Jane Stephens came with beautiful visions of gliding across the snow in a dog sled, but the harsh reality of the industry is making her stand up and say "no more."
I used to race many years. I wanted to compete with my team of purebreed Siberian Huskies in long-distance, hard races like La Grande Odyssee. I raced in Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic. Usually mid and long distance races. After 2-3 seasons of racing I was really disappointed of what I've seen. Many mushers treat dogs just like spare parts of a machine. The "lifetime" of a dog is about 3-4 years, after that time many mushers sells them and replace by younger dogs. Zero empaty. I am pretty sure that many dogs recieve some chemical speciments to boost their strenght and endurance. The way that some mushers treat the dogs on the trail is also bad. That was the reason for which I retired from this "circus". Of course there are many many good mushers - the majority really take care of the dogs and know that only a happy dog will work hard on the trail :)
The people who treat these dogs in such a criminal ways desearve to be locked up for a very long time. This is cruelty. If you cant handle the dogs get help, dont get more and chain them up.
i work in sled dog racing. Im working to raise awareness to make it illegal. But I don't think demonizing the people is the way to do this. I was homeless before I found this live in job taking care of sled dogs. These arent EVIL people. Whats evil is us normalizing it, letting it continue when it needs to stop. Your right. The problem is too many dogs. But if you want to win you have to have good dogs. if you see 16 dogs on the string there are probably 30 more back at home. Thats just how it works. Thats how it always has been. Its never been easy to be a sled dog. But how far is too far? How fast is too fast? Instead of all of that we should just be focusing on the care of the dogs. Thats why I thing racing needs to be made illegal. Even though ill be out of a job.
@@RetailThrone yea dude. auto racing is awesome. Ive been to a nascar race. 10/10 would recommend. Theres lots of kinds of motor vehicle racing besides nascar. Top fuel drag racing, trophy trucks, Rally, autocross, F1, indy-car, champ-car, chump-car, hill climb, loads amateur circuits for racing basically anything with a motor. Even lawn mowers. I would love to get into it oneday. Dakar and isle of man are two of my favorites. In alaska they have a snowmobile race called the "iron-dog." Which is cool because the snowmobile replaced the dog sled in modern times. Dog sleds used to deliver mail and stuff in snowy places. Like a motorcycle is called an "iron horse" a snowmobile is an iron dog. neat-o. Racing is Racing. Look at how hard a life racecars have. Its honestly not all that different. Dog racing and car racing. For most people its a bad habit that they put way to much time and money into. What it takes to build a winning dog sled team is MAINLY about just being willing to get rid of dogs and having a large pool of dogs to choose from. Any dog can pull a sled, but not every dog can win a race. The winningest family in the history of the iditarod, they usually have between 600 and 700 dogs at any one point. Alot have a touring companies, but you don't need that many dogs to do dog tours. The tours just support the racing. If they don't make the race team, they can pull a touring sled, plus it helps train them and junk doing tours. So which dogs have a good head for long hours and lots of miles. Owning a touring kennel is an advantage if you want to win races.
@@RetailThrone Whats your deal with chuck e cheese and roblox? What an odd channel you have. Not gonna lie i subbed just for the pure oddity of it. plus you have an ad from my old local store on there. when i used to live in charleston sc i lived within a half a mile of that one. I had no idea it had such a long and storied and a prior life as "showbiz pizza place" how cool. Thanks for sharing. Last time i went to chuck e cheese was that store. The managers kicked us all out saying we were too old. It was around the corner from our apartment and had an arcade and pizza. Why wouldn't we go there lol?
She's not saying all dog mushers are abusive, but you can clearly see in the video and other videos on the internet that there is a lot of abuse, not during the sleighing but the way they're cared for. Why is that so hard to accept? Videos don't lie
The people who treat their dogs badly don’t deserve their dogs. However not every musher treats their dogs so poorly. I feel horrible for the percent of dogs who have mean owners, but huskies and malamutes were born to run, and personally my husky loves to, I hope to sled with him one day. These dogs are beautiful animals and it sucks that bad mushers are ruining the dogsledding reputation cause not everyone treats their dogs bad
I have a team of 5 dogs. They absolutely love racing and every time they see their harnesses and the sled, they jump up and down. I have acres of land and a large area where the dogs can play and use the bathroom. All five sleep in my home and I never force them to over do it. I’m looking to add 5 more to the team and am thinking about building a structure for all ten.
As long as they enjoy the sport and are treated very well then there shouldnt be any problems but the issues come by not being able to do right by these dogs and that's not right.
@@601salsa yea but hwo do you detemine that? How fast is too fast? How far is too far? How many dogs is too many? Keeping that many dogs on chains is an extremely fine line between being okay, and being neglectful. And in my three years experience in sled dog racing. I can say with confidence it usually teeters towards being neglectful. If we got rid of racing, many mushers would quit keeping dogs. That should say alot.
You have 5. Not 80. There are lots with dogs that are even bigger than 80 here in Alaska, and the best dogs are bred over and over till they are depleted. I live in Alaska and I get around. I know families with more than 5 dogs and their dogs live in their home, not chained to a pole where no one brings them food except every other day.
@@doggodoggo3000 just because a dog is kept on a chain outside does not mean he's neglected or abused keeping an animal confined inside of the house is
This video is weird. It's like someone picking a bad apple then making a video called "the truth about apples" and pretending the bad one is what they are all like. Competitive sports can bring out the worst in a lot of people. Try just sledding for the fun of it instead of making the dogs race, you may all prefer it and you'll find people who are in it for the dogs rather than winning a race.
@@kalashnikov7170 the biggest issue i have with your agrument is that dogs don't think like humans. If a sled dog doesn't get to satiate its natural instincts it goes crazy
@@davidnowland9152 look man this is a clash of culture; when i see a working dog, any working dog be it a sled dog, a herding dog, or a hunting dog doing what its bred to do, i see a dog living a full and prosperous life. I see a working dog that's put in a house and yelled at for having to much energy i see abuse. Speaking on the true competive side of of this, i agree there are some people who push their dogs too far, but there are some people in the competitive world (good ones too) that know what their dogs can handle, and people from the outside don'tknow because they don't know the dogs. You and I cannot speak from the dog's perspective, however I can tell you that I see dogs get excited when they see a harness, and I can also tell you that these same dogs are not on a chain all day. I've seen competive sled dogs happier and more full of life than a house dog that is yelled at for trying to obey it's natural instincts
The Iditarod is nothing but an entertainment business where dogs are forced to run and mushere abuse them and chain them up so whatever you do don't support any thing that leads to this kind of abuse
People from all walks of life abuse dogs. You happened to encounter a musher who abuses his dogs; one musher's actions are not indicative of the entire mushing culture. It's a biased and illogical assumption to make. And let's clear the air on some other tangential topics: 1) Not everyone keeps their dogs inside. A lot of people who breed and use their dogs for working applications keep their dogs at outside kennels for a variety of logistical reasons. As long as the dogs have good shelter from the elements and daily access to food and water, there is nothing wrong with this approach. The sled dogs are especially well-suited to the cold weather, and can manage living outside just fine with the appropriate shelter. 2) Sled dogs are purpose bred for one thing: pulling sleds. They love their work just as much as a police dog loves to patrol and a hunting dog loves to track. These sled dogs are not the same as the pet versions of these breeds (husky, malamute) that you see at your local rescue or pet store. These are working dogs; removing them from their work is akin to telling a horse that it can't run or a wolf that it can't hunt. 3) The spitz-type sled dogs, especially husky and malamute breeds, are more inclined towards dog aggression due to their breeding and heritage. A lot of these dogs were historically used for hunting; as well there is some amount of rank drive inherent to their sled work. The "chained-up" method is a practical necessity for this reason; as well, many of these dogs are inclined to wander off and explore if allowed off leash. These dogs get more than enough exercise during their sled runs. A "chain-up" method is certainly preferable to containing dogs in individual fenced enclosures; fences/barriers tend to promote anxiety and tension in the dogs (referred to as barrier frustration by dog experts). I don't condone dog abuse, but I also think there is huge difference in how people view and handle their dogs. Some people view and treat their dogs as human children. Others have a more practical and utilitarian relationship with their dogs. As long as the dogs receive the proper care and attention, there is nothing wrong with the latter approach. I encourage the person in this video to really take the time to learn about sled dogs and the culture before judging it so harshly. One bad experience should not form your views of the overall culture...that's a narrow-minded way of thinking.
what suggestions do you suggest to make things better for the dogs? I agree that that one individual is an abuser. But I also doubt that that is the common thing that's done to dogs in that sport. Or in that lifestyle. I also tend to think that the dogs do not need exercise if they are running 4 to a hundred miles or 1000 miles on a regular basis I feel that that is exercise. It is important in my opinion for an athlete of any form to get adequate rest. I am an athlete.
Kal P sled dogs are also sensitive beings, not just work utensils because humans decided they would be. They might need more exercise than regular dogs, but it doesn’t necessarily means they want to run 1000 miles in poor conditions. They didn’t choose that fate and if they don’t fit to it, they’ll die. Athletes choose to train for the competition they want, they choose the race or contest they want to compete in.
Shes not wrong. Im currently in her position. Im a handler and have traveled coast to coast winning races. Rubbing elbows with those at the top of the sport. Its 90percent dogs chained to barrels. Of coarse they love to run its the only time they are let off their chain.
I am an Alaskan, I was an Iditorad fan. Some mushers have handlers who are awesome but 90 percent do not. I was interested in persuing mushing till I visted several locations and saw dogs living their entire life on a 6 foot chain.
Mee too. PETA people who make propaganda videos like this are the ones who should face consequences. These people, who have no understanding of spatial relationships, romanticize the past until they get a taste of it, then because they aren't the tough pioneer that they thought they were, they make videos like this to try and exterminate Inuit culture all because they discovered that life is actually hard, no matter what. This is an attack on Inuit culture, is what all this propaganda is. PETA is like a spoiled child who isn't getting their way and won't admit when they're wrong. PETA is more about genocide than anything else. They kill more animals than all mushers who ever existed combined, and commit cultural genocide against the Inuit people's culture.
I've worked as a handler for almost 2 years and i can tell you that an abused dog doesn't work, all the best mushers ive met take incredible care of their dogs. Mushers are some of the most patient people I've the ever met, yes some are arrogant a-holes, but you have to be patient with a dog, wether its training them to sit and stay, or if its teaching them to pull a sled, . The ONLY time I've seen top mushers get aggressive with their dogs is when a fight breaks out, at that point mushers can get pretty physical with their dogs, but the thing is, once the dogs are separated everyone calms down- that includes the musher. I can already hear people saying the top mushers are different from the regular everyfay musher, to which i respond- of course they are, thats why they're in the top, they're who mushers should be emulating. I'm willing to bet that this woman went to one musher, saw this abuse and went screaming to the public that this is mushing. THIS ISN'T MUSHING, this is a man that looks at the top tier and thinks that with proper motivation (sarcasm on proper) his dog will magically be able to perform at the highest level. Thats a load of horse crap, that man has no patients and should not be training dogs, not to sit and stay and for sure not to run a race. I am passionate about mushing and dog care, and i am willing to talk about it with literally anyone, I've given dog tours with people for 2 years, and the amount of people that have come on thinking its abuse to then changing their minds is astonishing. seriously I'm open for discussing this with anyone, just leave the cussing to a minimum
Been a handler for almost 3 years and i can honestly say Ive seen lots of kennels like this. Whether they beat their dogs or not, I think we need to be setting higher standards. Seriously. Im not just making stuff up. Whistler was only 10 years ago! That is not ancient history by any means! you can really only remove yourself so far from those "top kennels". People buy dogs from us. A "small kennel". we take back dogs that don't suit their new homes and stuff. All that more progressive stuff you say. And all the mushers we sell dogs too are cool nice people. My boss is a cool nice guy. The owners of these big dumb kennels are usually nice! A few of our clients are even adamantly against these large factory style kennels. But they are preaching that big kennels are bad and that you don't have to be a big kennel to win races. But literally his entire team traces back to one within a generation or two. Because our dogs do. They buy dogs from us because we have good dogs and win races. We have good dogs and win races because we buy good dogs from people who breed good dogs and win races. The cycle just feeds itself. one "top level" 150 dog racing kennel generates so many dogs annually, the rest of the industry basically runs off of their rejects. Those large kennels no one likes to look at are the backbone of the industry from my perspective. I don't know what to do. Im not one for inviting more government control. But I have seen WAY to much awful shit. I see the good side. I gave rides once, seeing those dogs actually WORK is super cool. yea they do enjoy it. But thinking about where all those dogs end up really worries me. The more i learn the MORE i worry. And i know they can have a better quality of life, keeping animals happy was my JOB at the zoo. Chimps, birds, lions, bears, snakes, wolves, zebras. What ever. Enrichment was my main goal. The general trend I see in mushing is sacrificing the quality of life of the animal, in pursuit of winning a race and reducing variables. "I keep them chained to a post to prevent fighting and make sure they are drinking enough water." I mean thats the gist of it no? The USDA banned tethering. Its banned overseas in mushing as far as I can tell. Its antiquated BS. Like I said I ve seen other models that work pretty much just as well. Like Jim Blair at eden ethical sled dogs. His dogs freaking rocked it out there. I think the race was shortened a few miles or something. But seriously functionally the same performance. If cutting a few minutes off his time required tethering his dogs. I don't think its worth it. Ive also seen pen set ups that look nice. But they function the same way as ties. Its not really any better in its day to day operation. Why is winning the metric we are using anyway? I haven't seen a winner of a major race i have been impressed with. Im impressed by the people who are truly in it for the dogs, and they aren't willing to put dogs through that shit. Sled dog racing seems to be people trying their ideals out as much as anything. A battle of philosophies, but theres dozens of living creatures caught in the middle. One philosophy being DONT RACE AT ALL! How do we change this industry to get the right people in for the right reasons. And raise the overall minimum standard of care for all dogs in the sport. The minimum standard now is shit. Im judging off of "snowy owl kennels" or whoever did disneys togo. Seriously? Thats the gold standard of dog sledding? standard ass tethers and boxes? the prison camp layout. Its basically the same as a competitive racing kennel. Of coarse the adoption is free. Get this useless bastard out of here. Free up a spot and save us the feed.
