Statistics

​IDITAROD TRAIL SLED DOG RACE


Please note:

Some findings are from the $1.4 million grant for Defense Advanced Research Projects to study the physiology of fatigue resistance of sled dogs. Some findings from the $300,000 grant for Darpa to learn why sled dogs are “fatigue-proof.”NYT


Iditarod 2024 3 Dogs Died

603 dogs started the 2024 Iditarod.
310 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were three reported deaths during the race.
Only 293 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Bog, George, Henry

  • At approximately 9:46 a.m. today, Bog, a two-year-old male from the race team of Isaac Teaford (bib#15), collapsed approximately 200 feet from the Nulato checkpoint. Iditarod checkers and one Iditarod Veterinarian approached the team and CPR was administered for 20 minutes, but Bog unfortunately did not survive.
  • At approximately 10:00 a.m. today, George, a four-year-old male from the race team of Hunter Keefe (bib# 10), collapsed on the trail roughly 35 outside of Kaltag en route to Unalakleet. Attempts to revive George were unsuccessful.
  • At approximately 10:15 a.m. today, Henry, a three-year-old male from the race team of Calvin Daugherty (bib #37), collapsed on the trail roughly 10 miles before reaching the Shaktoolik checkpoint. Daugherty administered CPR but unfortunately the attempts to revive Henry were unsuccessful.

Primary Sources: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisories
Bog’s Media Advisory
George’s Media Advisory
Henry’s Media Advisory


Iditarod 2023

462 dogs started the 2023 Iditarod.
222 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported deaths during the race.
Only 240 dogs were able to finish.


Iditarod 2022

682 dogs started the 2022 Iditarod.
364 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported deaths during the race.
Only 318 dogs were able to finish.


Iditarod 2021

644 dogs started the 2021 Iditarod.
293 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported deaths during the race.
Only 351 dogs were able to finish.


Iditarod 2020

796 dogs started the 2020 Iditarod.
488 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported deaths during the race.
Only 308 dogs were able to finish.


Iditarod 2019 1 Dog Died

726 dogs started the 2019 Iditarod.
363 dogs dropped out of the race.
1 dog died during the race.
Only 362 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Oshi

  • At 6:37PM today, Oshi, a five-year-old female from the race team of Richie Beattie (bib #50), died at a local animal hospital in Anchorage from the preliminary diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia. A board-certified veterinary pathologist completed the gross necropsy, stating that findings from the procedure were consistent with pneumonia as the reason for death.

Primary Source: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisory


Iditarod 2018 1 Dog Died

1,059 dogs started the 2018 Iditarod.
533 dogs dropped out of the race.
1 dog died during the race.
Only 525 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Blondie

  • Blonde, a five-year-old male from the race team of Katherine Keith (bib #51), died at the Koyuk checkpoint. Blonde had been dropped there earlier in the day and was being treated by veterinarians for signs of pneumonia.

Primary Source: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisory


Iditarod 2017 5 Dogs Died

1,114 dogs started the 2017 Iditarod.
449 dogs dropped out of the race.
5 dogs died during the race.
Only 660 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Deacon, Smoke, Groovey, Flash, Shilling

  • A 2-year-old male dog named Deacon, running on Sterling musher Seth Barnes’ team, died outside Galena late Thursday night, Iditarod officials reported. A report from the race said the dog died at ‘approximately 11:40 p.m. … just prior to Barnes’ arrival at the Galena checkpoint.
  • A second dog has died in the 2017 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Smoke, a 2-year-old on the team of Willow musher Scott Smith, was being transported from Galena to Anchorage late Friday when he ‘died unexpectedly,’ according to a news release from race officials. Smith had dropped Smoke in Manley Hot Springs on Tuesday due to a wrist injury.
  • A 3-year-old dog dropped during this year’s race [2017] was reportedly hit and killed by a vehicle in Anchorage after escaping from his handler’s home, according to Iditarod race marshall Mark Nordman. The dog, Groovey, was a member of John Baker’s dog team.
  • At approximately 1 a.m. this morning, Flash, a four-year-old male from the race team of Katherine Keith (bib #52), collapsed in harness and died shortly thereafter. The incident occurred about ten miles prior to Katherine’s arrival in Koyuk.
  • An Iditarod musher’s sled dog collapsed and died shortly before his team arrived at Unalakleet checkpoint Wednesday morning. Shilling, a 3-year-old male dog on the team of rookie musher [Air Force lieutenant colonel] Roger Lee, died about 10 miles before the checkpoint, according to a statement by the Iditarod Trail Committee.

