Posted on 03/31/2007 5:19:33 PM PDT by Doginator
The Iditarod Trail Committee wants an independent investigation to examine reported dog abuse by Healy musher Ramy Brooks during this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Three days after completing the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome at mid-month, Brooks was disqualified after confessing to having spanked some of his dogs with a piece of trail-marking lathe after they balked in the village of Golovin on the Bering Sea Coast.
A Golovin schoolteacher later told the Daily News that Brooks' actions went far beyond that. Over the course of 15 to 20 minutes, she said, he periodically beat and kicked various dogs in his team.
At least a half-dozen Golovin residents have since offered similar accounts of what happened.
Iditarod Board President Richard Burmeister issued a statement Friday recognizing the observations and saying the race's legal advisers have been asked "to put together a plan to continue to investigate the incident independently of ITC (Iditarod Trail Committee) staff and race staff.''
Such an investigation is needed, he said, because of "the reports of witnesses versus what has been acknowledged by Ramy.''
The announcement came just days after Burmeister sent a separate letter to most former Iditarod finishers warning them to "be careful what you say" about the accusations against Brooks.
"Don't go making announcements that will bring (this) issue back to the attention of the press," he wrote. "Be careful of what you do and what you say. ...What we should be doing is supporting Ramy as a friend, even though we do not agree with his actions. We should not be trying to dig a hole and putting him there."
Some mushers reacted angrily to that letter, and those who had been calling for an independent investigation expressed fears it might be viewed as an attempted cover-up.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
Sounds like someone whose walkies should be suspended for good!
Did he 'spank' or abuse the dogs? Big difference.
"Did he 'spank' or abuse the dogs? Big difference.
"
and here is PETA!
?? I'm trying to defend the sledder, not be a PETA nut.. people are so nuts these days they say any sort of spanking is 'abuse'..
PETA is more evil than a dog abuser could ever be. Every year, they conduct break-ins at research institutions and release thousands of lab animals to starve to death in the wild.
I have no sympathy for the dog abuser if he's guilty, but I sympathize with the Iditarod president. PETA will milk this to make all mushers look bad for the actions of one. The president had every right to try to cover this up.
They mark the trail with lathes? Are they old, broken down ones?
Animal right's nuts hate the Iditarod.
The original "race" was an emergency run of diphtheriaserum to combat an epidemic in Nome. There was not teams of dogs waiting in the wilderness for them to switch and use.
You need to read up on the history of the race.
During the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs relayed diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles.
Kindly note the use of the word relayed that means they changed both teams of dogs and mushers.
Hey! Long time, no see!
Still waiting for Bev to upload the mystery code for analysis!
LOL!
Thank you for the correction.
I found the following collection of information of the trip that others may enjoy reading.
THE STORY OF THE REAL BALTO
http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/elephant/114/realbal.htm
Still waiting for Bev to upload the mystery code for analysis!
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