Sorry but I have to disagree at most points. Have been to Alaska and worked as a handler and also traveled around the whole alaskan highway and visited different kennels and saw many bad things and it was not just 50% of the kennels it was sadly more bad than good ones and those good ones mainly where not in it for profit or and very passionate and their dogs are all they have. Aswell as in Sweden and Austria where i witnessed many abusing and sad sleddog related stuff. Also rescued several dogs. One had over 30 scars and fresh wounds and came from a "professional kennel" in Austria.
Ms. Stephens, I am sorry that a bad musher has ruined the beautiful sport of dog sledding for you. Most of the scenes of the dog yards are unheard of to me, as most of the mushers in my area do keep their dogs outside, but they only have up to 20 dogs. For some people keeping the dogs in the house is just not an option. I have 3 dogs. They live in the house with me and my fiance and they are loved unconditionally, as they are children to us. They love running. Any time I ask them if they want to run they get excited and start whining, with tails wagging. The mushers I know and look up to all give their dogs names, multiple meals a day, undivided attention, and veterinary care and can tell you multiple stories of each dog. In places like Canada and Alaska, sled dogs are a large part of tourism. Yes, there are bad ones out there but don't let the bad ones drag the good mushers through the snow. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I can show you the good side of dog sledding.
I think the few bad kennels should get in trouble. But in my years, I haven't seen one yet even stopping by unannounced. Some people just want their few minutes of fame and are losers at other things they tied, so they take the worst possible situation and say it happens everywhere and make a movie. Well, there are a few bad cops, teachers, postal workers, parents (to name a few) and if I made a movie taking the news clips from those bad cops, teachers, postal workers and parents (to name a few) and then said things to sell tickets and make it appear every teacher was beating or having sex with their kids, every police officer shoots you or robs you, every postal worker kills their co workers and every parent beats their kids and starves them, the movie would appear that is how it is. Especially if you don't want to put any truth in and work very hard to be SURE the truth isn't told (because the truth doesn't sell as many tickets as the lies do).
I 100 percent agree I am saddened that there are people out there that treat there dogs like that but there are also lots of good mushers that don’t and put their dogs infront of themselves and appreciate the dogs for what they are
For iditarod racing 20 dogs is very small. My experience is the exact opposite of yours. I see shit like in this video. The small kennel guys are ignoring the fact they exist on the trickledown of the large kennels like those shown. Dogs that are to big etc get sold and traded around until they get to 6 and 4 dog people. I think the iditarod should be make illegal or shortened. IDK what to do but ive seen and heard SO many horror stories. I used to work at a zoo and animal rescues before doing this. I thought I had seen and heard it all. The world of dog mushing has an extremely dark underbelly.
Mac I’m sorry but I don’t know many mushers that race the Iditarod as I am on the sprint circuit. We have many guidelines in place across the board to ensure the health and safety of our dogs. The sport is evolving into better versions of itself every year. Please make sure your research is from responsible sources, not ones like PETA and HSUS where their “data” has been proven to be misinformed on multiple occasions.
@@ragingriversiberians7542 Ive seen top sprint kennels too. With out naming names, no doubt the top of the sprint circuit is full of gross stuff just like shown here. You Can't just look at 4 and 6 dog people. You gotta look at the open class. Those guys routinely have 30-150 dogs. The dogs that don't make their teams get sold and traded to the 4,6, skijor guys. My research is from my personal experience and understanding. I used to work at a zoo and volunteer at animal rescues. Mainly with exotic animals. But animals of all kinds. Now ive been a dog handler for 3 years. I used to work at a zoo and PETA was a thorn in our side to be sure. Always on our ass publicly and they didn't understand the nuance of what we did. But now when i go read their stuff about sled dogs. I find it a bit dramatic. But its all true. Ive seen dogs shit blood, run until collapse, get beaten, ive seen hundreds of dogs tied to chains, people shoving matches in their dogs asses to make them poop to try and save seconds on the race. Just look at the lives of dogs owned by inuits on the sea ice. Not an easy life for a dog. Thats the roots of the sport of dog sled racing. Dogs freezing and starving to death. Getting eaten by polar bears and shit. Not suggesting we should tell natives what they can and can't do with their dogs. im just saying the history is mega grungy. Its life and death up there in the arctic. But its not dog sled racing. This sport is awful. Needs to modernized. I think the iditarod needs to put under major public scrutiny. People should know more about how it all works. Stop getting sled rides from bad places with antiquated standards. I mean look at the kennel that was used in disneys togo. Bog standard dog houses and tethers. And they give rides and stuff. I was so disappointed to see that in 2018. I was disappointed to see a sled dog movie period tbh knowing itll increase demand for sled dog rides etc.
There are too many dogs in that video for the dogs to get exercised properly. I simply don't believe that all of the dogs are well cared. I am not against the sport, but when I see 200 dogs chained up, I am certain there is some abuse. Mushers don't make a living from the sport so selling mushing to tourists a way to make money. I do not think this is the norm, but I believe this video is true in some cases.
A team of dogs can be up to 16 of them. And there's usually several mushers in a facility working to exercise the dogs everyday. Logically, it would be stupid to neglect their exercise needs. They need to be exercised almost every single day to improve their endurance. And unlike humans, dogs don't need a refractory or rest period of months after a big run, and actually do even better if they've ran a similar long distance race recently.
@@someoneidk308 yea but. you don't train every day. rest is just as important. And its the places that have a full time staff that are the scariest. They breed and cull dogs and stuff. When winning races and selling dogs that win races is your livelihood it leads to questionable behavior. Like a gas chamber for dogs. Not as fancy as it sounds. Just a box. You just put the hose onto the tailpipe of a running vehicle. They just fall asleep, or so im told. They know better than to let me in on shit like that. But performance culling was and still is a thing.
@@doggodoggo3000 I did say "almost". Every so often they do get a break- It does no good to accidentally hurt them by making them run too much too soon. I won't deny that there are some shady practices, but culling is a lot less common now. Unsuitable pups tend to be adopted out nowadays instead. I may be a bit sheltered but most of the cullings I hear of are pups that have pretty serious medical defects. Tbh, I just don't like the idea of besmirching the name of everyone who puts their lives in these teams just because a of a few bad eggs. I know they're out there, but most of the people I see are good people that run reputable practices and speak out against culling dogs that aren't prize-winners.
@@davidnowland9152 How do you know that. Do you work in sled dogs? How up are you on this? Or are you just spewing the same old BS you've seen on the discovery channel. The whistler massacre was just a few years ago. Its poor culture around mushing. Not just a few bad eggs. This is glorified animal hoarding.
What horror. I have seen my fair share of cruel people hurting dogs. I have been pissed at my dog and slapped it's behind, and put my dogs in time out but to savagely beat a dog like she described is insane! then seeing all those dogs tied to barrels is even more insane! There are many good people who kennel and should be protected from these awful, cruel monsters keeping dogs like this purely for profit. My dream for a kennel was to have plenty of food, water, space, free roaming, once or twice a day of letting them run on acres and play, establish order, get taught and worked with, hire help and in between some rest days for the owners where the dogs recover their muscles and joints and chewing big juicy bones from having so much damn fun. I hate these films at times because it always gives me the sense they are after everyone who wants to kennel as I know it is the trend now a days to go after everything good and install worse, dictatorships, invasions of peoples privacies, take away peoples resources, lands, tell them they just need an authoritative system. Proper education is the best way to go, people who care for dogs to be on the look out to educate and stop these things in their track while protecting those who brings us lovely dogs with proper care, giving them their space and keep good traditions in dog breeding alive without suffering to the point where it is not worth it for both family and dog.
I have eleven sled dogs (they're lab/husky/german shorthair pointer mixes AKA: Alaskan Huskies) and their absolute FAVORITE thing is to go running (ie. get hooked up to the sled and go for a run)! When we get out the harnesses and the sled they start jumping up and down and barking like crazy because they're so excited. There's not a single time that I've seen them happier than when we're going running! However, we do keep them hooked up and they do live outside. Our reason for this is because we don't want fur in the house and, truthfully, eleven dogs inside would be chaotic. The reason we keep them tied up is because they don't get along and might fight with each other (we are aiming to change that: soon we will separate them in groups of three or four with dogs they get along with--we just have to get the fences up and we're a go!). We go out there every evening and take care of them, picking up poop, giving them fresh water, food, and letting them off so they can run and play. We stay out there with them off for at least an hour, sometimes more, but in winter months, instead of letting them off, we go running. During the summer they have a big pool and we throw toys into the pool for them to retrieve (that's the lab in them!). We set up tarps in the summer for shade, spray them with fly spray (bc the flies are really bad where we live), and they get fresh water two times a day (bc it's really hot outside with the humidity). In the winter we make sure they are warm. For the most part they grow heavy thick coats that keep them perfectly warm, but here in Iowa the winters can get below negative (the worst last winter was something like negative 20 degrees), we also will put straw or wood shaving (bc they're insulators) inside their dog houses so they can get in and stay toasty. Our dogs are really well cared for, but it is true that some owners abuse their sled dogs. This is just one example of a happy pack of doggos who love to run!
people like you need to shut the f*** up. We need to end the iditarod and other animal races. Its total horse shit. Asking a dog to run 100 miles is insane. Those inuit sled dogs on the sea ice can't even do that shit. Tethering needs to stop too. Its a concession to trying to own to many dogs. Oh they might fight, oh thered be too much fur in the house. Bullshit. You just shouldn't own that many dogs and you are cherry picking the goodparts. Atleast your not running them until they shit blood like all the mushers at the races. This sport is a joke.
@@doggodoggo3000 not 100 miles- 1000 miles. Just crazy! It is supposed to mimic the 1925 incident where dog sleds ran from anchorage to none to deliver medical supplies during an outbreak. This was for a special circumstance and I heard that it was just not one group of dogs who did this run. I think they changed dogs at along the way. I haven’t researched completely, but so far I have seen some injured and sick dogs from this race. 1000 miles to remember an emergency rescue is overkill.
@@Tymala1 I meant 100 miles in one day, but I agree with the sentiment. And It doesnt really have anything to do with the serum run besides in people minds. that was never the idea in the beginning. The sled dog action coalition has a long page on the history of the iditarod if you want to learn more. "“(In 1967) run in two heats over a 25-mile course, the race was officially named the Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race, in honor of mushing legend Leonhard Seppala.” “Over the years, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race’s origins have been closely linked with the ‘great mercy race’ to Nome. Most people believe the Iditarod was established to honor drivers and dogs who carried the diphtheria serum, a notion the media have perpetuated. In reality, ‘Seppala was picked to represent all the mushers,’ Page stressed. ‘He died in 1967 and we thought it was appropriate to name the race in his honor. But it could just as easily have been named after Scotty Allan. The race was patterned after the Sweepstakes races, not the serum run.'” - Dorothy Page, co-founder of the Iditarod, discussing the origins of the race - Sherwonit, Bill. Iditarod, Seattle: Alaska Northwest Books, 1991" *edit* i worked in dog sled racing. the shorter races suck too. I worked in sprint racing its just as bad or worse. shorter is just faster
Just because there are a few bad mushers does not mean that the hole sport is now bad you realize that people with 20-40 dogs can’t have them in there house.
