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acbo_1 t1_jayrkjd wrote

Reply to comment by DanJPopp in Alaska's arduous Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start by besselfunctions

Human athletes are aware of the risks, and have at least some autonomy in choosing to participate. Did the dogs ask to be pushed to their limits? Hmm...

Yeah, PETA is an irrefutably horrible organization. That fact has nothing to do with the inhumane reality of Iditarod and dog races.

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Cochise22 t1_jazf3g3 wrote

At one point in life, I might have agreed with you. But when I went to Alaska and met a dogsled team, and all those dogs wanted to do was pull that sled. When one of the mushers (I dunno what they’re called) was walking around getting a team ready, the dogs would run up excited wagging their tails wanting to be chosen next. They were legit sad every time they got passed up and would whine until the next round. They seemed like some of the most well taken care of dogs I’ve ever met. And being Alaskan huskies (basically mutts but much healthier than Siberian huskies), they genuinely needed the stimulation of taking turns pulling the sled.

I got to pet and play with them, and they had puppies on the glacier as well to socialize them with the adult dogs and humans. They were all such happy pups. One of the dogs was this beautiful female Alaskan husky and I was told she had been the leader of four different Iditarod teams, and as I walked up to her she flopped into the belly rub position. So I asked the guy if I was allowed to give her a belly rub, and the response was ‘she’d be offended if you didn’t!’ So that’s how I got to give a world class athlete a belly rub.

Meeting the dogs changed my entire opinion on dog sledding.

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DanJPopp t1_jays48u wrote

Care to tell us how the dogs are forced to run? The mushers don't use whips (they would be disqualified and arrested for animal abuse). Dogs they raise that refuse to run are simply given up for adoption. The dogs they run literally get upest/anxious if they're kept from running. So please, explain how the dogs are forced to run.

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acbo_1 t1_jayvj08 wrote

I don't believe that they are forced to run, which is why I never said anything of that nature. You're absolutely correct.

I just wonder why, when motors exist, we continue to propel our payloads using sapient beings (purely for sport, no less) rather than allowing those beings to enjoy running freely and without strain. If they could speak, maybe they would tell us they prefer the challenge of pulling weight, but they can't, so I feel we should err on the side of ethics.

As for whipping, I don't doubt that the official governing bodies of the event forbid it, but the fact remains that any form of professional competition inherently encourages cheating. In dog races, cheating tends to involve animal cruelty.

You're not wrong, and I'm sure you know far more about Iditarod than I ever will... but your perception of animals and their value is very interesting to me.

You seem to base your disdain for animal rights activists off of a very understandble hatred of PETA, which is the polar opposite of an animal rights activism group.

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CanisLupis747 t1_jazhhnu wrote

I’ve been out running with sled dogs and seen how excited they get when it’s time to run. They’re not pushed, they’re not forced, they love doing what they’re doing. It’s conceivable that some racers abuse dogs, but it’s not a very rewarding sport to get into for the money so there’s not much financial incentive to abuse your dogs (prize money is $50,000 and you spend more than that just getting dogs ready to compete) so there’s no reason to believe there’s more animal abuse in the Iditarod than in your regular run of the mill household.

Cheap outfits that take tourists out on dog runs every hour? Those might have a lot of animal abuse, but there’s no reason to project that onto the serious athletes.

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Fordmister t1_jb05zez wrote

Yeah don't know how much time you have spent with any kind of working dogs but getting them to stop before they hurt themselves is one of the hardest things for you as the person working them to do because the dogs will never willingly stop by themselves. Hunting dogs die every year running themselves into a heat stroke and you have no idea they are even struggling until they just drop because the dog gives absolutely no indication it's even tired and just keeps running, even when you aren't asking them to. When working them you are constantly having to ask them to slow down rather than pushing them to work harder.

Working dogs willingly push themselves to the absolute extemes constantly. The human is mainly there to make sure they don't push too hard, not the other way around. These sled dogs dont need to be forced to pull until they keel over. They need to be watched to make sure that they dont

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queenofcabinfever777 t1_jb1nx6y wrote

Have you ever met an alaska husky? I personally have one, and my dog NEEDS to run at least 2-5 miles a day. He does not give any shits if his paws bleed form running so much, he absolutely loves it. These dogs are bred for running.

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