[Dakota]

I would like to know, what are your thoughts and opinions on the Iditarod sled dog race?? Have any of you ever watched it whether it was on TV or live? ( I did a search on the Iditarod in this forum and I didn't find any threads on it so I decided to make one )
I will go first.
My opinion on the Iditarod is its a great race testing human and canine skill, stamina, strength. It takes a serious and dedicated musher with really good and well trained dogs to run it and win. The bond between a musher and their dogs grows during the Iditarod as they make it through hardships and difficult times while navigating a trail along the most beautiful and unforgiving terrain in the Alaskan wilderness.
Some do not agree with the race saying that it is cruel to make the dogs run 1,040 miles in frigid temperatures, pulling a 300lb sled. Although it does look like it is cruel on the outside, it really isn't. Some people have gotten the wrong idea on the Iditarod from animal rights websites who are set out to shut down the Iditarod. The AR activists who usually make these websites and write articles have seen or heard of one bad thing that happened during the race and they have jumped to the conclusion that the race and all who are apart of it are abusing animals and allowing others to abuse animals. They have assumed and blown things out of proportion concerning the Iditarod. With out searching for facts and visiting kennels and actually talking to mushers they have called all dog mushers who run the Iditarod abusers and some have called dog mushers in general abusers. They don't understand that the dogs LOVE to run and will stop at nothing to have the chance to run.
Wells these are just my thoughts and opinions on it. Now its your turn! (I could go into more detail but I don't want to bore you. )