P & G Kills Date: February 22, 2000 Contact: Elliot Katz, DVM, 415-388-9641, ext 25 or Rick Bogle 415-388-9641, ext 19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
One More Reason To Boycott Proctor & Gamble; Company Sponsors Two Children in Junior Iditarod
From the Sled Dog Action Coalition
Iams (Eukanuba)/Proctor and Gamble is sponsoring 2 children in the 2000 Junior Iditarod. The Junior Iditarod is for children ages 14 to 17. According to the Iditarod Trail Committee, the purpose of the Junior Iditarod is to train young children to run in the Iditarod. Please write to P&G. A sample letter is provided for your use.
Sample Letter:
Durk I. Jager, Chairman
Iams/Proctor & Gamble
One Procter & Gamble Plaza
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-983-1100
Fax: 513-983-9369
Mr. Jager:
Iams (Eukanuba)/Proctor and Gamble is sponsoring 2 children in the 2000 Junior Iditarod dog sled race. According to the Iditarod Trail Committee, the purpose of the Junior Iditarod is to train young children to run in the Iditarod.
I would like to bring some facts to your attention about the Iditarod dog sled race and the kennels it spawns. Animal protection groups across the United States condemn this race and the kennels for their cruelty.
In the Iditarod, dogs are forced to run 1,150 miles over a grueling terrain in 9 to 14 days, which is the approximate distance between Cincinnati and Miami. Dog deaths and injuries are common in the race. Jon Saraceno, sports columnist for USA Today, called the race "Ihurtadog" and "an outrage." Please visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website at http://www.helpsleddogs.org to see pictures and for more information.
The Iditarod dog sled race violates accepted standards regarding animal cruelty as is shown by the laws of 39 states and the District of Columbia. These 39 states and the District of Columbia have animal anti-cruelty laws that say "overdriving" and "overworking" an animal is animal cruelty.
The Iditarod dog sled race spawns puppy mills. In Iditarod kennels or puppy mills, killing unwanted dogs is a common practice among mushers. These mushers breed many dogs, hoping to get a few who will be fast enough to race. According to an article in the Anchorage Daily News, "Killing unwanted sled-dog puppies is part of doing business" (October 6, 1991). Most of the mushers cull by shooting their dogs in the head. An animal who is not properly restrained when the musher shoots may suffer an agonizing death. Mushers also kill dogs who are injured in the Iditarod, old but otherwise healthy dogs, or any dog who is not wanted for any reason. Musher Lorraine Temple said, "They (the big racing outfits) can't keep a dog who's a mile an hour too slow" (Currents, Fall, 1999).
It is standard for the dogs to spend their entire lives outside tethered to metal chains that can be as short as four feet long. In 1997 the United States Department of Agriculture determined that the tethering of dogs was inhumane and not in the animals' best interests. The chaining of dogs as a primary means of enclosure is prohibited in all cases where federal law applies. A dog who is permanently tethered is forced to urinate and defecate where he sleeps, which conflicts with his natural instinct to eliminate away from his living area. Being close to his own fecal material, a dog can easily catch deadly parasitical diseases by stepping in or sniffing his own waste.
After learning of the brutalities associated with the Iditarod, many companies have disassociated themselves from the race. Among them are Novartis, Hills Brothers (Nestle), Outback Steakhouse, and Sherwin-Williams. Visit http://www.helpsleddogs.org/success.htm for more information. I hope Proctor & Gamble will end its Iditarod involvement.
Sincerely,
-End-
IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS - 131 CAMINO ALTO, SUITE E - MILL VALLEY, CA 94941 - 415-388-9641