Primary Sources: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisories
Deacon’s Media Advisory
Smoke’s Media Advisory
Flash’s Media Advisory
Groovey’s Media Advisory
Shilling’s Media Advisory


Iditarod 2016 1 Dog Died

1,346 dogs started the 2016 Iditarod.
611 dogs dropped out of the race.
1 dog died during the race.
Only 734 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Nash

595 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
488 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • A snowmachiner says he was driving drunk when he hit two dog teams racing in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, killing one dog and injuring several others. The snowmachine hit King’s team, according to a press release from the Iditarod Trail Committee, resulting in the death of 3-year-old Nash and non-life-threatening injuries to two others: 2-year-old Banjo and 3-year-old Crosby. A dog in Zirkle’s team also received a non-life-threatening injury.

Primary Source: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisory


Iditarod 2015 3 Dogs Died

1,244 dogs started the 2015 Iditarod.
520 dogs dropped out of the race.
3 dogs died during the race.
Only 721 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Stuart, Wyatt, Stiffy

584 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
440 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • An Iditarod sled dog was struck and killed by a car in Midtown Anchorage on Saturday night, nearly seven hours after breaking away from his team during the ceremonial start for the race. The dog, a 3-year-old black husky mix named Stuart, belonged to the team of Colorado musher Lachlan Clarke.
  • A 3-year-old sled dog named Wyatt, in the team of Lance Mackey, died early Thursday afternoon on the 119-mile trip from Tanana to Ruby, according to Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordman.
  • A second sled dog on the team of four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey has died on the trail, race officials say. A 3-year-old male husky named Stiffy expired at about 5:15 p.m. as Mackey, 44, traveled from Elim to the White Mountain, according to Race Marshal Mark Nordman.

Primary Sources: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisories
Stuart’s Media Advisory
Wyatt’s Media Advisory
Stiffy’s Media Advisory


Iditarod 2014

1,096 dogs started the 2014 Iditarod.
603 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported dog deaths.
Only 493 dogs were able to finish.

399 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
301 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.


Iditarod 2013 1 Dog Died

1,029 dogs started the 2013 Iditarod.
485 dogs dropped out of the race.
1 dog died during the race.
Only 543 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Dorado

440 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
331 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • A dog that died in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race asphyxiated while getting buried in snow during severe wind, officials said Saturday. Dorado belonged to rookie musher Paige Drobny’s team. The dog was dropped from the race Monday and was being cared for in an area set up to car for dogs dropped from the race.

Primary Source: Iditarod Trail Committee Media Advisory


Iditarod 2012

1,045 dogs started the 2012 Iditarod.
490 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported dog deaths.
Only 555 dogs were able to finish.

450 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
339 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.


Iditarod 2011

989 dogs started the 2011 Iditarod.
539 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported dog deaths.
Only 450 dogs were able to finish.

365 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
275 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • 50.6% of dropped dogs were dropped for orthopedic injuries. Of those dogs, 43.3% were dropped for orthopedic injury in their thoracic limb(s), specifically.

Primary Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283450537_A_survey_on_orthopedic_injuries_during_a_marathon_sled_dog_race


Iditarod 2010

1,133 dogs started the 2010 Iditarod.
583 dogs dropped out of the race.
There were no reported dog deaths.
Only 550 dogs were able to finish.

446 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
336 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.


