In a media advisory dated March 17, the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) provided notification that Ramy Brooks had been disqualified from the 2007 Iditarod Sled Dog Race. An ITC 3-person panel investigated reports from witnesses in Golovin regarding alleged abusive actions by Brooks to his dog team while traveling through that town on the way to the White Mountain checkpoint. Separately the Brooks team incurred a dog death to a 3-year old female named Kate between the White Mountain and Safety checkpoints. According to Race Marshal Mark Nordman, he had no reason to believe there was a correlation between this incident and the death of Kate.
The death of Kate was the subject of two earlier ITC media releases affecting the Brooks finish position. Initially Brooks was not given a finish time when he crossed the finish line in Nome. Later he was given a finish time that dropped him three places in the standings. In the initial media release, Nordman explained that the finishing time would be decided upon evaluation of the resulting necropsy on Kate. The media release further explains,
“Had this occurred at a checkpoint on the trail Ramy may have been required to have stayed in that checkpoint for up to eight hours.”
Understandably, this statement caused some confusion since the rule applies to a dog death whether it happens at a checkpoint or not. Nordman later provided clarification stating,
“…the volunteers at the [Safety] checkpoint told Brooks to go to Nome. He did. Afterward, the vets called Nordman to tell him what had happened.”
Thus when Nordman did provide a finishing time for Brooks as noted in the second media release, it reflected the additional time Brooks would have been held in Safety had the evaluation of the dog death occurred there instead of Nome. The initial necropsy failed to find a cause for Kate’s death and further studies including histopathology and cultures have been ordered.
The punishment of Ramy Brooks for beating his exhausted dogs meted out by the Iditarod comittee amounts to nothing but a slap on the wrist. Mr. Brooks should be banned forever from participating in the Iditarod. Also legal action should be taken against him for cruelty to animals. I would also know the names of any businesses that sponsor this monster so I can boycott their products.
Here you go Walter. From the Iditarod.com website:
Sponsors: Cellular One, OK; Anadarko Petroleum Company; Annamaet Pet Foods, PA; CIRI; Alaska Native Heritage Center; Northern Air Cargo; Amerigas; Alaska Native Brotherhood; Custom Truck Accessory Center; Fairbanks Sign & Graphics; Grubstake Feed Co., Inc.; Hickel Construction and Engineering, Inc.; Hickel Investment Company; Kantishna Wilderness Trails; Larsen Consulting Group; Marsh USA; Microcom; Odds On Recording Studio, NV; Seekins Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc.; Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.; Wright Air Service; Carol Figdore, PA; Royal Caribbean International; Remax of Fairbanks; Cellular One, OK; Anadarko; CIRI; Alaska Native Heritage Center; Alaska Native Brotherhood; Fairbanks Sign & Graphics; Hickel Investment Company; Microcom; Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.; Northern Air Cargo; Seekins Ford Lincoln-Mercury, Inc.; Kantishna Wildernes Trails; Northern Dynasty Mines, Inc.; Chugach Alaska Corporation; Bush Veterinary Service; Odds-On Recording Studio, NV; Larsen Consulting Group; Alaska Commercial Properties; Amerigas; LeadDog, Inc., OR; CJ Dew-it; Grubstake Feed Co, Inc.; Carol Figdore, PA; Wright Air Service; Tanana Truck & Tractor; Cold Spot Feeds & Mushing Supplies; Jeff & Candy Dyer; Sinoe On Foundation, CA; PangoMedia, Inc.; Hickel Construction & Engineering, Inc.;
Ramy Brooks should be banned from sled dog racing. He obviously has some anger issues and it’s no secret that he’s a few short of a six pack!!!
I’m dismayed and disgusted at the reports of Ramy Brooks beating his dogs.
This man should not be allowed to run the Iditarod nor any other dog race again.
The token punishment he received was laughable…
With all of the bad press this race gets, some of it justified, most of it not IMHO, the ITC should ban him for life. Hopefully it won’t color the mushers who do the right things or Lance’s victory.