I think it’s a shame that the animal rights movement is doing its best to destroy any relationship between man and animals, with particular focus on domestic animals such as dogs. Any human activity has its bad examples, but to focus on the bad and ignore the good is to tell a lie.
When you say "The animal rights movement", that's very, very broad. You are probably thinking of PETA. PETA is an extremist group who gets press for doing bizarre things in the name of protecting animals. The ASPCA on the other hand, and similar groups, promote animal rights, which are VERY much needed, which are reasonable and make sense. Look into it, won't you?
@@lisathuban8969 I was thinking of people like those at PETA, but PETA is not the only place you will find AR advocates who claim that animals have the right to not be owned by people. My experience is that the entire AR movement attracts radicals. Advocating humane treatment of animals is a good thing, of course, and almost nobody would disagree with that. But most AR activists seem to go beyond that.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 Ok, but if no one helps to change things or at least make sure they stay as humane as they are now, then no one will be helping or watching. That's not good. I guess it takes more than just good wishes and less than fanaticism to make a proper advocate for any kind of rights, but people like that are necessary.
Any comments about keeping a dog outdoors in the winter? In winnipeg, a dog, even a malamute, must be brought indoors, if temp. Falls below 0 c. Too many stupid people making laws
This makes me mad because yes sadly there are mushers like this who are horrible people that beat their dogs and are cruel but there are also amazing caring mushers who respect the dogs and what the dogs can do. There are mushers who are a little of both. For example lance Mackey said that his greatest achievement would be finishing the Iditarod with all 16 dogs (that’s how many they start with), not winning it 4 time, or breaking the record for fastest time(was later broken). In this case his biggest concern was to keep all his dogs healthy and able to run that distance without any injury. An example of a musher who is a little of both is Dallas Seavey who has faced scandals of doping his dogs, but one day he was racing and a moose attacked his dogs and without hesitation he shot the moose and his dog survived but I’d he had not stepped in the moose surly would have killed his dog. The dog lost a leg but he never sold the dog or said “this dog dosent have any use to me” he kept that dog till it died years later. On the Iditarod trail the mushers feed their dogs salmon and beaver and broth, where as the mushers eat cold canned beans and candy bars. They have vets at every checkpoint and if a dog is sick or injured in between checkpoints the musher will put that dog in the sled till they reach the checkpoint where the dog can stay and heal. Musher massage and treat there dogs and make sure they are warm and comfy when the dogs take a rest before the musher goes to sleep. The musher will be up anywhere from 20-78 hours without a sleep to keep their dogs comfortable. For one race mushers can spend anywhere from 1,500 dollars to 2,500 dollars on the dog shoes alone. These dog shoes are a extremely important item in keeping the dogs safe from injury. These booties keep the dogs feet safe from ice and rocks hidden under the snow. I honestly don’t think that someone who dosent care for their dogs would spend 2k on only one of several safety equipment for the dogs. I do think that these horrible mushers that don’t do these things and don’t appreciate their dogs should be stopped and punished, but it angers me when people target the whole sport when there are many things about the sport that are wonderful and not cruel. I believe that this is an amazing sport and those who don’t appreciate the dogs don’t deserve their presence, but don’t target the whole sport, target the horrific people.
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man respects the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
Doesn't make it less accurate. Thats the standard of care at the professional level. chains and barrels. logistics. Ive seen several kennels just like the one shown here and they are well respected in the mushing community.
TaliniWoof’s Racing Kennel, I actually know about having more dogs than one can handle. From the video shown, there are many dogs chained up for no reason other than for someone to make a living. This is no different than a factor farm. Now tell me what I don't know!
Harry Gordon what you don’t know is that the dogs aren’t chained up for days, and they live racing! If a dog doesn’t like racing they become a house dog. The documentary is not true, there are bad mushers out there but not all. I’ll have you know, we musher DO NOT make a good living off of racing! You loose more money than you gain. I suggest you go and watch some non hate videos and see how happy it really is.
How many dogs is too many? Is it possible that some people can handle more dogs than you think they should be able to? And you obviously don’t know what abuse is. Clue: abuse is an action, it has nothing to do with the number of dogs a person has.
To all the people making comments about how these dogs are "abused" or being "mistreated". I own two adult huskies, one male, one female. The female is 55 pounds and the male is 65 pounds- he may be a small percent wolf. Both are pure white, the sweetest most gentlest dogs you could be around- until you get them on a leash and harness. Then its all out the window. Many people watch these videos and make quick judgement, but don't understand the power of these animals. I'm an average adult male- 6', 175 lbs on a good day, just one of these dogs will pull on that leash for hours, and especially in the snow I have to fight to keep from being pulled forward - thats just ONE dog. I don't ever walk both dogs by myself single-handedly. I have on occasion been forced to walk both of them on the leash and let me tell you- its freaking scary how strong just two of these dogs are. I've trained them pretty well, but even still if they get a millisecond inkling that were about to walk or go for a run all bets are off. Just two of these dogs could drag and pull me with some effort- in fact many people do whats referred to as "skiijoring" aka skis + 2-3 sled dogs. NOW, I want you to imagine the power of 8-15 of these dogs. That sled and one guy weighs jack to them
Haha Jim is great. More people need to adopt his model. Im not sure anyone has. Tough hard working dogs that are at the top of the sport. But also live comfortable, happy, enriching lives. Jims one of the best mushers alive in my eyes. Haven't actually seen his set up. I've just chatted with and lost to the dude in a race. The sad reality is most mushers and large kennel operations are not like his at all.
@@davidnowland9152 Mushing is thousands of years old. Dog sled racing is less than 100. Its not an old sport, we are running into issues. Dogs are dying, It promotes over breeding, its bad for all the same reason greyhound racing is. You get rid of racing, you dont get rid of mushing. There will still be sled dogs. Only idiots like you can't see the difference. To the uninitiated it all LOOKS the same. But this racing stuff leads to a TON of absolutely horrendous stuff. This documentary SEEMS dramatic. But talking about hurt, dying, and dead dogs is just part of the conversation in mushing. Its a life or death sport. Simple mistakes and equipment malfunctions end lives. No musher WANTS a dog to die. But it happens to the best of them. And all these dogs get old. The logistics of that is part of it too. These dogs get traded around like pokemon. To a winning iditarod musher, more profitable than the race winnings is selling proven dogs. A dog that can finish the iditarod is worth atleast a few grand. A dog that has won it is worth even more. Thats the MAIN economy to being a pro musher. Selling tours and dogs. Its a puppymill with extra steps. An industry that perpetuates itself. Racing is truly a very small part of it. Yet it shapes the landscape. We need to quit praising these races so much. Racing dogs is like a bad habit. Sorta like building a racecar in your backyard or something. You either BUY or BREED your way into a winning team. Except you gotta get the old and slow dogs out of your kennel somehow. People USED to just shoot them. But people are getting less and less willing to do that, which leads to another set of problems. Lots of dogs stacking up. Lots of sled dog rescues. The whistler cull. Stuff like that. In racing, being willing to shoot unproductive dogs is an ADVANTAGE. Less time and resources spent messing around with some slow POS dog. Trying to have RACING and a higher standard of care with fewer dogs Is like asking for all of your groceries to be in one bag, and also not wanting it to be heavy. You can't have it both ways. Getting rid of racing is the easiest solution. It doesn't ruin anyones way of life. Just removes incentive to overbreed these dogs and run them so hard. Incentivizes higher care standards.
@@michaeldolinar3716 Ive seen a few and am unimpressed. Id say this clip accurately portrays the sport at large. I work in a racing kennel and have traveled racing for three years. Seen some of the top racing kennels in the americas. Its a dumb sport we need to stop supporting in its current form. My days as a handler are going to haunt me forever. Especially being caught on the wrong side of capitalism; What people are willing to put another living creature through to feel an arbitrary sense of accomplishment is scary. Getting a dog to run 100 miles is insane. Most can't do it. Its super hard on their minds and bodies. Ive seen HUNDREDS of dogs shit blood. Its just normal in this world. The numbers don't add up. When 50 people can own 2000 dogs, they are not all going to have happy lives. They retire from racing to either give rides, live on a chain, catch a bullet, or some combination of the three. We are going to the abusers, and asking them if its animal abuse. It blows my mind reading all of the people turning a blind eye to this. Like Im living it now and have now idea what to do. It goes so contrary to what the public would deem acceptable. Theres plenty of information out there showing all the bad stuff. And honestly theres so much thats not even written. ITS ALL TRUE! I used to work in a zoo and have worked at animal rescues and stuff. I get life is not always easy and pretty. This is more than that. We need to change this shit some how.
@@doggodoggo3000 how long has it been since you handled? I started by giving tours and some of the training methods I was told about make me uncomfortable to say the least, but those are very old school methods that have all been replaced by much more humane training methods. I've seen dogs trained in old school techniques, they hate their job anddare I say it their lives. But I've also seen dogs trained in the new school method, and those dogs are actually better performing, better socialized, and overall happy with their lives If you want an opinion from someone who's not an abuser (as you say) you should talk to vets that work with sled dogs, they are really some of the best sources of knowledge out there. There was a recent 15 minute film by a vet about Iditarod teams and why sled dogs are some of the healthiest dogs on earth. There are some people that stick to the old school methods- but that is being rapidly phased out, and those mushers that stick to those old ways are greatly frowned upon by the mushing community. Free running is becoming very common for mushers and their teams (google "Martin Buiser free running team" and he's won Iditarod 4 times!!), that means that the dogs aren't being kept on a chain only to run, so yes they want to run. My dog is off his chain most of the day, usually only on it when I'm feeding dogs or running a team, but he goes ballistic when i grab the harness and he doesn't stop pulling until we come back in the yard. Admittedly he's only a year old and we're only up to 3 miles every other day, but I've seen the same for a dog thats 6 years old in the same circumstances that will run 60 miles for a training run, one person I worked for had a yearling run a 300 mile race and was doing a butt bounce dance when they stopped at the finish line. Dogs are like kids in sports, some will do it because they love it, since they were nurtured properly these dogs will run for miles and miles and love their lives. The ones that come into Nome after Iditarod and are wagging their tails and looking around at all the people gathered and showing overall good positive body language. And some will do it because their parents make them do it, I've seen dogs that are forced to run, those are the dogs that don't want to run 100 miles, those dogs are the ones that will look for any excuse to not run, and those are the dogs that I'm sorry for. Stress Colitis (bloody poop) is very common in high energy working dogs, but it doesn't last long it usually happens when weather changes or you up millage, my dog got it when he started training, he doesn't know how to pase himself yet, and the vet , whom i live with (who is not a musher, and only got involved with the sport a few years ago) told me not to worry about it, unless it became mucousy bloody diarrhea or it persisted for more than 3 days. My parents lab got it when she was too fat and couldn't handle Ohio's summer heat. The reason a lot of mushers don't seem to care about it, is because they know it will either sort itself out, or they have medication that will help the issue. You should know that we talk about poop a lot, first sign of blood and they are put on watch Most of the mushers i have worked for try to find good homes for their dogs, they don't shoot them, or leave them on a chain to waste away; they sleep on a couch and get fat, a musher I am good friends with actually took back a retired dog from someone when they found out she was being mistreated (that dog is currently one of the fattest dogs I've ever seen and has full run of the farm). In conclusion, I'm sorry that your experience with sled dogs was terrible. Their are scumbags in the world that don't treat their dogs right, but there are more people that that will cut off their right arm if it means their dogs will have a good life. And those people are the ones that want to better the sport, and want to get rid of those abusers. We want what's good for our dogs, and you can see that the sport has changed dramatically over even the last couple of years, we want the sport to be better, but calling it stupid and demanding it end is not whats best for the dogs.
@@michaeldolinar3716 Im a handler now. Im not calling for rapid action. I understand there are nuances to this shit. More so than most people. Like i said, I used to work in in a zoo. And exotic animal rescues. Plural. Ive also worked with working horses. Ive also worked with RESCUED horses. If anything im an expert in seeing the cracks. But with all those years of HORROR stories under my belt. Faced with abuse and neglect of all kinds. It all pales in comparison to my experience in the world of sled dogs. Im saying we need to improve the sport. I see whos winning what they are doing. how they are treating their dogs. the logistics. How many dogs is to many? When does it start being abuse? How far is too far to try to get these dogs to run? WTF are we doing? Jim Blair doesn't tether and he beat us without even trying. There IS a better way. The guys I like the most aren't willing to push their dogs hard enough to win. They don't win or compete so they aren't known or taken seriously. The kennel outside was built with 30 spots. There have been puppies bred here every year and no new spots added. There is not an excess of old dogs here. Ive seen that same story in loads of other kennels. I have not seen that many old sled dogs. The numbers don't add up. The iditarod had 50 mushers last year. 40 dogs is understood to be a pretty small kennel in iditarod world. 50 mushers times 40 dogs. Thats 2000 dogs! As my LOW estimate! In rural ass alaska! Your delusional if you think all those dogs are retiring to the warm loving homes they deserve. Google "sled dog rescue" apparently every other kennel is a "rescue" weird. The vet in my home town was famous for winning rookie of the year in the iditarod. He also pays his techs a barely livable wage and declaws cats. idk. There IS room for moral debate in the vet world still too. "There was a recent 15 minute film by a vet about Iditarod teams and why sled dogs are some of the healthiest dogs on earth. " Yea. Them ni%%ers in the cotton fields was real healthy too. Active lifestyle. Food and housing provided. Plenty of sun. Of coarse we want them to be happy and healthy! They out there singin! Its beautiful! "swing low! sweet Chariot!" amen!
yea but Ive seen like 12 that look this. And know of even more. Its a whole lotta doggos chained up out there. Penns aren't really better at that scale either it doesnt seem. Im not really sure where the line should be drawn but something needs to change.