Iditarod 2009 6 Dogs Died

1,071 dogs started the 2009 Iditarod.
490 dogs dropped out of the race.
6 dogs died during the race.
Only 575 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Victor, Dizzy, Grasshopper, Maynard, Omen, Cirque

466 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
351 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • A dog (6-year-old Victor) running the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Jeff Holt’s team died suddenly early Tuesday morning, according to a press release from the race’s Anchorage headquarters. It happened between the Rainy Pass and Rohn checkpoints.
  • Two more dogs (Dizzy and Grasshopper) have died during the 2009 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Musher Lou Packer, a rookie from Wasilla, was overdue on his run from the ghost town of Iditarod to Shageluk along with two other teams on Monday when race officials dispatched an Iditarod Air Force pilot to search for them. When spotted by the pilot, Packer signaled he was in distress, according to an Iditarod press release. Upon landing, the pilot discovered that two of Packer’s 15 dogs had died. Rookie Lou Packer, a physician from Wasilla, believes his dogs died of hypothermia after his team was trapped out in 45-below temperatures and howling wind in the Innoko River country. He could feel ice begin to form under the skin of one of the dogs before its death, he said, but there was nothing he could do to help the animal.
  • A five year old male named Maynard in the team of Warren Palfrey (Yellowknife NWT, Canada) died on the trail between Safety and Nome late last evening. The incident occurred about an hour before Palfrey’s arrival.
  • An eight year old male named Omen in the team of Rick Larson (Bib #5) died on the Iditarod Trail between Elim and White Mountain earlier today.
  • Earlier today (at approximately 12 noon AKDT) Iditarod Race officials sent a plane from Nome to Shaktoolik to pick up scratched musher Alan Peck’s dog team. On the flight back to Nome the aircraft encountered significant turbulence. By the time the pilot was able to land in Golovin, it was discovered that one of the dogs (Cirque, a 2 year-old female) was deceased.

Iditarod 2008 3 Dogs Died

1,515 dogs started the 2008 Iditarod.
705 dogs dropped out of the race.
3 dogs died during the race.
Only 807 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Zaster, Lorne, Cargo

654 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
492 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • A 7-year-old male named Zaster in the team of musher #87, John Stetson, died at 0120 this morning. Zaster was dropped at Ophir at 0200 on Friday and had been transported to Anchorage where he was being treated for signs of pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia was determined to be the likely cause of death.
  • At approximately 10 p.m. last evening, a snowmachiner ran into Jennifer Freking’s team on the Yukon River near Koyukuk. Unfortunately, the incident caused the death of a 3-year-old female named Lorne.
  • A 4-year-old male named Cargo died at 5:00 pm on Tuesday March 11, 2008. Cargo was part of the team of Kotzebue Alaska musher, Ed Iten (Bib #32). He passed away between Elim and White Mountain.

Iditarod 2007 3 Dogs Died

1,287 dogs started the 2007 Iditarod.
731 dogs dropped out of the race.
3 dogs died during the race.
Only 553 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Snickers, Thong, “Name Unknown”

309 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
344 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • Witnesses said they saw Ramy Brooks punch and kick some of his dogs and hit them with a ski pole when they refused to leave a checkpoint during a March 15, 2007 stage in Golovin, Alaska, less than 100 miles (160 km) from the finish in Nome, Alaska. One of Brooks‘ dogs died the day after the incident, but a necropsy could not determine why the dog died (name unknown).
  • Shane Goosen – who has taken part in the Iditarod three times, told the Iditarod board that during the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race in January 2007, five people said they saw Brooks kick, hit and drag his dogs and that, “There is no doubt in my mind that he beat his dogs,” and, “It took three days to disqualify this guy, there went the credibility of the Iditarod right there — it’s gone”, said Goosen. Bud Smyth, a former race marshal and Iditarod musher, criticized race officials, saying the Iditarod officials were slow to interview and tape record witnesses. Musher Perry Solmonson stated “It is just a sad situation, I hope as a board you will have some integrity and do what is necessary for the dogs.”
  • Snickers, a six and a half year old female in the team of Karen Ramstead, died at approximately 11 p.m. on Sunday night in the checkpoint of Grayling. Preliminary indications showed that Snickers expired as a result of and acute hemorrhage due to a gastric ulcer.
  • A three year old male named “Thong” in the team of Matt Hayashida, died this morning on the trail between Koyuk and Elim. Preliminary indications showed that Thong expired as a result of acute pneumonia.

Primary Source: 2007 Iditarod – Wikipedia
Secondary Source: FOXNews.com – Iditarod Musher Loses Dog, 3 Positions – More Sports


Iditarod 2006 4 Dogs Died

1,323 dogs started the 2006 Iditarod.
582 dogs dropped out of the race.
4 dogs died during the race.
Only 737 dogs were able to finish.