Most, if not all, of what people are reading is second hand infirmation. Let’s not all lathered up until all of the facts are in and the officials on the scean have done their investigation. This is a dog race and the safeguards are in place to protect the dogs and there are very competent people there to evaluate the conditions.
And the witch hunt has begun. Let’s consider the alternative. Every single vet along the trail that checked the dogs (and for the past 15 years, I might add) said there was absolutely no sign of abuse, and that in fact, his dogs were extremely well-cared for. So now we have two choices, either believe everything you hear or assume that there’s more to the story. I’d be willing to bet the Iditarod officials simply find it easier to use Ramy as a scapegoat. John is right about the Iditarod officials having to deal with bad press, and oh how tempting it must be to say “oh, that musher was a bad egg but now we’ve solved the problem,” than to actually deal with the controvery and hear Ramy’s side. Actually, it concerns me very much that they’re so afraid of upsetting the media, that they’d disqualify someone not just without evidence, but with evidence strongly supporting the opposite.
I have friends that grew up next to Ramy Brooks. My friends say that Ramy Brooks is a kind and gentle person. I have only two dogs. Sometimes I speak firmly to my dogs to keep them safe. Sometimes I must yell. And at times I give them a swat to get their attention. My dogs are not abused. They are healthy, well-cared for, and very happy.
To speak such venom of a man you do not know based on a couple of news reports is ludicrous.
If Ramy Brooks abused his dogs he should be banned from mushing forever. But the witness’s have to be checked out.
Each of you make good points. To clarify, I don’t think Ramy is a bad person. He is one of the mushers I did not have a chance to meet while I was in Anchorage for the start this year. His website, which is now down, gives great information on how much care is taken to ensure the dogs are okay. However, if he did what the ITC says he did, my opinion (only my opinion) is that the punishment should be more than getting DQ’d for this year. Mushers should not lose it and whack their team with a trail marker. Margery Glickman and PETA are going to have a field day with this. There is already mis-information on the ‘net that this caused the death of his dog Kate - which is not the case.
He should be banned for life, plain & simple.
He should be banned for life, but being banned for life should mean “life”. We all know about Jerry Riley and how he was banned for life for abuse, then 9 years later he’s allowed to run again. i had no idea life only meant 9 years. You should not be allowed to hit your dogs for being tired, can you blame them, give me a break, they are tired and running 100 miles a day. Because he wants to win he hits them and forces them to get up even though they are still tired and then says “oops sorry, i’ll try and learn my lesson”. What a joke. I respected the Iditarod until now. This is ridiculous.
I am a teacher and my cognitive disabilities class always follows the Iditarod as part of our program. We each have our own musher and chart each musher’s progress and time from checkpoint to checkpoint. I was horrified to hear of Ramy Brook’s outrageous behavior toward his dogs. In my opinion, he should be banned from ever racing the Iditarod again. He is not a good role model and gives a bad name to such an awesome event. I was saddened as one of my students had Ramy for his musher. I had to tell him what he did to his dogs.
Janice -
You are obviosly doing the same as everyone else by making a judgement from a couple of stories. You have “heard” stories of Ramy Brooks yourself, so you are also not getting the full story on him. Just because your friends were his neighbor doesn’t mean he is really the kind, gentle person you say he his. There are witnesses to what he did - and children. He should be ashamed of himself.
The emotion this has generated is amazing….Brooks is not a bad man….he is not an animal abuser….nor is he all of the bad things that are being said about him….you are making judgement on him from hearsay….not the facts of the case….nor have you given him a chance to tell you his side of the story……why is it we all like to jump on someone who is down???? Simple……pick up another rock and throw it at the poor bad person….it makes us feel good to beat up on someone who just might be a little above us…bring him down to our level. This man deserves being heard before you pick up the stone…and even then what sets you up on the judgement seat to be the one to condemn someone else?????
