Posted on 02/27/2010 11:31:18 AM PST by JoeProBono
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Friday evening was a tough night for Iditarod champion Lance Mackey, after one of his lead dogs went missing in Anchorage.
Mackey says the dog, Girlfriend, jumped out of her truck kennel Thursday night and took off in the parking lot of the Courtyard Marriott on Spenard Road. He says she was last seen near International Airport Road and Jewel Lake Road.
Mackey says he can run the Iditarod without her, but it won't be easy because she's a leader and a veteran.
"You know, these are my children," Mackey said. "And even though she don't belong to me, she is a family member still and I love my family, so this is very difficult. This is a bad day for me."
Girlfriend is described as a 45-pound black female with white markings and muzzle. If you see or find her, contact the Mackeys at the Courtyard Marriott on Spenard.
Courtyards don’t have a Concierge Lounge nor do they have kitchenettes and free breakfast.
It the worst of all worlds.
Can you blame her? They will probably find her at the Ramada...
Poor little dog. I hope they find her. She shouldn’t be hard to spot in all that snow.
Perhaps “Girlfriend” no longer wanted to participate in the Ikilledadog.
Maybe she headed for home and will turn up there.
Exactly what I was thinking but I figured I would get labeled an animal rights wacko.
I’d say you are right.
Those dogs live to pull sleds. I suppose dying while pulling one is the way they’d prefer to go.
I’m thinking it was attacked by a killer whale.
“You know, these are my children...”
Except I don’t have my children pull me on a sled so I can win a new truck.
I imagine she’s halfway to Nome by now.
Exactly! Kind of like telling a terrier not to dig.
I understand a dog’s desire to perform the job that he was bred and trained to perform. However, in the Iditarod there is a history of human participants abusing the dogs, pushing the dogs too far and being strangled as well as other factors that lead to the canine participant’s deaths.
The death rate among the dogs is rather high with reports of at least 142 dogs being killed throughout the history of the race.
However, it appears the the race’s organizers are taking steps to protect the dogs by banning one participant for beating his dog with a snow hook.
ROTFL!
I would not consider myself an animal rights wacko as I do eat meat, have worked as a commercial fisherman and have hunted on occasion.
However, I believe in treating animals with dignity and would never take my kids to a circus, I feel bad about the animals in a zoo and believe that the Killer Whales and other sea mammals are being exploited at Sea World.
And my dogs are part of my family too.
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I agree, if there is a pattern of abuse, it should be looked into.
Thanks
Is that Italian chef in Anchorage?
I agree. My husband is a hunter and fisherman. We eat meat but I believe in treating animals with dignity. We love our 3 dogs and 3 cats to pieces. They are our children.
Yep....eating fish sticks at sea world makes one ponder what they do with the under achievers.....
My Rotts are family as well.....
Stay Safe.......
UPDATE
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A missing lead dog from Lance Mackey’s team has been found.
Mackey says a female dog named Girlfriend took off Friday as he was taking her out of her truck kennel in the parking lot of the Courtyard Marriott on Spenard Road.
She was spotted by a number of people in the Sand Lake area, including Mackey, but none of them were able to get close to her because she was scared.
Mackey says at about 4 a.m. Saturday, employees from Million Air Company found her near the airport and turned her in. Mackey called it a nice ending to a bad day.
“It was just heart-wrenching,” Mackey said. “I didn’t know how, if we hadn’t have found her and I had to leave for Iditarod, knowing that she was running around the streets of Anchorage — you know, I don’t know that I would’ve been able to focus so much on racing.”
Mackey says he’s grateful for all of the help he had in finding Girlfriend.
Best of all, dogs are like little self-powered refrigerators keeping meat fresh until you are ready to eat!
This race is the first one in which the DRIVERS will be drug-tested.
I’m betting that’s gonna make a heap-big difference re: the pooch-pummeling factor.
From what I’ve read the sleep-deprivation extends into little green men territory and I always assumed the drivers were running on meth. You know what that makes people do...
Yeah, but culling is another of those dirty little secrets. Very few drivers can afford to feed all their rejects and most don’t live near a pound.
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