RIP Yellowknife, Bear, Cupid, Jack

597 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
450 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • Yellowknife, a 4-year-old male from Noah Burmeister’s team, died on March 9 at 6:00 a.m.. Yellowknife was initially dropped at Rohn on March 7, and was provided medical care in Anchorage. The preliminary necroposy indicated pneumonia as the cause of death.
  • Bear, a 3-year-old male from David Sawatzsky’s team, died on March 11 between Cripple and Ruby. The gross necroposy found no abnormalities.
  • Cupid, a 4-year-old female from Jim Lanier’s team, died on March 12 between Galena and Nulato. The gross necropsy found regurgitation and aspiration were the likely cause of death, and secondarily gastric ulcers.
  • Jack, a 5-year-old male from Wisconsin musher Ron Cortte’s team, died on March 18 at White Mountain. Jack was examined by veterinarians on arrival and appeared normal, but died of unknown causes 30 min later.

Primary Source: 2006 Iditarod – Wikipedia


Iditarod 2005 – 4 Dogs Died

RIP Rita, Nellie, Oakley, Tyson

474 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
357 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • Gebhardt’s dog Rita dropped dead while in harness en route from Anvik on March 12.  A preliminary necropsy indicates the cause of death was anemia, from gastric ulcers.
  • Nellie, Doug Swingley’s dog died in Anchorage on March 17, after being dropped off in Elim at March 15 with pneumonia. The gross necropsy indicated an intestinal abnormality (a double intussusception).
  • Oakley, Jason Barron’s dog died on March 17 on the way to Nome from Safety. The gross necropsy revealed no cause of death.
  • Tyson, Michael Salvisberg’s dog died on March 18. Tyson was dropped in White Mountain and transported to Nome. The dog was tied to the ski of the plane but the lead came loose and Tyson ran onto the ice of the Bering Sea, fell into open water, and drowned.
  • Airway dysfunction persists despite 4 months of rest: “Racing Alaskan sled dogs have airway dysfunction similar to ‘ski asthma’ that persists despite having 4 months of rest. These findings suggest that repeated exercise in cold conditions can lead to airway disease that does not readily resolve with cessation of exercise.”

Primary Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Iditarod
Secondary Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8041005_Effect_of_Training_and_Rest_on_Respiratory_Mechanical_Properties_in_Racing_Sled_Dogs


Iditarod 2004 2 Dogs Died

RIP Wolf, Takk

595 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
448 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • A 5-year-old dog in the team of Lance Mackey of Kasilof died Tuesday, the first animal to perish in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. Race marshal Mark Nordman said the dog, named Wolf, died about 20 miles into the 80-mile-long trip mushers make across the desolate Farewell Burn from a cabin in Rohn to the town of Nikolai.
  • Kjetil Backen, who was between a quarter-mile and half-mile from the Unalakleet checkpoint when he stopped his sled, said the dog (a 7-year-old male named Takk) sat down and died.

Primary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/472594448/
Secondary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/664776085/


Iditarod 2003 1 Dog Died

RIP Joker

309 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
232 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • Joker, a 7-year-old male, was in the team of Jim Gallea. The dog died Sunday as Gallea was traveling from White Mountain to Safety.

Primary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/614660073/


Iditarod 2002 2 Dogs Died

RIP Goro, Mark

424 dogs finished with signs of lung damage.
320 dogs finished with ulcers or ulcerations.

  • Jim Oehlschlaeger’s dog Goro died in the 2002 Iditarod. He was a 5 year old male. The preliminary report released Monday night said the dog suffered a spinal injury in the neck area as the result of a tangle in the gangline.
  • The Iditarod Trail Committee was notified today by Musher DeeDee Jonrowe that her lead dog Mark died during surgery to repair a stomach ulcer.
  • 81 percent of the dogs who finish the Iditarod have lung damage: “To investigate, the team of researchers examined the airways of 59 sled dogs 24 to 48 hours after they completed the long and arduous race. Their findings are published in the September issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Primary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/243618668/
Secondary Source: (PDF) Racing Alaskan Sled Dogs as a Model of “Ski Asthma” (researchgate.net)


