RACES NOT EVEN FIT FOR A DOG?
by Nancy Longtine -
Nancy Longtine is a junior at NMU pursuing a double major in History and
English and a minor in Journalism.
To many, dog sled racing is the ultimate sport, a perfect combination of human and animal against the elements, a graceful dance of agility and stamina. But animal activists paint a less poetic picture – one of man’s best friends being driven to their deaths along hazardous, icy trails in extreme winter conditions.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States have spoken out against the abuse of sled dogs; many newspapers too – including USA Today and The Washington Post – have run stories condemning the sport as cruel and inhumane. Allegations of abuse center around the physical punishment meted out to dogs that don’t perform as expected and the toll the grueling training and racing takes on the animals’ bodies.
Darlene Walch, a musher and owner of Little Bear Kennels in Gwinn, says sled dogs are carefully monitored by mushers, handlers and veterinarians at all stages of racing. The dogs undergo a physical examination prior to racing that includes an exam of the heart, lungs, feet, shoulders, hips and wrists to make sure that the dogs are healthy enough to run. The vets then ask the musher if they have noticed any problems with each dog. Most mushers keep a training run log of any potential problems they see with their dogs so they can bring that to the attention of the veterinarian before the race.
“Masking the injury of a dog is not appropriate,” says Walch. “That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but I don’t know any mushers who would do that.”
Race officials at the U.P. 200 take the dogs’ welfare just as seriously. A lot of thought and care go into making the event safe for the dogs. Pat Torreano, President of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association (UPSDA), makes it clear that the U.P. 200 is all about the dogs.
“The true athletes of this sport are the dogs,” says Torreano. “When we build this race, it is for the safety of the dogs; the mushers are secondary.”
The Marquette event is not immune from abuse, though. Several years ago, a musher was disqualified for physically abusing his team. After the alleged abuse was reported at a checkpoint, the head veterinarian was called and the musher was disqualified on the spot, according to Torreano.
“We have a zero tolerance policy on abuse,” states Pat Torreano, President of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association. “We have 14 veterinarians on the trail who pay very close attention to the care of these dogs.”
One musher, who previously raced the U.P. 200, was observed feeding her dogs doughnuts at a checkpoint instead of a quality high-protein food the dogs need to maintain their energy under the demands of a race, according to Torreano. Because the dogs were examined and it was determined they were fit enough to continue, the musher was allowed to finish the race. Even though this was not abuse per se, says Torreano, the UPSDA issued the musher a letter informing her that she would not be permitted to race at the U.P. 200 again due to a lack of proper care for her dogs. Most mushers, according to both Torreano and Walch, love their dogs and would rather drop out of a race than jeopardize their dogs’ health.
“If you come to the starting line, you watch those mushers with their dogs – they kiss them, they talk to them – it’s a very tender thing,” says Torreano.
While dog abuse does happen occasionally in the dog sled community, the instances of it are few and far between, contrary to what animal activists might report. There are documented cases of dog abuse, but there are also responsible mushers and a dedicated team of race officials and veterinarians who are working together to make sure it doesn’t happen here.