ALERT: Who's supporting Iditarod dog torture in 2007? - WRITE

March 10, 2007

PLEASE WRITE AND FORWARD WIDELY

From the Sled Dog Action Coalition, http://www.helpsleddogs.org

Please help the Iditarod dogs by sending protest emails to race supporters. These dogs are helpless victims of profoundly inhumane treatment and cannot speak for themselves. What happens to them during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, ruptured discs, viral diseases and pneumonia.

For the dogs, the Iditarod is a bottomless pit of suffering. Throughout this eight to 16-day competition, Iditarod personnel encourage mushers to race diseased dogs. Instead of pulling sick dogs from the race, veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.

Veterinarians also work to help the mushers before the Iditarod begins. Although the dogs are often sick, veterinarians allow them to start the race anyway. One chief Iditarod veterinarian even published a musher/veterinary handbook advising mushers on how to avoid having prohibited substances detected in pre-race veterinary checks.

Please speak for the dogs by sending Iditarod supporters protest emails. The 2007 Iditarod sponsors, musher sponsors, race promoters and business members are listed below. Emails are first given in a group and then individually under the sample letter. Email addresses with semi-colons and commas in group form can be found on http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm at the bottom of the page.

ALL EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR IDITAROD SUPPORTERS - for easy sending, copy and paste as a bunch into your "Blind Copy" box. You may want to divide the block into several groups and email each one separately:

jeff.immelt, dan.janki, greenbergr, Jacques.espinasse, maurie_perl, John_Bellando, kklose, investor_relations, editor, tom.horton, Christopher.Gay, rod.ross, ken.hanna, csab.media, taylorw, jay, alan.w.bieler, media, DanielJ.Sescleifer, conso, info, askus, gpruitt, ircontact, jlowber, roger_millay, james.moses, tmattia, corpcsf, newsroom, Shareholders.IM, Mayor, mayor, yum.investor, karen.raskopf, tom.tiller, mhrmarketing, ir.dcx, manager, programming, stevecurwood, dkravis, jvenh, gpn, teachersource, investor.relations, kroger.investors, gdonnelly, gtedesco, info, vanmarterch, toronto, investor.relations, fhees, orders, media, investor_relations, skruse, abuckelew, _masio, communications, pubaffmr, enterprise.comments, info, employment, ssolomon, public.relations, investor_relations, info, Investor.Relations, tony, press, ir-newyork, tjacobs, hr1, contact.privacy, customersupport, cparrott, ann.simanis, Chancellor, info, info, info, contact, info, innkeeper, rivercabins, HolyDogRanch, information, fishing, qiviut, sales, traxak, gkatsion, pat, pilot01, spikealaska, info, info, adventure, chan, tma, allouiz, info, ryoung, sales, jbilitz, rodney.bolls, trambars, info, trophyglove, brewpub, gsipe, info, info, mkrajews, sales, tchozes, bellevillenews, admin, hid, info, sales, innkeeper, hughesseafood, ruby, info, Macgellan, wiggys, info, info, terry, reservations, info, info, sales, post, info, post, post, anni, info, info, spikealaska, alaskansplendor, fish, mlitzen, info, info, wildart, info, t-wolf, info, POlson, mcarr, lechleiter_john_c, bsgro, jschrank, mmow, greg.creed, dmcpherson, Commissioner, pr, home.pa-newsroom.168d00, rich.johnson, sarah_palin, feedback, crittendenj

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Iditarod Supporter:

I protest your organization's support of the Iditarod dog sled race. For the dogs, this barbaric event is a bottomless pit of suffering. What happens to them during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, ruptured discs, viral diseases and pneumonia. Please end your involvement in this cruel race.

In the Iditarod, dogs are forced to run 1,150 miles, which is the approximate distance between Miami, Florida and New York City. USA Today sports columnist Jon Saraceno called the Iditarod "a travesty of grueling proportions" and "Ihurtadog." Fox sportscaster Jim Rome called it "I-killed-a-dog." Orlando Sentinel sports columnist George Diaz said the race is "a barbaric ritual" and "an illegal sweatshop for dogs."

Please visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website http://www.helpsleddogs.org and be sure to read the quotes on http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks.htm . All the material on the site is true and verifiable.