Iditarod 2001 2 Dogs Died

RIP Dan, Carhartt

  • “Race officials said preliminary findings of a necropsy performed on the 3-year-old male named Dan showed fluid in the lungs. The dog’s death was determined to have been caused by pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. The only other significant abnormalities observed included a decrease in esophageal and gastric (stomach) muscle tone combined with gastric ulcerations.”
  • Little from Kasilof, a reporter for the Daily News, left the dog (Carhartt) in the care of Iditarod handlers Tuesday because it looked tired and wasn’t eating well. The dog was signed outb of Hiland Mountain late Thursday by Melissa DeVaughn, an experienced musher and co-worker of Little’s. She found it dead in her yard Friday morning. The dog died of an uncommon condition known as pyothorax, a bacterial infection of the chest cavity lining.

Primary Source: https://www.espn.com/moresports/news/2001/0311/1149859.html


Iditarod 2000 1 Dog Died

RIP Tobuk

  • A dog named Tobuk traveling in the team of musher Al Hardman near Elim abruptly keeled over and died (March 16th). Exactly one year ago on March 15 Rodman, Jeremy Gebauer’s dog, died of the same affliction running Iditarod ’99, said race veterinarian Stuart Nelson.
  • A pilot study of dogs that were either dropped from the 2000 Iditarod Sled Dog Race because of illness or that finished the race indicated that, approximately 5 days after competing, 10 of 28 dogs (35%) had endoscopic evidence of gastric ulceration, erosion, or hemorrhage. The next year, an endoscopic study of 73 dogs participating in the 2001 Iditarod race was performed in order to evaluate a larger population of dogs. Data from 70 of these dogs could be used; 34 (48.5%) had ulceration, erosion, gastric hemorrhage, or some combination of these findings. When this group of 70 dogs was compared retrospectively to a control group of 87 dogs presented to the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the Iditarod sled dogs had a significantly higher prevalence (P = .049) of gastric lesions.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-16-2000-p-5/
Secondary Source: Prevalence of Gastric Lesions in Racing Alaskan Sled Dogs | (researchgate.net)


Iditarod 1999 1 Dog Died

RIP Rodman

  • The race saw its first dog death Sunday when a 3-year-old male in Jeremy Gebauer’s team expired at 3:15pm, one mile from Anvik. Gebauer was completing the 25-mile run from Shageluk when the dog, named Rodman, collapsed.

Primary Source: https://apnews.com/article/eff7fc5353beea3ce06cbc13f87e03ab


Iditarod 1998 – 1 Dog Died

RIP Trim

  • Trim, a 5-year-old male from Linda Joy’s team, died Wednesday night during the Shaktoolik-to-Koyuk run of the 1,100-mile mushing marathon, race marshal Mark Nordman said. Joy told Iditarod officials that the dog showed no signs of weakness before it collapsed. She tried to revive the animal but was unsuccessful.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/cumberland-times-news-mar-20-1998-p-12/


Iditarod 1997 5 Dogs Died

RIP Nip, Beege, Scrub, Al Gore, Teller

  • The triumphant 25th anniversary march to Nome of Joe Redington Sr., 80-year-old founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, was marred by tragic losses Thursday as both he and another musher pulled into the Kuskokwim River checkpoint packing dead dogs, the third and fourth canine fatalities on the trail this year. Redington and Jean Lacroix, traveling in 30th and 48th position respectively, both were allowed to continue on the trail to Nome, albeit with brief delays, after race officials again found no apparent cause for the dogs’ deaths. Both incidents took place on the 50-mile trail from Nikolai.
  • Over the 400 miles preceding his abrupt death out on the trail, Nip, a 4-year-old male in Redington’s team, had been frisky and impressive according to Butcher.
  • The dog just died. We were going along fine, then he went down. It looked like he was breathing real hard and five seconds later he was dead.
  • The necropsy showed Redington’s casualty, according to Nelson, had elevated creatine kinase levels and the most serious muscular deterioration seen among the three fatalities linked by depleted vitamin E.
  • An 8-year-old female in the team of Jean Lacroix of Bourdelins, France, died at 2:25pm, two miles before the musher reached the McGrath checkpoint.
  • Iditarod veterinarians have not determined why a dog, belonging to Wayne Curtis of Wasilla, died early Wednesday. Nor have they been able to pinpoint the cause of death Monday of a dog belonging to musher Bill Bass.
  • The deaths of Al Gore and Teller, the Iditarod’s other two 1997 fatalities, were attributed to respiratory ailments traced to ulcers uncovered in the necropsies.
  • One dog, Beege (Stormwatch’s B J), a pure-bred Siberian in Wayne Curtis team, suffered from the multiple ailments of an ulcer, related aspiration pneumonia, and the muscle inflammation/low vitamin E condition.
  • Four of the five 1997 Iditarod fatalities, including all three of the vitamin E deficient dogs, died in the first 400 miles of the 1,150-mile race. The exception was Al Gore, a veteran dog in Nicholas Pattaroni’s team. The dog’s death on the Bearing Sea coast near Shaktoolik was traced to an ulcer-related pneumonia.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-07-1997-p-1/
Secondary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/440569813/