Thank you Bill for your words of wisdom. I am trying to find out information on this occurance. I too am worried about the bad light that is being cast on both Ramy Brooks and the Iditarod. I have spent the past 3 years sharing the adventure of the Iditarod with elementary school children and am very careful about the issue of the treatment of the dogs. So I am trying to get reliable reports on the situation to share with the teachers of the children that we have involved in the tracking of the Iditarod. My teachers have not rushed to judgement as many of you have, in my opinion. We have faith in Mr. Brooks and the ITC in getting to the bottom of this. We also know that sometimes the press can jump on news and misrepresent the facts. Like the early reports that this was linked to the death of his dog, Kate. Let’s slow down and get the facts.
Ramy Brooks has set a bad example. According to the ADN, he is paid $40,000.00 a year to be a mental health spokesman. What’s wrong with that picture? He is no better or above anybody else. Not when he goes and does what he did to his dogs. There are witnesses!!! And let me remind you some of them were children. Nice example he is setting!! He better “check himself” as they say!!!!!!
“There are witnesses!!! And let me remind you some of them were children.” Let’s get real……..are you going to rely on kids to tell you how to handle a team of sled dogs??? Brooks knows dogs and he knows how to treat them when they are distracted by crowding and noisy kids…who are encroaching upon the trail they are trying to run…..Brooks has to get the dogs attention away from the load and demanding kids. So, he smacks one on the butt with a stick…..perhaps we should blame the teachers for not having better control over their charges….but what would that accomplish???? Nothing more that to stir-up other emotions about the competence of the teachers….and we don’t need that either. The exsuberant kids made the dogs flinch and when they did they got tangled up in their harnesses. Brooks moved into the pack of, now very excited dogs, and did what he had to do to straighten them out ….all the time the dogs are being further annoyed by the shouting kids. Brooks DID NOT ABUSE his dogs…scolded …yes. Does a slap on the butt of a kid make the parent a “child abuser” / / / I don’t think so. Get off the emotional kick and deal with the real issues here and look at what really happened……
Bill -
You don’t know your facts!!!
There are more witnesses than just kids and shame on you for trying to turn this around on the teachers. Shame on you! Ramy Brooks is also “in the dog house” for other actions - not just for KICKING Don’t you think it’s funny that he wants everyone to think he’s so in control and then he does this??? I thinks it’s funny!!! He needs more counseling!!!!! He’s not out of the woods yet with his “emotionally unstable history”. HAHAHAHAAH!!!!
“emotionally unstable history”.
Hats off to the “Bunny Huggers” and their “emotionally unstable” following…. I taught ethics at the college level and I NEVER had a student who cared a hoot about animal rights….I would always schedule a week for the subject but never spent more than one day on the subject of animal rights….students choice!!!!! Get off your high (ethical) horse and let Brooks alone……this is tough compition.
I’d invite anyone interested in gathering the facts before forming an opinion to visit:
http://www.ramybrooks.com
You’ll see that an independent veterinarian performed a detailed examination of all dogs involved, and reported all dogs healthy, with *zero* signs of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect.
And even though he didn’t have to, Ramy Brooks paid for the examinations - out of his own pocket - and chose to share these results with the general public.
I’m not going to get on a high horse here and swear his innocence - nor will I point a finger and accuse him of being guilty - until I have enough of the facts. But the actions Ramy’s taken so far are not the right thing to do - they’re also not the actions of a man that’s guilty.
Ramy Brooks, that is not appropiate for the Iditarod race. This time you went way too far and you should have been disqualified way earlier than Saftey if that is the way you treat your POOR INICENT dogs. You make me so gosh dang mad. You should not be able to enter any other races ever ever again. You are so irresponsible. ~Aubrey (A sixth grade student from Michigan. My class was doing a project on the Iditarod race and that is such a bad example for the entire country.) I am sorry but you are a disgrace to America for treating your pets like that. The Iditarod race is supposed to be a good fun thing to do in the winter time with nice athletic dogs to show your skill. You showed abusiveness even to your embarressed family and friends.