This is a horrible thing what this man did. But I can surely say that not everyone in the dog sledding community is like that. I have met hundreds of mushers in my life, every single one of them treats there dogs with respect and love. Even in this video, you can see when the dogs are hooked up to the sled gangling, they are howling and yelling with excitement, just plunging into that harness to run. Just like a parent with a child, you cannot judge all of parenthood off on how one mother treats her child. Same as this, just because one man did a horrible thing to a dog, doesn’t mean that every musher behaves in that manner.
well the fact he was beating the dog and all she has to do is talk about it and say she thought he was killing it like fuck do something thats called animal abuse thats the reason you do something about it and stop it let the dogs loose hit the guy a few good times like not too hard the dogs will do alot better alone in the wild and have a much faster and less painful death if these sick humans are just removed simply put
Sled dogs are working dogs. These dogs are treated differently from what your sheltered ass might expect. You encountered one bad owner out of how many? Sounds like your making assumptions based on one certain experience you had.
AceyCamui I tried researching this Jane Stephens and the only thing I could find was a hit piece against dog sled Racing. Some of the things she said in this video make me doubt her credibility.
Ok I'm sorry but your rude not hate tho just don't spend your time hating on someone you don't even know that's not ok. And she's probably went though a lot of bad experiences with this type of stuff so your the one making assumptions. 🤦😤🤷
@@emilyplaysgamesstuwe5801 I'm not competing with anything don't get mad at me when you have no clue on what your talking about and also it's spelt comment if you have a problem with my comment you can go away it's not that big of a deal that's why I'm letting it go so you should to
Isnt the director of this film a big fan of the equestrian activities? Like thats not cruel? Its not. As dogsledding isnt either. Some people suck, some people absolutely give their lives for their dogs. Thats that
What your video described is a single experience with an abusive dog owner who happens to mush dogs. This dude clearly sucks and should not work with animals, but one bad owner doesn't mean that this is a truth behind dog mushing. This is a truth behind an abuser. Find a different musher.
Most of the kennels i have seen operate the exact same way. That is the backbone of the sport. Its not a single abusive owner, its basically anyone who is winning races. Go check their facebooks. Hardly anyone DOESNT have a kennel that looks exactly like those. Been coast to coast. Been to some of the winningest kennels. Even won a pro race or two myself. This "sport" is stupid and really needs to modernize. It never will if people just assume its fine the way it is. Getting a dog to run 100 miles is insane and extremely hard on them. Its literally an outlier on any sort of chart of animals long distance running abilities. But people think about it like its normal, its not, its mind games and mental conditioning. Many can't do it. Its very extreme. And thats without even getting into the sled dog ride giving industry. The numbers are staggering. One person owing 150 dogs is crazy. 50 people with 150 dogs is a socio-economic disaster.
oddly enough. it pretty progressive. lots of females winning races. Top 5 mushers at pedigree stagestop last year were all women. (still full of abuse though. one of those 5 accidentally killed her entire team onetime. 20 or so dogs dead from a simple mistake. oops! a tragedy for sure. and she didn't mean to. It weighed on her, but thats the top level of the sport just saying. haha she could literally be in jail for criminal animal neglect depending on where she lived and who knew about it. But instead shes back in the sport stronger than ever and hasn't changed much about how she keeps her dogs. chained to barrels just like everyone elses)
@@doggodoggo3000 I'm sorry, what musher was this? Because that seems so extreme as to be flat-out made-up. 20 dogs killed in a single accident that nobody has ever heard of except you and was not reported? I bet PETA would have been all over that had there been a whisper of truth to it. I would like to see your sources. You spout a lot of misinformation.
@@morganlarson2868 lmao. Thats the whole issue! It DOES seem that extreme! Theres no media coverage. Who do you call when you accidentally kill 20 of your own dogs? This didn't happen at a race. HOW would it be public information? THINK ABOUT IT. The worst stories will NEVER make it to the light of day. Why and how would they? The only reason I know about it is from pushing. I over heard someone mention her having an "accident" that killed her team a few years back. I figured It would have been a moose, snowmobile, lost team, or something. (One of my biggest fears, we train on snowmobile trails.) But f$%K was I wrong. Dogs die all the time in sled dog racing. Its not because these people are evil or even particularly negligent. What I described earlier was an isolated incident and a particularly gruesome tragedy. But it DID happen. Proof or no. You are now one of the few human to know about it. Congratulations. Im trying to point out a flaws in the sport. Not get hung up on one incident. Even if it seems really ugly. I REALLY think the RACING needs to be made illegal. I could speak at length as to why. Did you not watch the video?^^ How is that not enough? Ive seen LOADS of kennels like that. Even if they don't beat their dogs, that's a very low standard of care. I don't care if they win races or not!
When dogs are kept chained OF COURSE they will go wild when they see a harness. Naturally they will run until they drop knowing when it’s over they go back to the chain. This is a cruel industry.
i’ve done tons of research on sled dogs but i’m only going to say a few things. The chains that they are on allow them to run. they cannot run a lot, but they are able to exercise by running in circles. this is a common technique used by many mushers, but soon there will be more mushers changing their ways by putting dogs on a chain that allows them to run back and forth. Sled dogs cannot get much exercise in the summer due to the weather. any temperature above 50 degrees Fahrenheit is very dangerous for them to run in, due to their winter coats. the mushers are actually protecting them by not letting them off the chain. many sled dogs don’t know anything but to run. they will run themselves to the death. It drives me mad that people hurt their dogs. i wish that i could stop all of it. i truly hope this man was thrown in jail. however, not all mushers are this way. i wish people would stop giving them such a bad reputation. people want to continue the beautiful sport, and people that are continuously making bad comments on it hurts the future. i’m only 19 and i may not be able to be in a dogsled race until i’m 30. it’s been a dream of mine to be in the iditarod since i was 9. if things keep continuing like this, i’ll never be able to reach that goal. my life will be crushed. please don’t give all mushers a bad reputation. it hurts all of us.
I get what your saying .but that is stress making them run in cycles . zoo animals pace there the cages in the same way . I love dog sledding its amazing but keeping them tied up is bad and they only do it to stop the dogs getting into fights . And so they can have a lot of dogs in a small space. 👍✌
@@alexsaquatics7620 Yea but at zoos they are willing to go to great lengths to stop that. I used to be a zoo keeper, i had so much freedom to try new things for enrichment. When you have 150 dogs on chains, one running in circles is super easy to play of as "oh he just really wants to run" and not "oh hes just been there for 5 years and lives an unfulfilling and troubled existence." They just LOVE to run. Run till they shit blood and fall over.
Been handling and mushing for three years. Before this i worked at animal rescues and at a zoo. Believe me when i say there are better ways of keeping your sled dogs and better things to do with them. But if your only concern is racing. I hope you never race the iditarod. Making a dog run that far is insane. Ive seen what it takes and I have a hard time justifying the existence of that race in its current form. The golden standard of keeping sled dogs looks like a freaking prison camp and it is one. There are different ways. Jim Blair at Eden Ethical Sled dogs is one example. But winning mushers down on people like that. Because they don't win. My new goal in life is to change the way the iditarod is ran and ive never even been to Alaska. Ive seen SO MUCH TERRIBLE STUFF THAT JUST FLIES IN THE FACE OF WHAT WE KNOW AND WOULD ACCEPT AS A SOCIETY. Thats because the sport pushes these dogs so far past edge. Running a hundred miles is EXTREME. So far beyond what we asked of dogs when they were running mail and shit back in the day. The racing we do doesn't get much past 20 miles and thats a long god damn way. Way faster than iditarod dogs. This type of racing is filled with just as much of that bs its just at a slightly smaller scale and less known. But ive traveled from coast to coast and have met some of the best of the best. I was a dog trainer before i ever fell into this and an ex zoo keeper, im not just some random guy that doesn't know what hes talking about. Its not all sunshine and butterflies in sled dog racing. Mainly its blood, mud, shit, and ice. The history is with inuit people on the sea ice. Thats an extremely hard place to live. Its literally life and death up there. Dogs freezing to death and getting eaten by polar bears is not uncommon. The crappy part is the majority of what ive seen in racing and dog tours is equally life and death. Thats where my issue lies. I want to change that.
@@alexsaquatics7620 Lots of nuance there. There are so many different species and different goals and laws. AZA vs ZAA vs whoever else. There are some conservation efforts for some species. Some are extinct in the wild. Where I worked, we had people bring us animals ALL THE TIME. crazy shit. In my three years people surrendered us a kangaroo, a porcupine, a mountain lion, a bengal tiger, a chimpanzee, a pair of wolves, SO MANY PARROTS, a few snakes, several tortoises, prairie dogs, etc. A big part of my job was reaching out to other facilities across the country to find where the bast places for these animals to go IS and how to get them there. It can take years to find a rescue that can take a chimpanzee or big cat. AZA zoos don't take them. Where I worked existed as a side effect of people being able to own these exotic animals. Like 90% of our animals were ones that people brought us then decided they didn't want or couldn't care for properly. Its so weird. Blanket statement "zoo animals have terrible lives" simply isnt true. Just like the blanket statement "Sled dogs have terrible lives" is equally untrue. But seriously, the everyday stuff in competitive mushing puts the worse stories from my time at the zoo and rescue to shame. Dog sled racing is basically competitive dog hoarding at a certain point, you start sacrificing the happiness and care of your animals to justify them running faster and farther. owning too many of them.
You guys show the dad and tell stories of all these bad people 🙄 how about tell the good side to not all teams are like this!! Yes the dogs are outside they are not house dogs they are working dogs! the dogs are built for cold and the weather they are in!!!!!!!!!!!!!
quit trying to say every dog musher abuses there dogs, its just plain inaccurate, ignorant, and hurtful to the thousands (the vast majority of them) dog mushers who take excellent care of there dogs.
there arent even thousands of pro-mushers in the world you ding-bat. A few hundred pros total, tops. And im one of them. Little rinky-dink mushers aren't the problem. Its these big professional and competitive kennels. People like you BLINDLY supporting the sport are the largest issue. Mushing is GREAT. But Dog racing needs to be illegal.
I don't trust this woman,, and one bad dog owner don't mean they all suck. IV been around them and the dogs get super excited to go sledding, it's like a treat to them. This lady's name has to be Karen
Not all mushes abuse their dogs. I own a huge kennel. My dogs are not tied up they get a kennel. They are run daily.
Same
I used to race many years. I wanted to compete with my team of purebreed Siberian Huskies in long-distance, hard races like La Grande Odyssee. I raced in Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic. Usually mid and long distance races. After 2-3 seasons of racing I was really disappointed of what I've seen. Many mushers treat dogs just like spare parts of a machine. The "lifetime" of a dog is about 3-4 years, after that time many mushers sells them and replace by younger dogs. Zero empaty. I am pretty sure that many dogs recieve some chemical speciments to boost their strenght and endurance. The way that some mushers treat the dogs on the trail is also bad. That was the reason for which I retired from this "circus". Of course there are many many good mushers - the majority really take care of the dogs and know that only a happy dog will work hard on the trail :)
That man should have been jailed without mercy.
The people who treat these dogs in such a criminal ways desearve to be locked up for a very long time. This is cruelty. If you cant handle the dogs get help, dont get more and chain them up.
i work in sled dog racing. Im working to raise awareness to make it illegal. But I don't think demonizing the people is the way to do this. I was homeless before I found this live in job taking care of sled dogs. These arent EVIL people. Whats evil is us normalizing it, letting it continue when it needs to stop. Your right. The problem is too many dogs. But if you want to win you have to have good dogs. if you see 16 dogs on the string there are probably 30 more back at home.
Thats just how it works. Thats how it always has been. Its never been easy to be a sled dog. But how far is too far? How fast is too fast? Instead of all of that we should just be focusing on the care of the dogs.
Thats why I thing racing needs to be made illegal. Even though ill be out of a job.