Iditarod 1996 1 Dog Died

RIP Ariel

  • Iditarod’s official necropsy determined that Ariel, a 3-year-old female, did not have a broken neck, did not die of suffocation, the musher said, noting that no medical reason was found for the dog’s death after a brief swim through freezing overflow late Monday night.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-06-1996-p-1/


Iditarod 1995 1 Dog Died

RIP Payday

  • Trouble began about 35 miles from the finish, where the musher encountered blowing snow and winds that made it impossible to see the trail. He camped for about three hours before deciding to make the run for Safety. With his team rested and fed, and the moon shining, he began hooking up the dogs when he noticed that one, “Payday,” did not move. When the dog began walking in circles, Funatsu said he put the animal into his sled bag and checked it periodically. The dog was dead about an hour later, the musher said.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-20-1995-p-3/


Iditarod 1994 – 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • The last three Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race champions were the first mushers out of Nikolai checkpoint Tuesday evening, after a bizarre 24 hours in which five musher suffered carbon monoxide poisoning and one of Susan Butcher’s dogs died on the trail.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-09-1994-p-1/


Iditarod 1993 6 Dogs Died

RIP Sugar, Bones, Names Unknown

  • A dog running in the 1993 Iditarod died Sunday about 150 miles from the starting line of the 1,100-mile race, officials said. A dog running with musher Claire Philip died along the trail between Knik and Skwentna.
  • One dog died of apparent heart failure in the race’s opening days. James Leach, Iditarod head veterinarian, said there was no official word yet on what had caused the dog deaths. Field studies showed accidents accounted for two fatalities. Three more were linked to heart problems.
  • In this year’s race, a dog belonging to Laird Barron died in a trail accident when the team became entangled in itself.
  • Another died when Rick Townsend’s team bolted off the trail chasing a fox. It stumbled in the snow and snapped its neck.
  • After the storm hit, a race official found Bev Masek hunkered down along the trail and told her to leave her dogs behind as he took her to shelter on a snowmobile. Other officials tried to lead her dogs to a checkpoint before she returned, and her 12-year-old lead dog, Sugar, died en route. Masek announced Monday she is suing the Iditarod for killing her dog.
  • One of Frank Teasley’s dogs, Bones, was killed when it inexplicably bolted from the team and was dragged 100 yards before he could stop.
  • And Diana Dronenburg lost one during the mandatory 12-hour rest at White Mountain to a respiratory illness.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-09-1994-p-1/


Iditarod 1992 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • The 1992 race claimed one dog. It died of heart failure.
  • A dog in the team of Raymie Redington died en route to Skwentna from what veterinarians concluded was a pre-existing heart condition that was undetectable in a routine examination.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-21-1995-p-3/


Iditarod 1991 – 6 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • On the second day of this year’s Iditarod, Wills said, he saw dogs with bleeding paws, and many dogs that were “unsocialized – sulky, shying away from people.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-21-1995-p-3/
Secondary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/242334939/


Iditarod 1990

  • Jerry Riley was disqualified for mistreating a dog, which a veterinarian at one checkpoint said had six fractured teeth and severe bruising.