Ramy Brooks,That is just a stupid thing to do to a beautiful husky. You should be sent to prison. Some except your apolegy. It was not smart and uncalld for. When the dogs stop thay have a rest. Even though they were scard of the nois.
ramy brookes,you are a descrase to the iditarod,you should never be able to race in the iditarod again for your bad actions.people in amarica are wondering how dumb you actully are.
get a freakin life
It’s unfortunate what has happened to Ramy for loosing a dog, perhaps his actions justifies disqualifacation but not banned for life. Ramy represents more than a man who mushes dogs, to the village communitys of Alaska he’s sending a message of hope for thousand of Alaskan Natives that can overe come abuse in which is so prefound in this beutiful state. Thank you Ramy for showing us the light.
Passing judgement on Ramy without knowing the facts is a rather unfortunate deal for every one involved. It shows the spite of many people. You point fingers at yourselves. Humans often bite loudest and most aggressively towards situations they best relate with or are guilty of. I do not condone any form of animal abuse in sport or behind closed doors in ones home. I do understand animals/pets requires a level of handling that keeps them under control. This does not excuse for rough handling. The humans need to treat each other with a little more respect here. If you are looking to fight and make big noise go some where else. If you are looking for an example to be made of Ramy then also go some where else with your emotional cause. Ramy is being delt with by the system that is in place. He will not be shown favoritism. He will be handled according to the rules and regulations of the sport and community. Show support for your stand by your accurate knowledge of the situation and not assumptions. Ignorance is not bliss but a sign of ones inability to collect, process and understand knowledge.
Hasn’t this guy won enough Iditarods to satisfy his ego? There’s no excuse for pushing his dogs to the brink of collapse, then beating them. Dogs have far greater instincts than humans. They knew they were exhausted and wouldn’t be able to pull that sled.
What a pitiful character you are, Ramy Brooks. Be a man and confess to what you did.
What about Kate - the dog that died?
What about the fact that Mr. Brooks apologized for the ‘unfortunate incident’
Animal abusers are the lowest form of scum and it disgusts me that this happened.
They have no love of animals to put them though this - to beat exhausted dogs is sickening. He shouldn’t even own a goldfish.
I hope one day when Brooks is tired, cold and hungry someone three times his size beats the *^$& out of him. Only then will the “rules and regulations of the sport and community” be fair. We would not allow it to happen to a human - why do we allow it to happen to dogs?
This guy is obviously no stranger to how the media works. He could have paid any friend of his, who is a Vet. to write up such a glowing report of his dogs (re. the report link above). And I’m certain that he’s attempted to take every precaution to spin things to protect his bread & butter. Hearing about this happening has sickened me. I hope he gets punished to the full extent of the law.
what’s a “descrase”?
Key word here “ADMITTING” - Brooks admitted himself of physical force.
. . .Brooks was disqualified from this year’s race after
admitting he “spanked†his dogs with a wooden trail
marker after two refused to get up and run .. ..
That is in itself is grounds for punishment. If the severity of it proves true, jail time and fines are in order.
It is incredibly distressing to read about not only the events that occured but also the lack of action that was taken afterward. I am outraged by those of you supporting this Neanderthal! Are you really that indifferent to animal abuse? Obviously the punishment was unfitting of the crime and it sickens me to think that this pathetic excuse for a man wil be allowed to continue racing and therefore continue abusing animals.
The Iditarod is abuse. Beating your dogs while you’re at it adds insult to injury. When will this stupid pointless event meet it’s overdue demise? And don’t tell me the dogs “enjoy” it. That’s the same excuse people give for making their animals perform against their will and against their wellfare. And yes, Brooks should be banned and made an example of. And for those of you who defend him? If there is a report of animal abuse, chances are it’s worse and more frequent than what’s being witnessed. And for what, a race? Here’s some advice for you Remy, go to the gym and get your pathetic self in shape and do some running or your own you ego manical pig. Too bad I can’t be around to give you a smack when you slow down on that treadmill.
Nothing like convicting someone on sketchy evidence at best! I for one refuse to believe anything the “sensationalist” media or the psycho’s for PETA or HSUS say. From what I am reading here, welcome to the 16th century!