@@doggodoggo3000 well what about nascar, nascar is cool
@@RetailThrone yea dude. auto racing is awesome. Ive been to a nascar race. 10/10 would recommend.
Theres lots of kinds of motor vehicle racing besides nascar. Top fuel drag racing, trophy trucks, Rally, autocross, F1, indy-car, champ-car, chump-car, hill climb, loads amateur circuits for racing basically anything with a motor. Even lawn mowers. I would love to get into it oneday. Dakar and isle of man are two of my favorites.
In alaska they have a snowmobile race called the "iron-dog." Which is cool because the snowmobile replaced the dog sled in modern times. Dog sleds used to deliver mail and stuff in snowy places.
Like a motorcycle is called an "iron horse" a snowmobile is an iron dog. neat-o.
Racing is Racing. Look at how hard a life racecars have.
Its honestly not all that different. Dog racing and car racing. For most people its a bad habit that they put way to much time and money into. What it takes to build a winning dog sled team is MAINLY about just being willing to get rid of dogs and having a large pool of dogs to choose from. Any dog can pull a sled, but not every dog can win a race. The winningest family in the history of the iditarod, they usually have between 600 and 700 dogs at any one point. Alot have a touring companies, but you don't need that many dogs to do dog tours.
The tours just support the racing. If they don't make the race team, they can pull a touring sled, plus it helps train them and junk doing tours. So which dogs have a good head for long hours and lots of miles. Owning a touring kennel is an advantage if you want to win races.
@@doggodoggo3000 Yeah Nascar is awesome
@@RetailThrone Whats your deal with chuck e cheese and roblox? What an odd channel you have. Not gonna lie i subbed just for the pure oddity of it.
plus you have an ad from my old local store on there. when i used to live in charleston sc i lived within a half a mile of that one. I had no idea it had such a long and storied and a prior life as "showbiz pizza place" how cool. Thanks for sharing.
Last time i went to chuck e cheese was that store. The managers kicked us all out saying we were too old. It was around the corner from our apartment and had an arcade and pizza. Why wouldn't we go there lol?
She's not saying all dog mushers are abusive, but you can clearly see in the video and other videos on the internet that there is a lot of abuse, not during the sleighing but the way they're cared for. Why is that so hard to accept? Videos don't lie
The people who treat their dogs badly don’t deserve their dogs. However not every musher treats their dogs so poorly. I feel horrible for the percent of dogs who have mean owners, but huskies and malamutes were born to run, and personally my husky loves to, I hope to sled with him one day. These dogs are beautiful animals and it sucks that bad mushers are ruining the dogsledding reputation cause not everyone treats their dogs bad
I have a team of 5 dogs. They absolutely love racing and every time they see their harnesses and the sled, they jump up and down. I have acres of land and a large area where the dogs can play and use the bathroom. All five sleep in my home and I never force them to over do it. I’m looking to add 5 more to the team and am thinking about building a structure for all ten.
Add 5 more then put them all in a structure? Sounds like a hoarding problem.
As long as they enjoy the sport and are treated very well then there shouldnt be any problems but the issues come by not being able to do right by these dogs and that's not right.
@@601salsa yea but hwo do you detemine that? How fast is too fast? How far is too far? How many dogs is too many? Keeping that many dogs on chains is an extremely fine line between being okay, and being neglectful. And in my three years experience in sled dog racing. I can say with confidence it usually teeters towards being neglectful.
If we got rid of racing, many mushers would quit keeping dogs. That should say alot.
You have 5. Not 80. There are lots with dogs that are even bigger than 80 here in Alaska, and the best dogs are bred over and over till they are depleted. I live in Alaska and I get around. I know families with more than 5 dogs and their dogs live in their home, not chained to a pole where no one brings them food except every other day.
@@doggodoggo3000 just because a dog is kept on a chain outside does not mean he's neglected or abused keeping an animal confined inside of the house is
This video is weird. It's like someone picking a bad apple then making a video called "the truth about apples" and pretending the bad one is what they are all like. Competitive sports can bring out the worst in a lot of people. Try just sledding for the fun of it instead of making the dogs race, you may all prefer it and you'll find people who are in it for the dogs rather than winning a race.
@@WayneAllen-ov6lv dude, dogs were literally bred to do jobs, not be lazy house pets
Jude Arsenault the dogs were bred to do this
@@kalashnikov7170 the biggest issue i have with your agrument is that dogs don't think like humans. If a sled dog doesn't get to satiate its natural instincts it goes crazy
you clearly don't have the common sense to think about the dogs perspective.
@@davidnowland9152 look man this is a clash of culture; when i see a working dog, any working dog be it a sled dog, a herding dog, or a hunting dog doing what its bred to do, i see a dog living a full and prosperous life. I see a working dog that's put in a house and yelled at for having to much energy i see abuse. Speaking on the true competive side of of this, i agree there are some people who push their dogs too far, but there are some people in the competitive world (good ones too) that know what their dogs can handle, and people from the outside don'tknow because they don't know the dogs. You and I cannot speak from the dog's perspective, however I can tell you that I see dogs get excited when they see a harness, and I can also tell you that these same dogs are not on a chain all day. I've seen competive sled dogs happier and more full of life than a house dog that is yelled at for trying to obey it's natural instincts
How can they torture such marvelous creatures.
The Iditarod is nothing but an entertainment business where dogs are forced to run and mushere abuse them and chain them up so whatever you do don't support any thing that leads to this kind of abuse
People from all walks of life abuse dogs. You happened to encounter a musher who abuses his dogs; one musher's actions are not indicative of the entire mushing culture. It's a biased and illogical assumption to make.
And let's clear the air on some other tangential topics:
1) Not everyone keeps their dogs inside. A lot of people who breed and use their dogs for working applications keep their dogs at outside kennels for a variety of logistical reasons. As long as the dogs have good shelter from the elements and daily access to food and water, there is nothing wrong with this approach. The sled dogs are especially well-suited to the cold weather, and can manage living outside just fine with the appropriate shelter.
2) Sled dogs are purpose bred for one thing: pulling sleds. They love their work just as much as a police dog loves to patrol and a hunting dog loves to track. These sled dogs are not the same as the pet versions of these breeds (husky, malamute) that you see at your local rescue or pet store. These are working dogs; removing them from their work is akin to telling a horse that it can't run or a wolf that it can't hunt.
3) The spitz-type sled dogs, especially husky and malamute breeds, are more inclined towards dog aggression due to their breeding and heritage. A lot of these dogs were historically used for hunting; as well there is some amount of rank drive inherent to their sled work. The "chained-up" method is a practical necessity for this reason; as well, many of these dogs are inclined to wander off and explore if allowed off leash. These dogs get more than enough exercise during their sled runs. A "chain-up" method is certainly preferable to containing dogs in individual fenced enclosures; fences/barriers tend to promote anxiety and tension in the dogs (referred to as barrier frustration by dog experts).
I don't condone dog abuse, but I also think there is huge difference in how people view and handle their dogs. Some people view and treat their dogs as human children. Others have a more practical and utilitarian relationship with their dogs. As long as the dogs receive the proper care and attention, there is nothing wrong with the latter approach. I encourage the person in this video to really take the time to learn about sled dogs and the culture before judging it so harshly. One bad experience should not form your views of the overall culture...that's a narrow-minded way of thinking.
what suggestions do you suggest to make things better for the dogs? I agree that that one individual is an abuser. But I also doubt that that is the common thing that's done to dogs in that sport. Or in that lifestyle. I also tend to think that the dogs do not need exercise if they are running 4 to a hundred miles or 1000 miles on a regular basis I feel that that is exercise. It is important in my opinion for an athlete of any form to get adequate rest. I am an athlete.
Kevin P 1ww0
Kevin P 0
Kal P sled dogs are also sensitive beings, not just work utensils because humans decided they would be. They might need more exercise than regular dogs, but it doesn’t necessarily means they want to run 1000 miles in poor conditions. They didn’t choose that fate and if they don’t fit to it, they’ll die.
Athletes choose to train for the competition they want, they choose the race or contest they want to compete in.
Because breeding a dog for the purpose of running then chaining them up for most of their lives makes perfect sense 😶
Part way in I'm having huge reservations about the honesty and knowledge of the woman in this video.
Shes not wrong. Im currently in her position. Im a handler and have traveled coast to coast winning races. Rubbing elbows with those at the top of the sport. Its 90percent dogs chained to barrels. Of coarse they love to run its the only time they are let off their chain.
I am an Alaskan, I was an Iditorad fan. Some mushers have handlers who are awesome but 90 percent do not. I was interested in persuing mushing till I visted several locations and saw dogs living their entire life on a 6 foot chain.
Mee too. PETA people who make propaganda videos like this are the ones who should face consequences. These people, who have no understanding of spatial relationships, romanticize the past until they get a taste of it, then because they aren't the tough pioneer that they thought they were, they make videos like this to try and exterminate Inuit culture all because they discovered that life is actually hard, no matter what. This is an attack on Inuit culture, is what all this propaganda is. PETA is like a spoiled child who isn't getting their way and won't admit when they're wrong. PETA is more about genocide than anything else. They kill more animals than all mushers who ever existed combined, and commit cultural genocide against the Inuit people's culture.
it's no surprise that you tube limits search results on this topic
I've worked as a handler for almost 2 years and i can tell you that an abused dog doesn't work, all the best mushers ive met take incredible care of their dogs. Mushers are some of the most patient people I've the ever met, yes some are arrogant a-holes, but you have to be patient with a dog, wether its training them to sit and stay, or if its teaching them to pull a sled, . The ONLY time I've seen top mushers get aggressive with their dogs is when a fight breaks out, at that point mushers can get pretty physical with their dogs, but the thing is, once the dogs are separated everyone calms down- that includes the musher. I can already hear people saying the top mushers are different from the regular everyfay musher, to which i respond- of course they are, thats why they're in the top, they're who mushers should be emulating. I'm willing to bet that this woman went to one musher, saw this abuse and went screaming to the public that this is mushing. THIS ISN'T MUSHING, this is a man that looks at the top tier and thinks that with proper motivation (sarcasm on proper) his dog will magically be able to perform at the highest level. Thats a load of horse crap, that man has no patients and should not be training dogs, not to sit and stay and for sure not to run a race. I am passionate about mushing and dog care, and i am willing to talk about it with literally anyone, I've given dog tours with people for 2 years, and the amount of people that have come on thinking its abuse to then changing their minds is astonishing. seriously I'm open for discussing this with anyone, just leave the cussing to a minimum
Been a handler for almost 3 years and i can honestly say Ive seen lots of kennels like this. Whether they beat their dogs or not, I think we need to be setting higher standards.
Seriously. Im not just making stuff up. Whistler was only 10 years ago! That is not ancient history by any means!
you can really only remove yourself so far from those "top kennels".
People buy dogs from us. A "small kennel". we take back dogs that don't suit their new homes and stuff. All that more progressive stuff you say. And all the mushers we sell dogs too are cool nice people. My boss is a cool nice guy. The owners of these big dumb kennels are usually nice!
A few of our clients are even adamantly against these large factory style kennels. But they are preaching that big kennels are bad and that you don't have to be a big kennel to win races. But literally his entire team traces back to one within a generation or two. Because our dogs do.
They buy dogs from us because we have good dogs and win races. We have good dogs and win races because we buy good dogs from people who breed good dogs and win races. The cycle just feeds itself.
one "top level" 150 dog racing kennel generates so many dogs annually, the rest of the industry basically runs off of their rejects. Those large kennels no one likes to look at are the backbone of the industry from my perspective.
I don't know what to do. Im not one for inviting more government control. But I have seen WAY to much awful shit.
I see the good side. I gave rides once, seeing those dogs actually WORK is super cool. yea they do enjoy it. But thinking about where all those dogs end up really worries me. The more i learn the MORE i worry. And i know they can have a better quality of life, keeping animals happy was my JOB at the zoo. Chimps, birds, lions, bears, snakes, wolves, zebras. What ever. Enrichment was my main goal.
The general trend I see in mushing is sacrificing the quality of life of the animal, in pursuit of winning a race and reducing variables.
"I keep them chained to a post to prevent fighting and make sure they are drinking enough water."
I mean thats the gist of it no?
The USDA banned tethering. Its banned overseas in mushing as far as I can tell. Its antiquated BS. Like I said I ve seen other models that work pretty much just as well. Like Jim Blair at eden ethical sled dogs. His dogs freaking rocked it out there. I think the race was shortened a few miles or something. But seriously functionally the same performance. If cutting a few minutes off his time required tethering his dogs. I don't think its worth it.
Ive also seen pen set ups that look nice. But they function the same way as ties. Its not really any better in its day to day operation.
Why is winning the metric we are using anyway?
I haven't seen a winner of a major race i have been impressed with. Im impressed by the people who are truly in it for the dogs, and they aren't willing to put dogs through that shit.