Throughout this eight to 16-day competition, Iditarod personnel encourage mushers to race diseased dogs. Instead of pulling sick dogs from the race, veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.

Veterinarians also work to help the mushers before the Iditarod begins. Although the dogs are often sick, veterinarians allow them to start the race anyway. One chief Iditarod veterinarian even published a musher/veterinary handbook advising mushers on how to avoid having prohibited substances detected in pre-race veterinary checks.

At least 130 dogs have died in the Iditarod. No one knows how many dogs die after this tortuous ordeal or during training.

On average, 52 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, of those who do finish, 81 percent have lung damage. A report published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine said that 61 percent of the dogs who finish the Iditarod have ulcers versus zero percent pre-race.

Tom Classen, retired Air Force colonel and Alaskan resident for over 40 years, tells us that the dogs are beaten into submission:

"They've had the hell beaten out of them.You don't just whisper into their ears, 'OK, stand there until I tell you to run like the devil.' They understand one thing: a beating. These dogs are beaten into submission the same way elephants are trained for a circus. The mushers will deny it. And you know what? They are all lying." -USA Today, March3, 2000 in Jon Saraceno's column.

Mushers believe in "culling" or killing unwanted dogs, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason, including those who have outlived their usefulness, are killed with a shot to the head, dragged or clubbed to death. "Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and if they don't pull are dragged to death in harnesses....." wrote Alaskan Mike Cranford in an article for Alaska's Bush Blade Newspaper (March, 2000).

Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, "He [Colonel Tom Classen] confirmed dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain their most advantageous racing weight. Skinning them to make mittens. Or dragging them to their death."

Please end your organization's association with this horrific race.

Sincerely,

IDITAROD SPONSORS:

Panasonic

Email: greenbergr, taylorw

Cabelas

Email: Christopher.Gay

Daimler Chrysler

Email: ir.dcx

Coca-Cola

Email: tmattia

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels

Email: mhrmarketing

Wells Fargo & Company

Email: corpcsf

Kroger Company (Fred Meyer Stores)

Email: kroger.investors

Spenard Builders (Lanoga Corporation)

Email: ssolomon

Chevron Corportation

Email: pubaffmr

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Email: enterprise.comments

Anchorage Daily News (Mc Clatchy Company)

Email: gpruitt

Providence Health System

Email: employment

Alaska Airlines (Alaska Air Group)

Email: newsroom

Peninsula Airways, Inc. (Pen Air)

Email: info

Alaska Brewing Company

Email: fhees

The City of Anchorage

Email: Mayor

The City of Nome

Email: manager

5th Avenue Mall (Simon Property Group)

Email: ircontact

Horizon Lines

Email: investor.relations

City of Wasilla

Email: mayor

Network Appliance, Inc.

Email: investor_relations

General Communication, Inc. (GCI)

Email: jlowber

IDITAROD PROMOTERS:

NBC Universal (GE -General Electric Company owns 80%)

Email: jeff.immelt, dan.janki

NBC Universal (Vivendi - owns 20%)

Email: Jacques.espinasse

Glamour Magazine (Conde Nast Publications - Advance Publications)

Email: maurie_perl, John_Bellando

NPR (National Public Radio)

Email kklose

Houghton Mifflin Company

Email: investor_relations

American Way Magazine -American Airlines (AMR Corporaton)

Email: editor, tom.horton

Travel Channel (Discover Communications, Inc.)

Email: roger_millay

Elderhostel

Email: ann.simanis

Living on Earth

Email: stevecurwood

Lilly Oncology (Eli Lilly and Company)

Email: vanmarterch

PBS Nature

Email: programming

PBS Reading Rainbow

Email: gpn, dmcpherson

PBS TeacherSource

Email: teachersource

Cruise West

Email: media

Playroom Entertainment, Inc.