Ramy admits “spanking” his dogs with a stick. Witnesses say they saw him do it. Can’t get much better evidence than that. Ramy says hitting his dogs with a stick is not abuse. Some people think it’s abuse to even put a dog on chain… But the Iditarod rules are quite clear on this-
“Rule 37 — Dog Care:
• There will be no cruel or inhumane treatment of dogs. Cruel or inhumane treatment involves any
action or inaction, which causes preventable pain or suffering to a dog.”
So did hitting the dogs with a stick cause pain or suffering? Who knows? Maybe it just scared them. But apparently it worked cause the dogs eventually got going.
What I don’t get with Ramy’s story is the part about 2 dogs quitting and holding up the whole team. He had 10 dogs in the team so why didn’t he put the slackers in wheel and let the other 8 drag them on over to White Mt? Or he could have put the 2 bums in the sledbag and packed them over the easy trail to white Mt. Unless the two quitters were his only leaders….
Or is it possible that the whole team decided it was time for a break. They were going through a village and often the dogs stop in villages for a break. So why not just give them a short break and then ask them to continue instead of getting all lathered up swinging a stick around?
BTW- Is it possible that the dogs quit in Golovin and the one dog died later for the same reason? being run beyond their ability…
Dogs that are overrun can develop exertional myopathy- muscle damage which produces lactic acid. This causes cramping which makes the dogs want to stop and sometimes causes kidney failure and death. Is Iditarod conducting furthur research on the dead dog to see if it had this syndrome called rhabdomyolasis?
>
Poor Brooks… Not.
He showed one thing alright.. his dogs are smarter than he is.
What part of this is “scolding”?
“Since that time, it has been reported in the media that the extent of Brooks’ abuse to his dogs in Golovin was more than originally confirmed. The teacher is claiming that Brooks punched and kicked each of his dogs when the team stopped outside of the village.”
“Ramy has accepted is disqualification from this year’s race and does not dispute the original story but has not made a comment on the details that came out later.”
He hasn’t made a comment on the later details? I’m not surprised….
If he has ‘admitted’ to ’spanking’ his dogs, then he should be disqualified. When the vet found no evidence of abuse, what signs were they looking for? I don’t imagine that a bruise, from being hit, would be visible would it? Maybe the organizers of the Iditarod need to change some of their rules so that abuser of dogs have a tougher penalty handed out to them. This is an extremely taxing event for both the dogs and the mushers, we really don’t need to have the animals abused because their bodies are telling them to slow down. I have to say that I think it is shamefull this happened. I do believe that the mushers truly love their dogs but this isn’t the type of treatment they deserve. The dogs put their whole heart into this race, let’s make sure they have the same respect as their mushers. What would happen if someone had beaten Ramy Brooks? Would he not want justice? The same should be applied to his dogs….they are one and the same. The only difference is that his dogs are defenseless and it is up to caring and concerned indivuduals to see that they are defended.
He was disqualified after admitting that he hit his dogs with a stick. The question they are looking at now is should he be banned from racing for one or more years in the future. A ban from Iditarod would mean being banned from every major race because they all honor Iditarod bans. So this would really impact his life. I think being disqualified from this year’s race is enough punishment unless they find evidence of really bad abuse beyond hitting them with a stick.
One musher was banned for two years after he was filmed kicking his dogs. But at that time he could go over and run the Quest so it wasn’t as big a deal. Maybe Ramy deserves a one or two year ban if there is more to this than just swatting them. One report said his mom came over and helped him get the dogs going- if true that is another rule violation. He also pulled down a trail marker to swat the dogs- if he didn’t put it back up then that is another violation.
A necropsy would show bruising when they strip the skin off- bruises show up under the skin. I wonder how detailed a necropsy they did on the dead dog? The gross necropsy didn’t show much but tissue sampling can show if the dead dog had muscle damage from being overrun- that can kill a dog- lactic acid overwhelms their kidneys. Ramy was running straight through from Koyuk to White Mt- 100 miles. A lot of mushers took a short break at Elim- maybe Ramy should have too.