Sled dog racing seems to be people trying their ideals out as much as anything. A battle of philosophies, but theres dozens of living creatures caught in the middle. One philosophy being DONT RACE AT ALL!
How do we change this industry to get the right people in for the right reasons. And raise the overall minimum standard of care for all dogs in the sport. The minimum standard now is shit.
Im judging off of "snowy owl kennels" or whoever did disneys togo. Seriously? Thats the gold standard of dog sledding? standard ass tethers and boxes? the prison camp layout. Its basically the same as a competitive racing kennel.
Of coarse the adoption is free. Get this useless bastard out of here. Free up a spot and save us the feed.
For many weaklings who don't value work, working for them is kinda slavery.
But there should be more no. Of cases where mushers abuse dogs, I think
Sorry but I have to disagree at most points. Have been to Alaska and worked as a handler and also traveled around the whole alaskan highway and visited different kennels and saw many bad things and it was not just 50% of the kennels it was sadly more bad than good ones and those good ones mainly where not in it for profit or and very passionate and their dogs are all they have. Aswell as in Sweden and Austria where i witnessed many abusing and sad sleddog related stuff. Also rescued several dogs. One had over 30 scars and fresh wounds and came from a "professional kennel" in Austria.
Anger teaches nothing but is always learnt , it’s the wounded inner child that uses anger to control others
Ms. Stephens, I am sorry that a bad musher has ruined the beautiful sport of dog sledding for you. Most of the scenes of the dog yards are unheard of to me, as most of the mushers in my area do keep their dogs outside, but they only have up to 20 dogs. For some people keeping the dogs in the house is just not an option. I have 3 dogs. They live in the house with me and my fiance and they are loved unconditionally, as they are children to us. They love running. Any time I ask them if they want to run they get excited and start whining, with tails wagging. The mushers I know and look up to all give their dogs names, multiple meals a day, undivided attention, and veterinary care and can tell you multiple stories of each dog. In places like Canada and Alaska, sled dogs are a large part of tourism. Yes, there are bad ones out there but don't let the bad ones drag the good mushers through the snow.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I can show you the good side of dog sledding.
I think the few bad kennels should get in trouble. But in my years, I haven't seen one yet even stopping by unannounced. Some people just want their few minutes of fame and are losers at other things they tied, so they take the worst possible situation and say it happens everywhere and make a movie. Well, there are a few bad cops, teachers, postal workers, parents (to name a few) and if I made a movie taking the news clips from those bad cops, teachers, postal workers and parents (to name a few) and then said things to sell tickets and make it appear every teacher was beating or having sex with their kids, every police officer shoots you or robs you, every postal worker kills their co workers and every parent beats their kids and starves them, the movie would appear that is how it is. Especially if you don't want to put any truth in and work very hard to be SURE the truth isn't told (because the truth doesn't sell as many tickets as the lies do).
I 100 percent agree I am saddened that there are people out there that treat there dogs like that but there are also lots of good mushers that don’t and put their dogs infront of themselves and appreciate the dogs for what they are
For iditarod racing 20 dogs is very small. My experience is the exact opposite of yours. I see shit like in this video. The small kennel guys are ignoring the fact they exist on the trickledown of the large kennels like those shown. Dogs that are to big etc get sold and traded around until they get to 6 and 4 dog people.
I think the iditarod should be make illegal or shortened. IDK what to do but ive seen and heard SO many horror stories. I used to work at a zoo and animal rescues before doing this. I thought I had seen and heard it all. The world of dog mushing has an extremely dark underbelly.
Mac I’m sorry but I don’t know many mushers that race the Iditarod as I am on the sprint circuit. We have many guidelines in place across the board to ensure the health and safety of our dogs. The sport is evolving into better versions of itself every year. Please make sure your research is from responsible sources, not ones like PETA and HSUS where their “data” has been proven to be misinformed on multiple occasions.
@@ragingriversiberians7542 Ive seen top sprint kennels too. With out naming names, no doubt the top of the sprint circuit is full of gross stuff just like shown here. You Can't just look at 4 and 6 dog people. You gotta look at the open class. Those guys routinely have 30-150 dogs. The dogs that don't make their teams get sold and traded to the 4,6, skijor guys.
My research is from my personal experience and understanding. I used to work at a zoo and volunteer at animal rescues. Mainly with exotic animals. But animals of all kinds. Now ive been a dog handler for 3 years.
I used to work at a zoo and PETA was a thorn in our side to be sure. Always on our ass publicly and they didn't understand the nuance of what we did.
But now when i go read their stuff about sled dogs. I find it a bit dramatic. But its all true. Ive seen dogs shit blood, run until collapse, get beaten, ive seen hundreds of dogs tied to chains, people shoving matches in their dogs asses to make them poop to try and save seconds on the race.
Just look at the lives of dogs owned by inuits on the sea ice. Not an easy life for a dog. Thats the roots of the sport of dog sled racing. Dogs freezing and starving to death. Getting eaten by polar bears and shit. Not suggesting we should tell natives what they can and can't do with their dogs. im just saying the history is mega grungy. Its life and death up there in the arctic.
But its not dog sled racing.
This sport is awful. Needs to modernized. I think the iditarod needs to put under major public scrutiny. People should know more about how it all works. Stop getting sled rides from bad places with antiquated standards.
I mean look at the kennel that was used in disneys togo. Bog standard dog houses and tethers. And they give rides and stuff. I was so disappointed to see that in 2018. I was disappointed to see a sled dog movie period tbh knowing itll increase demand for sled dog rides etc.
There are too many dogs in that video for the dogs to get exercised properly. I simply don't believe that all of the dogs are well cared. I am not against the sport, but when I see 200 dogs chained up, I am certain there is some abuse. Mushers don't make a living from the sport so selling mushing to tourists a way to make money. I do not think this is the norm, but I believe this video is true in some cases.
A team of dogs can be up to 16 of them. And there's usually several mushers in a facility working to exercise the dogs everyday.
Logically, it would be stupid to neglect their exercise needs. They need to be exercised almost every single day to improve their endurance. And unlike humans, dogs don't need a refractory or rest period of months after a big run, and actually do even better if they've ran a similar long distance race recently.
@@someoneidk308 yea but. you don't train every day. rest is just as important.
And its the places that have a full time staff that are the scariest. They breed and cull dogs and stuff. When winning races and selling dogs that win races is your livelihood it leads to questionable behavior.
Like a gas chamber for dogs. Not as fancy as it sounds. Just a box. You just put the hose onto the tailpipe of a running vehicle. They just fall asleep, or so im told. They know better than to let me in on shit like that. But performance culling was and still is a thing.
@@doggodoggo3000 I did say "almost". Every so often they do get a break- It does no good to accidentally hurt them by making them run too much too soon.
I won't deny that there are some shady practices, but culling is a lot less common now. Unsuitable pups tend to be adopted out nowadays instead. I may be a bit sheltered but most of the cullings I hear of are pups that have pretty serious medical defects.
Tbh, I just don't like the idea of besmirching the name of everyone who puts their lives in these teams just because a of a few bad eggs. I know they're out there, but most of the people I see are good people that run reputable practices and speak out against culling dogs that aren't prize-winners.
This is extraordinarily far from the norm. the vast majority of mushers take excellent care of there dogs and people like this are the rare exception.
@@davidnowland9152 How do you know that. Do you work in sled dogs? How up are you on this? Or are you just spewing the same old BS you've seen on the discovery channel.
The whistler massacre was just a few years ago.
Its poor culture around mushing. Not just a few bad eggs. This is glorified animal hoarding.
I'm starting to look into sledding more, mainly what goes on behind the scenes. Thanks for the vid.
this is so heartbreaking... 💔💔💔
What horror. I have seen my fair share of cruel people hurting dogs. I have been pissed at my dog and slapped it's behind, and put my dogs in time out but to savagely beat a dog like she described is insane! then seeing all those dogs tied to barrels is even more insane! There are many good people who kennel and should be protected from these awful, cruel monsters keeping dogs like this purely for profit. My dream for a kennel was to have plenty of food, water, space, free roaming, once or twice a day of letting them run on acres and play, establish order, get taught and worked with, hire help and in between some rest days for the owners where the dogs recover their muscles and joints and chewing big juicy bones from having so much damn fun. I hate these films at times because it always gives me the sense they are after everyone who wants to kennel as I know it is the trend now a days to go after everything good and install worse, dictatorships, invasions of peoples privacies, take away peoples resources, lands, tell them they just need an authoritative system. Proper education is the best way to go, people who care for dogs to be on the look out to educate and stop these things in their track while protecting those who brings us lovely dogs with proper care, giving them their space and keep good traditions in dog breeding alive without suffering to the point where it is not worth it for both family and dog.
she just stood there and watched the dog be abused.. and is maligning all mushers.. great job lady
I have eleven sled dogs (they're lab/husky/german shorthair pointer mixes AKA: Alaskan Huskies) and their absolute FAVORITE thing is to go running (ie. get hooked up to the sled and go for a run)! When we get out the harnesses and the sled they start jumping up and down and barking like crazy because they're so excited. There's not a single time that I've seen them happier than when we're going running!
However, we do keep them hooked up and they do live outside. Our reason for this is because we don't want fur in the house and, truthfully, eleven dogs inside would be chaotic. The reason we keep them tied up is because they don't get along and might fight with each other (we are aiming to change that: soon we will separate them in groups of three or four with dogs they get along with--we just have to get the fences up and we're a go!).
We go out there every evening and take care of them, picking up poop, giving them fresh water, food, and letting them off so they can run and play. We stay out there with them off for at least an hour, sometimes more, but in winter months, instead of letting them off, we go running.
During the summer they have a big pool and we throw toys into the pool for them to retrieve (that's the lab in them!). We set up tarps in the summer for shade, spray them with fly spray (bc the flies are really bad where we live), and they get fresh water two times a day (bc it's really hot outside with the humidity).
In the winter we make sure they are warm. For the most part they grow heavy thick coats that keep them perfectly warm, but here in Iowa the winters can get below negative (the worst last winter was something like negative 20 degrees), we also will put straw or wood shaving (bc they're insulators) inside their dog houses so they can get in and stay toasty.
Our dogs are really well cared for, but it is true that some owners abuse their sled dogs. This is just one example of a happy pack of doggos who love to run!
Of course they love to go sledding. If that was the only thing you had to look forward to and the only way off your chain, you'd get excited too.
people like you need to shut the f*** up. We need to end the iditarod and other animal races. Its total horse shit. Asking a dog to run 100 miles is insane. Those inuit sled dogs on the sea ice can't even do that shit.
Tethering needs to stop too. Its a concession to trying to own to many dogs.
Oh they might fight, oh thered be too much fur in the house. Bullshit. You just shouldn't own that many dogs and you are cherry picking the goodparts.
Atleast your not running them until they shit blood like all the mushers at the races. This sport is a joke.
@@doggodoggo3000 not 100 miles- 1000 miles. Just crazy! It is supposed to mimic the 1925 incident where dog sleds ran from anchorage to none to deliver medical supplies during an outbreak. This was for a special circumstance and I heard that it was just not one group of dogs who did this run. I think they changed dogs at along the way. I haven’t researched completely, but so far I have seen some injured and sick dogs from this race. 1000 miles to remember an emergency rescue is overkill.
@@Tymala1 I meant 100 miles in one day, but I agree with the sentiment.
And It doesnt really have anything to do with the serum run besides in people minds. that was never the idea in the beginning. The sled dog action coalition has a long page on the history of the iditarod if you want to learn more.
"“(In 1967) run in two heats over a 25-mile course, the race was officially named the Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race, in honor of mushing legend Leonhard Seppala.”
“Over the years, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race’s origins have been closely linked with the ‘great mercy race’ to Nome. Most people believe the Iditarod was established to honor drivers and dogs who carried the diphtheria serum, a notion the media have perpetuated. In reality, ‘Seppala was picked to represent all the mushers,’ Page stressed. ‘He died in 1967 and we thought it was appropriate to name the race in his honor. But it could just as easily have been named after Scotty Allan. The race was patterned after the Sweepstakes races, not the serum run.'”
- Dorothy Page, co-founder of the Iditarod, discussing the origins of the race
- Sherwonit, Bill. Iditarod, Seattle: Alaska Northwest Books, 1991"
*edit* i worked in dog sled racing. the shorter races suck too. I worked in sprint racing its just as bad or worse. shorter is just faster
Just because there are a few bad mushers does not mean that the hole sport is now bad you realize that people with 20-40 dogs can’t have them in there house.
I think it’s a shame that the animal rights movement is doing its best to destroy any relationship between man and animals, with particular focus on domestic animals such as dogs. Any human activity has its bad examples, but to focus on the bad and ignore the good is to tell a lie.
