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Iditarod musher disqualified for hitting his dogs
By cuzzy | March 19, 2007
From AP
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Two-time runner-up Ramy Brooks was disqualified from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for abusing his dogs.
The 38-year-old Brooks hit each of his 10 dogs with a trail marking lathe, similar to a surveyor’s stake, after two refused to get up and continue running on an ice field, race marshal Mark Nordman told The Associated Press from Nome on Sunday.
“He felt it was a discipline he needed to get his team off the ice,” Nordman said.
Witnesses reported the incident to race officials. It happened Tuesday near Golovin, about 90 miles from the end of the 1,100-mile sled dog race in Nome.
“He lost his temper,” Nordman said. “He spanked each dog on the team, just a real frustrating moment for him.”
One of Brooks’ dogs died the next day on the trail, between White Mountain and Safety, the last checkpoint before Nome.
Nordman said based on inconclusive necropsy results on Kate, a 3-year-old female, he has no reason to believe the two incidents were related. Further tests were being conducted.
An animal rights group was upset about the incident because it came when the dogs did not want to run.
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Topics: dog news |