You wouldn’t see bruising under the fur. But with a live dog the vets could have possibly felt swelling and found sore spots by palpating the live dogs. I really doubt he did any serious injury to the dogs though- its usually just a way to scare them into doing what you want unless you pop them on the nose or eye.
It’s kind of silly to say all the mushers love their dogs. They’re not children- they’re work animals. I think they like some more than others but when they start trying to quit a musher can develop a distinct dislike for a dog. Some of the dogs put their whole heart into the race but a lot of them don’t. The ones that work too hard (put their whole heart into it) just get hurt or tired and get dropped. The best dogs stay enthusiastic but pace themselves.
The discerning musher can see when the dogs are starting to lose their enthusiasm and starts taking longer breaks and shorter runs until the enthusiasm returns. That’s what Buser and King did this year on the coast. Other mushers never seem to figure this out and just keep pushing until the dogs go slower and slower and want to quit…
Then why don’t they have more check points set up that forces mushers to stop and rest their dogs. I am sure there is a way to time them to make sure the dogs get adequate rest. I ususally enjoy watching the race but after hearing this I don’t think I can. They only show the good portions on TV.
If he is found guilty of gross abuse to his animals, then he should not only be banned from the Iditarod and all other races for life, but all face stiff fines and jail time.
There is NO EXCUSE, for beating these beautiful animals. They give their all in these races, and they know their bodies better than anyone else, and know when they can’t go any further. Yes, they are bred for this, and love to run, but everyone, including sleddogs have their limits just like we do. How would you feel if you had to run 100 miles without any relief?
I was born and raised in Alaska, and even though I now live in Washington, I get excited every year when this event come around.
I know some people say it is abuse to “make” this animals do this; but if you have ever been around these type of dogs, especially huskies and Malamutes, you would see they live to run, it is in their blood.
Ramy Brooks, although I don’t know him sounds like just one of the culprits. There are many such as him. I’ve seen the abuse and it’s very sad…
How can these people expect these dogs to run hundreds of miles all of a sudden when they have been kept on short leashes all year. That’s not just abuse.. that’s torture!
The race either needs to stop, or else make sure these mushers let their dogs run during the year… and not to be beaten by a stick or whip when they run.. just let them run like free animals.
These are beautiful, loyal, hard-working creatures that are stretched to their limits each year. It’s abuse.
He should be disqualified forever! He does not deserve to have another chance, because once an abuser - always an abuser. It is obvious he does not do this for the love of dogs and the race - only money. Please do not let him get away with this, it will only send a bad message to (abusers) in the competition and everywhere. We have to be firm in all angles of abuse in this world - people and animals. We can’t continue on like this. I agree with one person’s comment about not finding any wrong doing done to one of Brook’s dogs who died. Did they really to a complete investigation? I think and believe he had something to do with it! I feel a full investigation should be done and if found guilty of any abuse he should never have the opportunity to race again. We have to stop animal abuse - beginning with this fool!
JOHN P. SUTER
P. O. Box 670144
Chugiak, AK 99567-0144
(907) 688-3103
suter@gci.net
June 3, 2007
Dear Editor
The Iditarod Board of Directors has given one of it’s mushers a 2 year ban for spanking his dogs multiple times. The Iditarod Board of Directors should have given their self a 2 year ban as well because they are just as guilty of the violation. The board did not take the direct action of spanking the dog team, but they set up the conditions for the event to occur. They did this by refusing to throttle the race’s speed by not putting in the badly needed equal run, equal rest recommendations. There is enormous pressure for these mushers to perform the best that they can. The results of this is in order to be competitive, mushers now run their dogs teams day and night around the clock. The mushers who give their dogs teams equal run, equal rest are behind the front of the pack. Most of them can not afford to keep racing for more than a few years. This musher did not do anything differently than all of the other top mushers, it is that this musher got caught. With equal run, equal rest, rested dogs will be able to keep running and rested mushers brains will not be stuck on stupid.