True.👍
When you say "The animal rights movement", that's very, very broad. You are probably thinking of PETA. PETA is an extremist group who gets press for doing bizarre things in the name of protecting animals.
The ASPCA on the other hand, and similar groups, promote animal rights, which are VERY much needed, which are reasonable and make sense. Look into it, won't you?
@@lisathuban8969 I was thinking of people like those at PETA, but PETA is not the only place you will find AR advocates who claim that animals have the right to not be owned by people. My experience is that the entire AR movement attracts radicals. Advocating humane treatment of animals is a good thing, of course, and almost nobody would disagree with that. But most AR activists seem to go beyond that.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 Ok, but if no one helps to change things or at least make sure they stay as humane as they are now, then no one will be helping or watching. That's not good.
I guess it takes more than just good wishes and less than fanaticism to make a proper advocate for any kind of rights, but people like that are necessary.
@@lisathuban8969ASPCA is "lapdog"... with due respect to lap dogs.😂😂😂
Any comments about keeping a dog outdoors in the winter? In winnipeg, a dog, even a malamute, must be brought indoors, if temp. Falls below 0 c. Too many stupid people making laws
This makes me mad because yes sadly there are mushers like this who are horrible people that beat their dogs and are cruel but there are also amazing caring mushers who respect the dogs and what the dogs can do. There are mushers who are a little of both. For example lance Mackey said that his greatest achievement would be finishing the Iditarod with all 16 dogs (that’s how many they start with), not winning it 4 time, or breaking the record for fastest time(was later broken). In this case his biggest concern was to keep all his dogs healthy and able to run that distance without any injury. An example of a musher who is a little of both is Dallas Seavey who has faced scandals of doping his dogs, but one day he was racing and a moose attacked his dogs and without hesitation he shot the moose and his dog survived but I’d he had not stepped in the moose surly would have killed his dog. The dog lost a leg but he never sold the dog or said “this dog dosent have any use to me” he kept that dog till it died years later. On the Iditarod trail the mushers feed their dogs salmon and beaver and broth, where as the mushers eat cold canned beans and candy bars. They have vets at every checkpoint and if a dog is sick or injured in between checkpoints the musher will put that dog in the sled till they reach the checkpoint where the dog can stay and heal. Musher massage and treat there dogs and make sure they are warm and comfy when the dogs take a rest before the musher goes to sleep. The musher will be up anywhere from 20-78 hours without a sleep to keep their dogs comfortable. For one race mushers can spend anywhere from 1,500 dollars to 2,500 dollars on the dog shoes alone. These dog shoes are a extremely important item in keeping the dogs safe from injury. These booties keep the dogs feet safe from ice and rocks hidden under the snow. I honestly don’t think that someone who dosent care for their dogs would spend 2k on only one of several safety equipment for the dogs. I do think that these horrible mushers that don’t do these things and don’t appreciate their dogs should be stopped and punished, but it angers me when people target the whole sport when there are many things about the sport that are wonderful and not cruel. I believe that this is an amazing sport and those who don’t appreciate the dogs don’t deserve their presence, but don’t target the whole sport, target the horrific people.
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man respects the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
The title is missing leading. It should be called . How some mushers treat there dogs .
Doesn't make it less accurate. Thats the standard of care at the professional level. chains and barrels. logistics.
Ive seen several kennels just like the one shown here and they are well respected in the mushing community.
Why are there so many dogs? Abuse starts with too many dogs, from there it is a matter of how the community wants to police itself.
Harry Gordon you know nothing about this. So please stop.
TaliniWoof’s Racing Kennel, I actually know about having more dogs than one can handle. From the video shown, there are many dogs chained up for no reason other than for someone to make a living. This is no different than a factor farm. Now tell me what I don't know!
Harry Gordon what you don’t know is that the dogs aren’t chained up for days, and they live racing! If a dog doesn’t like racing they become a house dog. The documentary is not true, there are bad mushers out there but not all. I’ll have you know, we musher
DO NOT make a good living off of racing! You loose more money than you gain. I suggest you go and watch some non hate videos and see how happy it really is.
How many dogs is too many? Is it possible that some people can handle more dogs than you think they should be able to? And you obviously don’t know what abuse is. Clue: abuse is an action, it has nothing to do with the number of dogs a person has.
To all the people making comments about how these dogs are "abused" or being "mistreated". I own two adult huskies, one male, one female. The female is 55 pounds and the male is 65 pounds- he may be a small percent wolf. Both are pure white, the sweetest most gentlest dogs you could be around- until you get them on a leash and harness. Then its all out the window. Many people watch these videos and make quick judgement, but don't understand the power of these animals. I'm an average adult male- 6', 175 lbs on a good day, just one of these dogs will pull on that leash for hours, and especially in the snow I have to fight to keep from being pulled forward - thats just ONE dog. I don't ever walk both dogs by myself single-handedly. I have on occasion been forced to walk both of them on the leash and let me tell you- its freaking scary how strong just two of these dogs are. I've trained them pretty well, but even still if they get a millisecond inkling that were about to walk or go for a run all bets are off. Just two of these dogs could drag and pull me with some effort- in fact many people do whats referred to as "skiijoring" aka skis + 2-3 sled dogs. NOW, I want you to imagine the power of 8-15 of these dogs. That sled and one guy weighs jack to them
💜🐾💜🐾💜
why do brits add extra letters to words? its IDEA not INEAR. this bothers me so much
look at Eden Ethical dog sledding and u well fined out how well dog sledding can be
Haha Jim is great. More people need to adopt his model. Im not sure anyone has.
Tough hard working dogs that are at the top of the sport. But also live comfortable, happy, enriching lives. Jims one of the best mushers alive in my eyes. Haven't actually seen his set up. I've just chatted with and lost to the dude in a race.
The sad reality is most mushers and large kennel operations are not like his at all.
This sport should be stoped.
you should be stopped from ever reproducing
@@davidnowland9152 Mushing is thousands of years old. Dog sled racing is less than 100. Its not an old sport, we are running into issues. Dogs are dying, It promotes over breeding, its bad for all the same reason greyhound racing is.
You get rid of racing, you dont get rid of mushing. There will still be sled dogs.
Only idiots like you can't see the difference. To the uninitiated it all LOOKS the same. But this racing stuff leads to a TON of absolutely horrendous stuff. This documentary SEEMS dramatic.
But talking about hurt, dying, and dead dogs is just part of the conversation in mushing. Its a life or death sport. Simple mistakes and equipment malfunctions end lives. No musher WANTS a dog to die. But it happens to the best of them.
And all these dogs get old. The logistics of that is part of it too. These dogs get traded around like pokemon. To a winning iditarod musher, more profitable than the race winnings is selling proven dogs. A dog that can finish the iditarod is worth atleast a few grand. A dog that has won it is worth even more.
Thats the MAIN economy to being a pro musher. Selling tours and dogs. Its a puppymill with extra steps. An industry that perpetuates itself. Racing is truly a very small part of it. Yet it shapes the landscape. We need to quit praising these races so much.
Racing dogs is like a bad habit. Sorta like building a racecar in your backyard or something. You either BUY or BREED your way into a winning team. Except you gotta get the old and slow dogs out of your kennel somehow. People USED to just shoot them. But people are getting less and less willing to do that, which leads to another set of problems. Lots of dogs stacking up. Lots of sled dog rescues. The whistler cull. Stuff like that. In racing, being willing to shoot unproductive dogs is an ADVANTAGE. Less time and resources spent messing around with some slow POS dog.
Trying to have RACING and a higher standard of care with fewer dogs Is like asking for all of your groceries to be in one bag, and also not wanting it to be heavy. You can't have it both ways. Getting rid of racing is the easiest solution. It doesn't ruin anyones way of life. Just removes incentive to overbreed these dogs and run them so hard. Incentivizes higher care standards.
Poor dogs😮💨
Its absurd that people call this sport. Poor dogs.
Have you ever seen a racing kennel? I'm mean this is the most non-confrontational way possible, have you ever seen a sled dog work?
@@michaeldolinar3716 Ive seen a few and am unimpressed. Id say this clip accurately portrays the sport at large. I work in a racing kennel and have traveled racing for three years. Seen some of the top racing kennels in the americas.
Its a dumb sport we need to stop supporting in its current form. My days as a handler are going to haunt me forever. Especially being caught on the wrong side of capitalism; What people are willing to put another living creature through to feel an arbitrary sense of accomplishment is scary.
Getting a dog to run 100 miles is insane. Most can't do it. Its super hard on their minds and bodies. Ive seen HUNDREDS of dogs shit blood. Its just normal in this world.
The numbers don't add up. When 50 people can own 2000 dogs, they are not all going to have happy lives. They retire from racing to either give rides, live on a chain, catch a bullet, or some combination of the three.
We are going to the abusers, and asking them if its animal abuse. It blows my mind reading all of the people turning a blind eye to this. Like Im living it now and have now idea what to do. It goes so contrary to what the public would deem acceptable. Theres plenty of information out there showing all the bad stuff. And honestly theres so much thats not even written. ITS ALL TRUE!
I used to work in a zoo and have worked at animal rescues and stuff. I get life is not always easy and pretty. This is more than that. We need to change this shit some how.
@@doggodoggo3000 how long has it been since you handled? I started by giving tours and some of the training methods I was told about make me uncomfortable to say the least, but those are very old school methods that have all been replaced by much more humane training methods. I've seen dogs trained in old school techniques, they hate their job anddare I say it their lives. But I've also seen dogs trained in the new school method, and those dogs are actually better performing, better socialized, and overall happy with their lives
If you want an opinion from someone who's not an abuser (as you say) you should talk to vets that work with sled dogs, they are really some of the best sources of knowledge out there. There was a recent 15 minute film by a vet about Iditarod teams and why sled dogs are some of the healthiest dogs on earth.
There are some people that stick to the old school methods- but that is being rapidly phased out, and those mushers that stick to those old ways are greatly frowned upon by the mushing community. Free running is becoming very common for mushers and their teams (google "Martin Buiser free running team" and he's won Iditarod 4 times!!), that means that the dogs aren't being kept on a chain only to run, so yes they want to run. My dog is off his chain most of the day, usually only on it when I'm feeding dogs or running a team, but he goes ballistic when i grab the harness and he doesn't stop pulling until we come back in the yard. Admittedly he's only a year old and we're only up to 3 miles every other day, but I've seen the same for a dog thats 6 years old in the same circumstances that will run 60 miles for a training run, one person I worked for had a yearling run a 300 mile race and was doing a butt bounce dance when they stopped at the finish line. Dogs are like kids in sports, some will do it because they love it, since they were nurtured properly these dogs will run for miles and miles and love their lives. The ones that come into Nome after Iditarod and are wagging their tails and looking around at all the people gathered and showing overall good positive body language. And some will do it because their parents make them do it, I've seen dogs that are forced to run, those are the dogs that don't want to run 100 miles, those dogs are the ones that will look for any excuse to not run, and those are the dogs that I'm sorry for.
Stress Colitis (bloody poop) is very common in high energy working dogs, but it doesn't last long it usually happens when weather changes or you up millage, my dog got it when he started training, he doesn't know how to pase himself yet, and the vet , whom i live with (who is not a musher, and only got involved with the sport a few years ago) told me not to worry about it, unless it became mucousy bloody diarrhea or it persisted for more than 3 days. My parents lab got it when she was too fat and couldn't handle Ohio's summer heat. The reason a lot of mushers don't seem to care about it, is because they know it will either sort itself out, or they have medication that will help the issue. You should know that we talk about poop a lot, first sign of blood and they are put on watch
Most of the mushers i have worked for try to find good homes for their dogs, they don't shoot them, or leave them on a chain to waste away; they sleep on a couch and get fat, a musher I am good friends with actually took back a retired dog from someone when they found out she was being mistreated (that dog is currently one of the fattest dogs I've ever seen and has full run of the farm).
In conclusion, I'm sorry that your experience with sled dogs was terrible. Their are scumbags in the world that don't treat their dogs right, but there are more people that that will cut off their right arm if it means their dogs will have a good life. And those people are the ones that want to better the sport, and want to get rid of those abusers. We want what's good for our dogs, and you can see that the sport has changed dramatically over even the last couple of years, we want the sport to be better, but calling it stupid and demanding it end is not whats best for the dogs.
@@michaeldolinar3716 Im a handler now. Im not calling for rapid action. I understand there are nuances to this shit. More so than most people. Like i said, I used to work in in a zoo. And exotic animal rescues. Plural. Ive also worked with working horses. Ive also worked with RESCUED horses.
If anything im an expert in seeing the cracks. But with all those years of HORROR stories under my belt. Faced with abuse and neglect of all kinds.
It all pales in comparison to my experience in the world of sled dogs.
Im saying we need to improve the sport.
I see whos winning what they are doing. how they are treating their dogs. the logistics. How many dogs is to many? When does it start being abuse? How far is too far to try to get these dogs to run?
