Tell International Olympic Committee to Reject Sled-Dog Events

From PETA, January, 2003:

Sled-dog organizations hope to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow mushing to be an exhibition at the 2006 Winter Olympics, as a first step toward establishing mushing as an Olympic sport.

Despite predictably self-serving claims by those who profit from sled-dog races, such as the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest International, dogs used in these grueling events often suffer miserably and sometimes even lose their lives. In the Iditarod, for example, dogs are typically forced to run for four- to five-hour stretches with little rest in between. They are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and falls through treacherous ice into frigid waters. Every year, several dogs die of "sudden death syndrome" - literally running to death. Last year, two dogs died in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest International. Two dogs died in separate incidents after being caught in gang lines, another suddenly dropped dead, and another died during surgery for a stomach ulcer, a common illness among dogs used in such grueling events.

Besides these obvious cruelties, dogs "behind the scenes" also suffer tremendously. They are kept on short chains, unable to move about in order to keep warm. Not every puppy is born a fast runner, and those who do not make the grade are usually killed - by bludgeoning or drowning - for not possessing monumental stamina and speed. Manuals and articles written by top mushers blatantly recommend killing dogs who do not measure up. One musher equates it with "weeding a garden."

Please contact the executive board of the IOC to ask that it reject any requests for sled-dog events to be made part of future Olympic Games:

François Carrard, Director General
Jacques Rogge, President
Vice Presidents:
Thomas Bach
James L. Easton
Richard Kevan Gosper
Vitaly Smirnov
Members:
Sergey Bubka
Franco Carraro
Ottavio Cinquanta
Zhenliang He
Toni Khoury
Gunilla Lindberg
Lambis V. Nikolaou
Denis Oswald
Tomas A.G. Sithole
Mario Vásquez Raña

International Olympic Committee Executive Board
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
Tel.: 41-21-621-61-11
Fax: 41-21-621-62-16