Sincerely,
John Suter Former 4 time Iditarod finisher.
Thank you John for speaking up about this incident. I feel that your comments are needed, since you were an Iditarod finisher. so what, in your opinion, can the public do to get the Board of Directors to sit up and take notice that the majority of viewers do not want to abuse to take place. I have to say that it is really sad that these dogs, who run their hearts out for a human being, are mistreated for doing nothing more than listening to their bodies telling them to stop. Is there any sport out there any more where animals are given the respect they deserve? But I am digressing…I would really like to hear any suggestions you may have.
Thanks again,
Heather
JOHN P. SUTER
P. O. Box 670144
Chugiak, AK 99567-0144
(907) 688-3103
suter@gci.net
June 6, 2007
Dear Editor
The Iditarod Board of Directors has given one of it’s mushers a 2 year ban for spanking his dogs multiple times. The Iditarod Board of Directors should have given their self a 2 year ban as well because they are just as guilty of the violation. The board did not take the direct action of spanking the dog team, but they set up the conditions for the event to occur. They did this by refusing to throttle the race’s speed by not putting in the badly needed equal run, equal rest recommendations. There is enormous pressure for these mushers to perform the best that they can. The results of this is in order to be competitive, mushers now run their dogs teams day and night around the clock. The mushers who give their dogs teams equal run, equal rest are behind the front of the pack. Most of them can not afford to keep racing for more than a few years. This musher did not do anything differently than all of the other top mushers, it is that this musher got caught. With equal run, equal rest, rested dogs will be able to keep running and rested mushers brains will not be stuck on stupid.
Sincerely,
John Suter
Former 4 time Iditarod finisher.
Mr. Suter is correct. The front runners are merciless to their dogs in order to get them to run 150 miles plus per day. The mushers like to say that you can’t force the dogs to run. Of course you can. That’s exactly what Ramy was doing–forcing his dogs to run. What would you do–run or get the living tar beat out of you?
Ramy’s only misfortune was to get caught. The other’s do it too, to a greater or lesser degree.
I will send more on this later. But for now, here are some thoughts. Enclosed is a equal run, equal rest plan for the Iditarod that we have presented for the last 10 years. What is needed is for the public to be informed about these recommendations and from there to ask the Iditarod Board if they will put them in. The question is, why not? Who would not want them in? If the dogs could speak they would ask for them. But, they can not speak for them, so it is up to us to speak for them. If we don’t, then who will?
I am willing to give the Iditarod Trail Committee ownership of “Iditarod The Last Great Race” in exchange for the equal run, equal rest recommendations for the dogs on the trail. It would be a win, win situation for ITC and the sled dogs.
#1. Equal run, equal rest. If it takes about seven hours to run from check point A to check point B, for example, then check point B would be assigned a seven - hour rest spot for all teams.
A team may take more than seven hours to rest if they choose to, but it would have a minimum of seven hours rest. If a team took five hours or if a team took ten hours to reach check point B, for example, it would still take seven hours rest there.
#2. Drop a dog, stay an additional two hours of rest at that check point where the dog was dropped.
#3. Change the 24-hour rest rule to two 12-hour rest spots. Two 12-hour rest spots are superior to one 24-hour rest spot. A musher may choose to take the two 12-hour rest spots back to back and make it one 24-hour rest spot.
If a musher came into check point B that had the seven -hour rest period and took one of the 12-hour rest spots there, the musher would take the 7 hours plus 12 hours = 19 hours of rest.
The fastest team would still win the race. It would give the dogs a minimum rest time instead of running around the clock.
Everyone would have the same minimum rest time as everyone else on the trail. No one would have the jump on anyone else.
A rested musher can take better care of him or herself and the dogs than a tired one. There would be some time for mushers to visit the people in the villages and this has not happened for a very long time.
The race today is a pit-stop car race now. All business. It does not do much for the host of the villages who put on the race in their area.
John Suter
Past Iditarod Musher