WTF are we doing?
Jim Blair doesn't tether and he beat us without even trying. There IS a better way.
The guys I like the most aren't willing to push their dogs hard enough to win. They don't win or compete so they aren't known or taken seriously.
The kennel outside was built with 30 spots. There have been puppies bred here every year and no new spots added. There is not an excess of old dogs here.
Ive seen that same story in loads of other kennels.
I have not seen that many old sled dogs. The numbers don't add up.
The iditarod had 50 mushers last year. 40 dogs is understood to be a pretty small kennel in iditarod world. 50 mushers times 40 dogs. Thats 2000 dogs! As my LOW estimate! In rural ass alaska! Your delusional if you think all those dogs are retiring to the warm loving homes they deserve.
Google "sled dog rescue" apparently every other kennel is a "rescue"
weird.
The vet in my home town was famous for winning rookie of the year in the iditarod. He also pays his techs a barely livable wage and declaws cats. idk. There IS room for moral debate in the vet world still too.
"There was a recent 15 minute film by a vet about Iditarod teams and why sled dogs are some of the healthiest dogs on earth. "
Yea. Them ni%%ers in the cotton fields was real healthy too. Active lifestyle. Food and housing provided. Plenty of sun. Of coarse we want them to be happy and healthy!
They out there singin! Its beautiful! "swing low! sweet Chariot!" amen!
it is.
this person had come across a bad person. that doesn't mean its all shit
Yes this may be true, but I know of many good kennels that treat there dogs very well and it’s clean and safe.
yea but Ive seen like 12 that look this. And know of even more.
Its a whole lotta doggos chained up out there. Penns aren't really better at that scale either it doesnt seem. Im not really sure where the line should be drawn but something needs to change.
This is a horrible thing what this man did. But I can surely say that not everyone in the dog sledding community is like that. I have met hundreds of mushers in my life, every single one of them treats there dogs with respect and love. Even in this video, you can see when the dogs are hooked up to the sled gangling, they are howling and yelling with excitement, just plunging into that harness to run. Just like a parent with a child, you cannot judge all of parenthood off on how one mother treats her child. Same as this, just because one man did a horrible thing to a dog, doesn’t mean that every musher behaves in that manner.
well the fact he was beating the dog and all she has to do is talk about it and say she thought he was killing it like fuck do something thats called animal abuse thats the reason you do something about it and stop it let the dogs loose hit the guy a few good times like not too hard the dogs will do alot better alone in the wild and have a much faster and less painful death if these sick humans are just removed simply put
Sled dogs are working dogs. These dogs are treated differently from what your sheltered ass might expect. You encountered one bad owner out of how many? Sounds like your making assumptions based on one certain experience you had.
AceyCamui I tried researching this Jane Stephens and the only thing I could find was a hit piece against dog sled Racing. Some of the things she said in this video make me doubt her credibility.
Ok I'm sorry but your rude not hate tho just don't spend your time hating on someone you don't even know that's not ok. And she's probably went though a lot of bad experiences with this type of stuff so your the one making assumptions. 🤦😤🤷
rawr I'm scary no... others are too xD 🧠👎🏿🤬🚯🐺
rawr I'm scary wait that for another video sorry wrong place but don’t waste your time competing on a little comet
@@emilyplaysgamesstuwe5801 I'm not competing with anything don't get mad at me when you have no clue on what your talking about and also it's spelt comment if you have a problem with my comment you can go away it's not that big of a deal that's why I'm letting it go so you should to
Powerful, thank you for their sake,
chains are fine if the dogs get enough exercise but beating them is not
Isnt the director of this film a big fan of the equestrian activities? Like thats not cruel? Its not. As dogsledding isnt either. Some people suck, some people absolutely give their lives for their dogs. Thats that
What your video described is a single experience with an abusive dog owner who happens to mush dogs.
This dude clearly sucks and should not work with animals, but one bad owner doesn't mean that this is a truth behind dog mushing. This is a truth behind an abuser.
Find a different musher.
Most of the kennels i have seen operate the exact same way. That is the backbone of the sport. Its not a single abusive owner, its basically anyone who is winning races. Go check their facebooks. Hardly anyone DOESNT have a kennel that looks exactly like those.
Been coast to coast. Been to some of the winningest kennels. Even won a pro race or two myself. This "sport" is stupid and really needs to modernize. It never will if people just assume its fine the way it is. Getting a dog to run 100 miles is insane and extremely hard on them.
Its literally an outlier on any sort of chart of animals long distance running abilities. But people think about it like its normal, its not, its mind games and mental conditioning. Many can't do it. Its very extreme.
And thats without even getting into the sled dog ride giving industry.
The numbers are staggering. One person owing 150 dogs is crazy. 50 people with 150 dogs is a socio-economic disaster.
oddly enough. it pretty progressive. lots of females winning races. Top 5 mushers at pedigree stagestop last year were all women. (still full of abuse though. one of those 5 accidentally killed her entire team onetime. 20 or so dogs dead from a simple mistake. oops! a tragedy for sure. and she didn't mean to. It weighed on her, but thats the top level of the sport just saying. haha she could literally be in jail for criminal animal neglect depending on where she lived and who knew about it. But instead shes back in the sport stronger than ever and hasn't changed much about how she keeps her dogs. chained to barrels just like everyone elses)
@@doggodoggo3000 I'm sorry, what musher was this? Because that seems so extreme as to be flat-out made-up. 20 dogs killed in a single accident that nobody has ever heard of except you and was not reported? I bet PETA would have been all over that had there been a whisper of truth to it. I would like to see your sources. You spout a lot of misinformation.
@@morganlarson2868 lmao. Thats the whole issue!
It DOES seem that extreme!
Theres no media coverage. Who do you call when you accidentally kill 20 of your own dogs? This didn't happen at a race. HOW would it be public information?
THINK ABOUT IT.
The worst stories will NEVER make it to the light of day. Why and how would they?
The only reason I know about it is from pushing. I over heard someone mention her having an "accident" that killed her team a few years back. I figured It would have been a moose, snowmobile, lost team, or something. (One of my biggest fears, we train on snowmobile trails.) But f$%K was I wrong.
Dogs die all the time in sled dog racing. Its not because these people are evil or even particularly negligent. What I described earlier was an isolated incident and a particularly gruesome tragedy. But it DID happen. Proof or no.
You are now one of the few human to know about it. Congratulations.
Im trying to point out a flaws in the sport. Not get hung up on one incident. Even if it seems really ugly.
I REALLY think the RACING needs to be made illegal. I could speak at length as to why. Did you not watch the video?^^ How is that not enough? Ive seen LOADS of kennels like that. Even if they don't beat their dogs, that's a very low standard of care. I don't care if they win races or not!
@@doggodoggo3000 So, no sources, no names, no evidence. Gotcha.
When dogs are kept chained OF COURSE they will go wild when they see a harness. Naturally they will run until they drop knowing when it’s over they go back to the chain. This is a cruel industry.
i’ve done tons of research on sled dogs but i’m only going to say a few things.
The chains that they are on allow them to run. they cannot run a lot, but they are able to exercise by running in circles. this is a common technique used by many mushers, but soon there will be more mushers changing their ways by putting dogs on a chain that allows them to run back and forth.
Sled dogs cannot get much exercise in the summer due to the weather. any temperature above 50 degrees Fahrenheit is very dangerous for them to run in, due to their winter coats. the mushers are actually protecting them by not letting them off the chain. many sled dogs don’t know anything but to run. they will run themselves to the death.
It drives me mad that people hurt their dogs. i wish that i could stop all of it. i truly hope this man was thrown in jail. however, not all mushers are this way. i wish people would stop giving them such a bad reputation. people want to continue the beautiful sport, and people that are continuously making bad comments on it hurts the future. i’m only 19 and i may not be able to be in a dogsled race until i’m 30. it’s been a dream of mine to be in the iditarod since i was 9. if things keep continuing like this, i’ll never be able to reach that goal. my life will be crushed. please don’t give all mushers a bad reputation. it hurts all of us.
I get what your saying .but that is stress making them run in cycles .
zoo animals pace there the cages in the same way . I love dog sledding its amazing but keeping them tied up is bad and they only do it to stop the dogs getting into fights . And so they can have a lot of dogs in a small space. 👍✌
@@alexsaquatics7620 Yea but at zoos they are willing to go to great lengths to stop that. I used to be a zoo keeper, i had so much freedom to try new things for enrichment.
When you have 150 dogs on chains, one running in circles is super easy to play of as "oh he just really wants to run" and not "oh hes just been there for 5 years and lives an unfulfilling and troubled existence."
They just LOVE to run. Run till they shit blood and fall over.
Been handling and mushing for three years. Before this i worked at animal rescues and at a zoo. Believe me when i say there are better ways of keeping your sled dogs and better things to do with them. But if your only concern is racing. I hope you never race the iditarod. Making a dog run that far is insane. Ive seen what it takes and I have a hard time justifying the existence of that race in its current form.
The golden standard of keeping sled dogs looks like a freaking prison camp and it is one. There are different ways. Jim Blair at Eden Ethical Sled dogs is one example. But winning mushers down on people like that. Because they don't win.
My new goal in life is to change the way the iditarod is ran and ive never even been to Alaska. Ive seen SO MUCH TERRIBLE STUFF THAT JUST FLIES IN THE FACE OF WHAT WE KNOW AND WOULD ACCEPT AS A SOCIETY. Thats because the sport pushes these dogs so far past edge. Running a hundred miles is EXTREME. So far beyond what we asked of dogs when they were running mail and shit back in the day.
The racing we do doesn't get much past 20 miles and thats a long god damn way. Way faster than iditarod dogs. This type of racing is filled with just as much of that bs its just at a slightly smaller scale and less known.
But ive traveled from coast to coast and have met some of the best of the best. I was a dog trainer before i ever fell into this and an ex zoo keeper, im not just some random guy that doesn't know what hes talking about. Its not all sunshine and butterflies in sled dog racing. Mainly its blood, mud, shit, and ice.
The history is with inuit people on the sea ice. Thats an extremely hard place to live. Its literally life and death up there. Dogs freezing to death and getting eaten by polar bears is not uncommon.
The crappy part is the majority of what ive seen in racing and dog tours is equally life and death. Thats where my issue lies. I want to change that.
@@doggodoggo3000 zoo animals have a terrible life .
@@alexsaquatics7620 Lots of nuance there. There are so many different species and different goals and laws. AZA vs ZAA vs whoever else. There are some conservation efforts for some species. Some are extinct in the wild.
Where I worked, we had people bring us animals ALL THE TIME. crazy shit. In my three years people surrendered us a kangaroo, a porcupine, a mountain lion, a bengal tiger, a chimpanzee, a pair of wolves, SO MANY PARROTS, a few snakes, several tortoises, prairie dogs, etc.
A big part of my job was reaching out to other facilities across the country to find where the bast places for these animals to go IS and how to get them there. It can take years to find a rescue that can take a chimpanzee or big cat. AZA zoos don't take them. Where I worked existed as a side effect of people being able to own these exotic animals. Like 90% of our animals were ones that people brought us then decided they didn't want or couldn't care for properly. Its so weird.
Blanket statement "zoo animals have terrible lives" simply isnt true.
Just like the blanket statement "Sled dogs have terrible lives" is equally untrue.
But seriously, the everyday stuff in competitive mushing puts the worse stories from my time at the zoo and rescue to shame.
Dog sled racing is basically competitive dog hoarding at a certain point, you start sacrificing the happiness and care of your animals to justify them running faster and farther. owning too many of them.
This is sickening...disgusting...
She isn't talking about dog sledding or any other sport, she is talking about CAPITALISM... people are so dumb.
It's a good thing to remember that sled dog racing isn't abusive but there are people who are abusive
You guys show the dad and tell stories of all these bad people 🙄 how about tell the good side to not all teams are like this!! Yes the dogs are outside they are not house dogs they are working dogs! the dogs are built for cold and the weather they are in!!!!!!!!!!!!!
quit trying to say every dog musher abuses there dogs, its just plain inaccurate, ignorant, and hurtful to the thousands (the vast majority of them) dog mushers who take excellent care of there dogs.
there arent even thousands of pro-mushers in the world you ding-bat. A few hundred pros total, tops. And im one of them.
Little rinky-dink mushers aren't the problem. Its these big professional and competitive kennels.
People like you BLINDLY supporting the sport are the largest issue. Mushing is GREAT. But Dog racing needs to be illegal.
This "sport" should be banned. It's glaringly obvious.
I don't trust this woman,, and one bad dog owner don't mean they all suck. IV been around them and the dogs get super excited to go sledding, it's like a treat to them. This lady's name has to be Karen
This is fake. Sled dogs run because they get reward, like a steak or a toy.