Please Contact Iditarod Sponsors, Urge Them To Stand Up For The Dogs 

It is cruelty to force dogs to run the grueling Iditarod race. The 1,150 miles is more than the distance from Maine to Florida. This is a RACE, so the dogs are running as fast as they can, over mountain ranges, ice, snow, in harsh conditions (below freezing, wind chill, etc.).  It’s known as the toughest race on earth.  The total known dog deaths is now 142.

The Alaska cruelty statue that should apply to these dogs was changed last year to exempt them. Our only hope to end this horribly cruel race is for sponsors to withdraw their support. This is a perfect time to get their attention, before they commit to sponsor next year, especially if they have to go through board meetings.

Please write, fax, or email to the main sponsors below. Keep in mind that mailed letters are given more weight than faxed letters. Form letters are looked at with less importance, so please personalize them. Below is a SAMPLE letter, but please use your own words.

Sample letter:

Dear ______________,

My family and I are extremely upset that ______________ sponsors the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. SIX dogs died this year. This race is cruel and inhumane to the dogs, and should be stopped. There are laws in 38 states against "over-driving" and "over-working" animals, and this is exactly what the Iditarod is.

Dogs do love to run, but not a grueling 1150-mile RACE. This race is a dog-killer almost every year. As far back as records go a total of 142 have died, including this year's six. These dogs are the best-conditioned dogs in the world, due to their training year-round. The mushers start out with 16 dogs and only about half the dogs make it to the finish line, which should indicate how arduous this race is for them.

When the dogs are not racing, they are either “training” or tethered - short-chained to their own small dog house, even in snow and below freezing weather. This is considered inhumane and is illegal in many communities. These magnificent dogs are essentially treated like machines, little engines who drive the sled and musher.

It's all about the money and glory for the mushers. Consider the prize money (hundreds of thousand dollars divided between the top 30 mushers) and the money it brings in to Alaska, at the expense of the dogs. How many dogs have to die before this brutal race is stopped?

In the 1925 historical run, which the Iditarod is promoted to supposedly commemorate, the Anchorage to Nome diphtheria serum run, a train carried the medication from Anchorage to Nenana. From there the dogs ran the remaining 674 miles in relays to Norton Sound and up the Bering Sea Coast to Nome. There were 20 serum mushers with dog teams and no dog ran over 92 miles. For more information, see the Sled Dog Action Coalition Website, http://www.helpsleddogs.org/.

Please stop sponsoring this horribly cruel race.  I would appreciate your response.

Sincerely,

Send a personalized version of this letter to any or all of those listed below:

Howard I. Atkins, CFO - Senior EVP

Richard M. Kovacevich, Chairman

John G. Stumpf, President, Chief Executive Officer

Wells Fargo & Company

420 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94163

Phone:    866-878-5865

Fax:        866-494-1598

Email:      frankdm@wellsfargo.com    (Deborah Frank, Exec. Assistant to Atkins)

Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman, CEO

Exxon-Mobil

5959 Las Colinas Blvd.

Irving, TX 75039-2298

Phone:    972-444-1000  

Fax:        972-444-1198,  866 751 5441 Customer Service

Email:    http://www.exxonmobil.com/    then “Contact us”

             enterprise.comments@exxonmobil.com

             customer.relations.e-mail@exxonmobil.com

Ronald Duncan - President, CEO

General Communications, Inc. (GCI)

2550 Denali St., Suite 1000

Anchorage, AK 99503-2751

Phone:  800-770-7886,  907-265-5600

Fax:      907-868-5676

Email:   rduncan@gci.com  -  admin_mgmt_external@gci.com

Robert L. Nardelli, Chairman & CEO                    

Steven Landry, Exec. V.P.

Chrysler Corporation            (Anchorage Chrysler Dodge, Sponsor)

1000 Chrysler Drive

Auburn, MI  48326

Phone:  800-992-1997

Fax:     248-512-1922

Email:  Chrysler.com, scroll to bottom “Contact us”, Customer Assistance, “email”

Michael Ellis, President

Fred Meyer Corp.

P. O. Box 42121

Portland, OR  97242

Phone:  800-858-9202, 503-797-3830

Fax:     503-797-7923

Email:  Melinda.merrill@fredmeyer.com

Dave Dillion, President & CEO

Kroger Co.                              (Parent company of Fred Meyer)

1014 Vine St.

Cincinnati, OH  45202

Phone:  513-762-4000

Fax:      513-762-1400

Email:  terri.berkemeyer@kroger.com

David J. O’Reilly, Chairman & CEO

Chevron

6001 Bollinger Canyon Rd.

San Ramon, CA  94583

Phone:  925-842-1000

Fax:      925-842-6047

Email:   comment@chevron.com

                Chevron.com, then “Contact us” “Send us an email”

Gregg Steinhafel, President & CEO

Target Corp.                                    (Sponsors “Teacher on the Trail” Program)

Mailstop: TFS 1A-X, PO Box 9350        (Especially good for teachers to write)

Minneapolis, MN  55440

Phone:  800-440-0680

Email:  guest.relations@target.com

L.A. Times article about the sixth dog, “Iditarod dog dies on airplane flight after scratching from race”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/03/iditarod-dog--1.html

L.A. Times article, “Iditarod claims fourth dog…” with comments http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/03/iditarod-claims.html