind of harsh task they are forced to do under threat of harm. They like having a job to do, and they take their job seriously and they gladly perform it. If you watch the dogs at the starting line, it looks like they can hardly wait to get started. They look very eager to start running and do what they were bred to do.
No i don't think so. They were basically bred for that type of sport, they were bred for working and the cold conditions, I don't see why it should be banned. I don't know that answer. I wouldn't watch it to be honest, but I have nothing against it. So, should it? I don't care. They were pratically bred for that. It's teaching the dogs and the owner very good cooperation between human and animal, it's not cruel. It is cruel if they do not take care of the dogs feet, like they can get their paws messed up if not treated well. The dogs enjoy what they're doing, it's not cruel.
First, mushers don't race our sleds, we race our dogs, so the proper term is sled dog racing. Northern breeds of dogs, including all of the huskies and the modern husky mixes are a result of over 4,000 years of selective breeding. Every strand of DNA in their bodies is screaming at them to run and pull. Their urge to run and pull is every bit as great as their urge to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, or breed when in season. The vast majority of dog mushers are extremely responsible people, and we love our dogs more than we love most people. A LOT more. Everything a musher does to, for or with his or her dogs is done for a good reason. Mush with P.R.I.D.E. was established in 1991 as an organization of mushers who were concerned about the care of sled dogs and public perceptions of mushing. To address some of these concerns, P.R.I.D.E. developed sled dog care and equipment guidelines. We instituted a voluntary kennel inspection program and created an email list to facilitate communication among dog mushers whose main concern is treatment and care of sled dogs. P.R.I.D.E. guidelines have frequently been used by other groups and agencies when determining responsible dog care and kennel husbandry standards. You can download the Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Sled Dog Care Guidelines from http://www.mushwithpride.org/Guidelines/PDFs/3rd%20Edition%20guidelines,%20edited1.pdf. One of the first things you should notice is that those guidelines are based on the best available current scientific and experiential information. Frankly, before banning working dogs from doing the job they were developed and bred to do I would ban keeping individual dogs in "pet" homes - isolating a dog away from others of it's kind in an enclosed, relatively unstimulating (for a dog) environment is far more cruel that allowing a dog the opportunity to run like the wind.
Why should it be banned? A lot of the dogs love doing it. Yeah sure, I would watch it if it was on television. It's not cruel, as I said most of the dogs love doing the work and it's what they were bred for. Dogs like the Husky can run for miles and miles and miles without stopping, they have superb stamina and it's a great way for them to burn off some energy.
Huskys love to run. It's what they "do." If you ever owned a husky, you'd understand. I have owned one husky and he was a great dog. When he was about 5, he cut one of the pads on one of his paws. He could not put weight on the leg. And he STILL wanted to run with me - he wanted to run on three legs. I told him he couldn't go with me until his paw healed. As I closed the door behind me, he howled at the door. It was terribly sad. But, huskys HAVE to run. Dog sled racing makes the dogs happy. Period.
No Yes No I think its a rather enjoyable sport to watch, one of the the dog sports I do really enjoy.
http://www.helpsleddogs.org/faq.htm#1
No, of course it should NOT be banned... no reason to do that whatsoever. Yes, televised and used for many purposes, such as teaching values, morals, teamwork, ethics and how to properly care for dog-- including lots of exercise as sled dogs receive. Cruel? Absolutely not. It is cruel to not let the dogs do what they love and need. I would recommend everyone read "Swannys" answer to this question again. And again. And pass his words on to everyone you know. Only those people who know nothing about the sport, history or dogs would answer this question otherwise.
No to being banned ~ Yes to being televised ~ No to being cruel ~
It's ok. The dogs are fed extra well and cared for properly.
Husk's are born runners.I don't see any thing wrong with it at all.The keepers of those dogs take great care of them...I had a Husky Wolf mixed and he just loved to run.So I am all for the race only because the dogs are so well taken care of!