Primary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/345315818/


Iditarod 1987 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • On the second day out of Anchorage, one of Butcher’s dogs dropped dead as the team approached a checkpoint. An autopsy showed the animal died of internal hemorrhaging caused by lesions on his liver.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-18-1987-p-1/


Iditarod 1985 – 9 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • John Ace of Sutton was the first musher this year to lose a dog when one got tangled up in the towing lines and apparently strangled near Rabbit Lake, only 110 miles into the 1,100-mile race.
  • Susan Butcher, favored to win that year, had to withdraw after a moose attack that killed two of her dogs.
  • Victor Jorge’s dog team got involved in a vicious fight while mushers waited out a storm at Rainy Pass Lodge. Two dogs died.
  • British musher Alan Cheshire was rounding a curve on the trail along the Rohn River when a dog’s harness caught on a tree. “The rest of the team kept going. I think it strangled,” he said.
  • Joe Redington, “Father of the Iditarod,” lost one of his best dogs after he missed the turnoff at the Rohn Roadhouse checkpoint, 320 miles into the trial. He turned his team to backtrack, and as the line grew slack, one dog tried to reach two females in heat farther back in the team. The line suddenly went taut again, and the dog was snapped over backward, Redington said.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-19-1985-p-3/


1983 Iditarod – 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • Another (musher) was disqualified early in the race for shooting an injured dog. The animal had broken its leg in a fight with another team, was in great pain and the driver thought it impossible to carry the wounded beast on to the next checkpoint where a veterinarian might be available.
  • “He used poor judgement,” said a race judge. “If the dog had been stepped on by a moose and its guts scattered up and down the trail, there would have been no problem.”

Primary Source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/437081124/


​Iditarod 1981 – 5 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • Jerry Riley of Nenana was banned from the 1982 race for allegedly mistreating his dogs the previous year. Although three of his dogs died in the 1981 race, Riley denied he was cruel to his dogs, and went to court in an unsuccessful attempt to get into the race.
  • Race officials were awaiting the results of autopsies performed on two dogs from the team of 1976 champion Jerry Riley. One died shortly after the Nenana musher arrived in McGrath on Thursday. The other was already dead.
  • Committee Executive Director Jack Frost said five dogs died as a result of last (1981’s) year’s race from Anchorage to Nome. Three of them were Riley’s.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-jan-19-1982-p-3/


Iditarod 1980 – 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • For the first time in the eight-year history of the race, officials disqualified a musher, rookie Landon Carter from San Rafael, California, for being cruel to his dogs. Race Marshall Pat Hurren disqualified Carter after one of his dogs died on the trail and he left its body there, less than two miles from the Nancy Lake starting line. Carter also was cited for cruel treatment of his team.

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-04-1980-p-1/


Iditarod 1979 – 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • “Mushers have been complaining that the trail is very hard and many dogs have developed sore paws. One dog has died this year. Bud Smith of Fairbanks lost a dog at Nicolai. Officials said the death was related to an injury suffered in practice before the race began last week.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-03-1979-p-1/


​Iditarod 1977 2 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • “Dinah Knight of Minneapolis was still in the race Thursday, despite difficulties with her team and the death of one dog. One of two women in this year’s race, she was reported in at Rohn River, the only musher at that checkpoint. Knight’s team broke away from the sled Wednesday. Another musher caught her dogs fie miles down the trail, and tied them up for the night. She went after the animals Thursday and found that one of her dogs had died in the interim. There was no report available on the cause of the animal’s death.”
  • “A race veterinarian said Wednesday the dog belonging to (Don) Honea which died on the first leg of the race last Saturday apparently died of strangulation. The animal was found dead in its harness in Susitna, the first checkpoint 61 miles from Anchorage.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-mar-11-1977-p-2/


​Iditarod 1976 1 Dog Died

Name Unknown

  • “Ms. Pegau said one dog had been reported dead along the trail. An autopsy by three veterinarians had not determined the cause of death, but tissue samples reportedly were taken for a biopsy. She said it was not known when results of the test would be available.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-15-1976-p-3/


Iditarod 1974 16 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • “Starting with the first Iditarod race in 1973, animal protection groups criticized the marathon as cruel to dogs. They cited the high number of dog deaths on the trail – 15 the first year, 16 the second.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-11-1985-p-6/


Iditarod 1973 15 Dogs Died

Names Unknown

  • “Starting with the first Iditarod race in 1973, animal protection groups criticized the marathon as cruel to dogs. They cited the high number of dog deaths on the trail – 15 the first year, 16 the second.”

Primary Source: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-mar-11-1985-p-6/