Email: tony

Riverboat Discovery

Email: orders

Women's Sports Foundation

Email: info

TIME for Kids

Email: _masio

Holland America Line (Carnival Corporation)

Email: skruse, abuckelew

Scholastic Corporation

Email: investor_relations

Workman Publishing Company

Email: info

Girl Scouts of the USA

Email: communications

Morton Arboretum

Email: gdonnelly, gtedesco

STIHL (STIHL Group)

Email: public.relations, stefan.caspari

Hawaiian Vacations

Email: guestservices

University of Alaska Anchorage

Email: Chancellor

Fodors (Random House)

Email: POlson

Carolina Day School

Email: bsgro

Christ Lutheran School

Email: jschrank

North Side Middle School

Email: mmow

Florida Commissioner of Education

Email: Commissioner

State Farm Insurance Company

Email: home.pa-newsroom.168d00

ConocoPhillips

Email: rich.johnson

Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska

Email: sarah_palin

Versus Cable TV

Email: feedback

IDITAROD BUSINESS PARTNERS:

Alaska Timberwolf Journeys & Tours

Email: t-wolf

Grand View Inn & Suites

Email: info

Alaska Kayak Academy

Email: info

Alaska Native Arts Foundation

Email: info

Alaska Vacation Store

Email: info

Alaska Discovery RV Tours

Email: spikealaska

Alaska Splendor Limousines

Email: alaskansplendor

Fishtale River Guides

Email: fish

Litzen Guide Service

Email: mlitzen

Outer Limits Alaska

Email: info

Talkeetna Air Taxi

Email: info

David Totten's Online Gallery

Email: wildart

MUSHER SPONSORS:

Marsh (Marsh & McLennan Companies)

Email: alfred.j.modugno, alan.w.bieler

Nutro Products, Inc.

Email: dkravis, mcarr

7-UP (Cadbury Schweppes plc)

Email: ken.hanna, csab.media

Equitable Life & Casualty Insurance Company

Email: rod.ross

Energizer Batteries

Email: DanielJ.Sescleifer

Royal Canin (Mars/Masterfoods owns 56 percent of the company)

Email: conso, info, contact.nl, contact.us, askus

The Dish Network

Email: press

Jiffy Lube International, Inc. (Shell Oil Company)

Email: ir-newyork

CELLULARONE (Dobson Communications Corp.)

Email: tjacobs

Eukanuba/Iams (Procter & Gamble Company)

Email: Shareholders.IM

Blockbuster Video

Email: karen.raskopf

McDonalds Restaurants (McDonald Corporation)

Email: contact.privacy

Taco Bell (Yum! Brands, Inc.)

Email: greg.creed, yum.investor

Ace Hardware

Email: jvenh

Amerigas (UGI Corporation)

Email: hr1

Polaris Industries Inc.

Email: tom.tiller

Sportsman's Warehouse

Email: cparrott

Batteries Plus

Email: customersupport

Great Alaskan Bush Company

Email: info

Frontier Flying Service, Inc.

Email: info

Trapper's Creek Smoking Company

Email: info

Meier's Lake Roadhouse

Email: contact

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Email: info

Alaska Frontier Gardens Bed & Breakfast

Email: innkeeper

Kantishna Wilderness Trails

Email: rivercabins

Holy Dog Ranch

Email: HolyDogRanch

Maclaren River Lodge

Email: information

Gotta Fish Charters

Email: fishing

Oomingmak

Email: qiviut

Kaladi Brothers Coffee Company

Email: sales

Tracks of Alaska Photography

Email: traxak

Clam Gulch Lodge

Email: gkatsion

North Slope Restaurant and Saloon

Email:pat

Wright Air Service

Email: pilot01

Alaskan Discovery RV Tours, Ltd.

Email: spikealaska

Inlet Tower Hotel & Suites

Email: info

Homer Stage Line

Email: hsl

Pasty Factory

Email: allouiz

Alaska Icefield Expeditions

Email: info

Raspberry Island Remote Camps

Email:adventure

University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN

Email: chan

Tweed Museum of Art

Email: tma

Intervet (Akzo Nobel)

Email: investor.relations

Barker-Ewing River Trips

Email: info

Colorado Altitude Training

Email: ryoung

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc.

Email: sales

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

Email: jbilitz

bGlobal, Inc.

Email: rodney.bolls

Gartner Lee, Ltd.

Email: toronto

Tram Bars

Email: trambars

Princeton Tec

Email: info

Trophy Glove Company

Email: trophyglove

Snake River Brewing

Email: brewpub

Trixsyn (Cogent Solutions Group LLC.)

Email: gsipe

The Outfitter

Email: info

ND Industries

Email: info

Ursa wagons

Email: sales

Great Lakes GeoScience

Email: tchozes

Belleville Recorder

Email: bellevillenews

World Tang Soo Do Association

Email: admin

AE Light (Allsman Enterprises, LLC)

Email: hid

Western Products

Email: info

PJ Operating Corp.

