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
|