I know you're having fun!

No snow is causing some serious issues. There have already been seven scratches by some long-time veterans, including DeeDee Jonrowe. This is only the third time she hasn't finished the race in 32 or 33 runs. We've got broken bones, sprained ankles, and busted sleds. The dogs are doing fine; it's the mushers who are suffering.

Here's a good summary: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140304/gnarly-trail-brings-top-iditarod-mushers-sorlie-jonrowe-their-knees


We'll be leaving for Nome on Sunday. I hope there are some mushers who make it out there, too.

I hope for no more injuries.

Scott Janssen, the "mushing mortician," has become the 12th musher to scratch. It sounds like he got banged up pretty bad. Newton Marshall came to his aid.

http://www.adn.com/2014/03/05/3358771/iditarod-musher-flown-to-hospital.html

The article reports that the dogs are in great shape. The race is being much harder on people than dogs this year. PETA will be pleased.

I adore Aliy - was there when she won the Quest in 2000. And Newton Marshall just floats my boat, his humor and sheer joy are contagious! Hugh Neff is just fun and a really nice guy.....

Lance's Come Back Kennels rock - and yes, he's one of the best ever.

And your photos are fabulous!

Like Jamaican bobsledders…why not? I'm just glad not to read a bunch of garbage about how "cruel" this is. People don't understand that working dogs are bred to work, and for sled dogs, that means pulling a sled! It's no more cruel than herding breeds working cattle or sheep, or dogs bred as draft dogs pulling carts, or dogs bred to be flock guardians living out among the animals they protect. Working dog breeds are supposed to have jobs!

Greyhounds live to run, and love it. When two greyhounds get together it's guaranteed that there's gonna' be a race. They'll run around the yard a few times to see who has bragging rights (my grey always cheated by bumping the other dog), and then come in to be petted and grab a drink of water. And of course the rest of the day they sleep.

And Blue, I'm digging your images of the Iditarod. I'd love to be there with a camera.

are taking over winter sports Seriously, though- I would be chilling at the beach.

-- and I will express amazement that dogs can now speak English. Otherwise, it's wishful thinking.

IMHO.

'Pit Bulls love to fight. I can tell.'

I'm always amazed in Nome when they reach the finish line, they want to keep on going. During the course of the race, there is one mandatory 24-hour stop and two mandatory 8-hour stops, plus frequent shorter stops along the way. Veterinarians check every dog at the checkpoints and if anything is even slightly amiss, they will be dropped and sent back to Anchorage. The care that these dogs receive is superior to what most household pets get.

And to compare mushing to pit bull fighting is ludicrous.

But I understand that some people are bothered, and that's okay. We can't all agree on everything.

Not the same thing. Not in the least. But "pit bulls" do love to be guard and companion dogs for a family and are great at it. I could give you a whole lecture on what a "put bull" really is, background and everything, but the short and dirty is this…..any dog, of any breed, can be treated viciously and taught to fight. "Pit bulls" just happened to be the latest victims. However, the Staffordshire terrier and American Staffordshire terrier, the progenitors of this "breed", are well known and loved as companion and to some degree family guardian dogs. They used to be called "nanny dogs" because of their reputation with children. The dog in the Our Gang comedies is an AmStaff.

And no, I don't have a "pit bull". I'm not even a particular fan of the "breed". I just hate misinformation.

The truth of the matter is not so simple. The same type of reasoning is used for all sorts of animal entertainment.

I understand, used to agree, and now do not. The practice is philosophically insupportable.

Caring and developing relationships with animals is one thing. Training them for entertainment purposes is entirely another.

Circus elephant trainers will tell you that the creatures they work with enjoy it. So will horse racers. And yet, when the animal reaches the end of its usefulness as entertainment, they are routinely discarded. That is why the Performing Animal Welfare Society is overwhelmed. Most of the animals they harbor bear scars of some form or another. Sled dogs are psychologically manipulated, enticed, and often bullied into pushing themselves beyond their physical limits. How many dogs are injured and destroyed for human entertainment? Plenty. Do you really think they choose to serve our purposes? Do you really think they know what's going on?

Do you really think trainers don't use negative reinforcement, ever?

'Feel' how you want about it. The cold truth is that, until the animals themselves can speak their wishes to us, we cannot know their minds. Projecting our needs on to them is neither real nor valid. It is harshly and illogically anthropocentric.