Email: sales

Folkestone Inn Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers

Email: innkeeper

Hughes Seafood Company, Inc.

Email: hughesseafood

Arco Coffee (Andresen-Ryan Coffee Co.)

Email: ruby

Empire Canvas Works

Email: info

Macgellan.com

Email: Macgellan

Wiggy's, Inc.

Email: wiggys

Jupiter Solutions

Email: info

Colorado Cross Roads Bed & Breakfast

Email: info

United Railroad Materials

Email: terry

Krabloonik Kennels

Email: reservations

Teamdiel

Email: info

Globetrotter.de

Email: info

Immunocorp

Email: sales

Via Scandinavia

Email: post

Kamik

Email: info

Bynje

Email: post

Noraid

Email: post

Vi sees

Email: anni

Deland Middle School

Email: mkrajews

TO UNSUBSCRIBE:

Ifyou wish to be d from the Iditarod action alertlist,pleasedo NOT use your junk mail filter. Click the "FORWARD" buttononthe email you received and put "" in the SUBJECT LINE and SledDogAC in the "TO" line.

TO SUBSCRIBE:

If you wish to to the Iditarod action alert list, put SledDogAC in the "TO" line. Put "" in the SUBJECT LINE.

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March 11, 2007

I do not usually create waves on the groups, but what you wrote

really bothered me. As a veterinary technican and someone who has

been on many of these sled dog events working as a veterinary

technican, I have YET to see any issue with any of the dogs as you

describe, other than 2 wheel dogs who decided to get into a dog fight

and one dog who tripped in a moose track on the trail and pulled a

muscle. Like this would not happen with any other breeds? My mom's

beagles got into it over a dropped carrot on the kitchen floor for

Pitie's Sake which required first aid.

Have you ever been to a sledding event yourself? Most of us who run

dogs do it as we love working with animals. If the dogs get worn out,

they will quit on you. Most of the time the teams who do quit, are

the dogs who are not properly conditioned. I have only seen one team

ever quit in the 7 seasons I have been doing this. That team came

from the coast at sea level and we are at 4,800-5,200 ft above sea

level. I know firsthand what the elevation can instantly do to your

stamina as I also moved from 65 feet above sea level before I moved

here.

Most people who I take out sledding with me for the first time as a

passenger are suprised as they 'hear all the rumors' about the

mushers requiring whips and beat the dogs. And how the dogs are

forced to run. They are amazed at how willing the dogs want to get

into the dog boxes and want to get harnessed up. Most of the sled

dogs I know.. and I do know over 200+ of them ...willingly 'get

dressed' into their harnesses. We keep boots for the dogs if they

keep getting ice balls between their pads and at that, it is rare I

have to use them. Most of the time the dogs get fed better rations

than I do (and we eat pretty well).

Maybe you have not heard of M.U.S.H with PRIDE?

http://www.mushwithpride.org/ Most of the people I know either belong

to it, or follow its guidelines.

My sled dogs are basically pets. I am not a racer, me and my step-son

are recreational mushers, we run dogs 6 months of the year as well as

use them around the farm for hauling firewood, livestock water, feed

and hay. I also have run my team to the local store when the roads

were too icy to take a vehicle. It is 15 miles to town. I know

several racers, including those who have run the Iditarod and the

Yukon Quest, the Oregon Dunes Run and many other races and NOT one

person treats the dogs the way you describe.

I am not saying that abuse does not happen, but it happens rarely. As

a vet tech, I have seen much worse and more frequent abuse and

neglect in people's house pets than in livestock or working animal

athletes.

tenzicut

March 11, 2007

The Iditarod is cruel to dogs. Take the Iditarod Challenge: read and verify the quotes on http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks.htm and on all the pages that link to it. Links can be found in the drop box at the top and at the bottom of the page. All the quotes are correct and verifiable.

Mush with P.R.I.D.E. advocates keeping dogs on five foot chains living in their own fecal material. The continuous chaining of dogs is banned in many jurisdictions, including the entire state of California.

The group also advocates killing unwanted dogs. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs to get a handful of good racers. That means a lot of dogs are being executed.

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