Sled Dog Watchdog - Yukon Quest media coverage 2007

The year 2007 saw advocacy on behalf of Yukon and Yukon Quest sled dogs taken online with the launch
of the SledDogWatchdog.com website in February of 2007. The message was taken 'Outside', as the
Yukon populace is either largely apathetic about the treatment of sled dogs, or is knee-deep in supporting
sled dog cruelty and exploitation by its support of the Yukon Quest. Like most social causes, it will
infortunately take embarrassing those who support this cruelty (Tourism Yukon and other government
agencies, as well as Yukon businesses) in order to bring about positive change for the dogs.

The Sled Dog Watchdog group was truly appreciative of the assistance received from wonderful
organizations and caring individuals such as the Animal Advocates Society of British Columbia, Mary
Martin and her excellent 'Animal Person' blog, Lavone Zeviar (who distributes stories about Yukon sled
dog and other animal cruelty to a huge mailing list of people around the world) and the 'Saint Francis of
the Yukon,' Mike Grieco.

Yukon media sources continue to be asleep at the wheel regarding the use of investigative journalism
techniques to delve into the cruel aspects of the dog mushing industry. Yukon media, in light of the three
dogs who were killed in the 2007 Quest race (and Quest veteran musher Frank Turner broaching the
taboo subject of Quest mushers culling dogs), no longer have an excuse for not getting their 'asses in
gear' and starting to provide truthful and balanced reporting about the dog mushing industry and the
Yukon Quest.

There are very few northern journalists who deserve positive recognition:

Al Foster of CBC Yukon Television did a well-balanced interview with a Sled Dog Watchdog
spokesperson early in the 2007 Quest (the Quest declined to comment or 'had no comment'). He also
acknowledged, in a 'public service-flavoured' CBC TV Northbeat piece about the 2008 Quest, that the
'glaring eyes of animal rights activists' will be a feature of the '25th running' of the Quest in 2008.

Aboriginal Peoples' Television Network reporter Roxanne Livingstone also conducted a national
television interview giving voice to concerns of local sled dog advocacy. The story closed with an
agitated-sounding Stephen Reynolds, Yukon Quest Executive Director, giving a ridiculous and pathetic
defence of the Quest with a statement along the lines of "these people need to realize that these are highly
trained athletes, not your average dogs that sit on the couch all day."

Genesee Keevil (apparently also a recreational dog musher), 'gutsy' reporter for Yukon News, was by
far the best reporter during the 2007 Quest (as she was in the 2006 race). Keevil was perhaps the only
race reporter who could sleep with a clear conscience having done her job as a journalist in 2006 and
2007. During the summer of 2007, Keevil wrote a couple of stories about Quest mushers (whose main
source of income comes from their sled dog tour operations), containing statements by mushers or their
employees in the stories, making light of the concerns of 'animal rights' people. I sometimes wonder if she
was playing a bit of a 'devil's advocate' role in eliciting some 'reader feedback' during a slow news cycle.
The only problem is that most Yukon Quest/dog mushing supporters would fail to see any irony contained
in her reporting. The Yukon News, largely thanks to 'equally-gutsy' Senior Editor Richard Mostyn, has
stepped forward as being the sole dependable Yukon media source for allowing dissenting views about
the Quest and the sled dog industry to be published.

Ex-Yukon News reporter Jillian Rogers (also a dog musher, with a goal of someday competing in the
Yukon Quest), who now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska is fairly responsible about reporting about distasteful
aspects of dog mushing and the Quest. Ms. Rogers took over the Alaska portion of Quest coverage for
CBC Yukon. She shed some light on how sled dogs get frozen penises during the race (a female Quest
dog reportedly had a frozen urethra during the 2006 Quest) - those cute fleece coats some of the Quest
dogs wear apparently are a mixed blessing as their urine freezes in their coats, thereby causing frostbite to
their private parts. [Ed. Note - Genesee Keevil also reported about 'frozen private parts']

Ms. Rogers, in a special report for the Yukon News about the 'sport' of dog mushing during the 2006
Arctic Winter Games in Alaska, provided the 'quaint anecdote' about an Alaskan dog mushing coach
teaching young mushers to insert a matchstick into the rectums of their dogs in order to make the dogs
void their bowels prior to the race. I can tell that you there is no shortage of animal rights people who
would love the opportunity to return the favour to this person. A version of this story appeared in a 2007
edition of 'Mushing Magazine', except that (apparently) the editor of this 'dog-mushing pornography rag'
left out the critical piece of information about the matchstick in the rectum.

'Matchstick-up-the-butt'

Training a dog to poop on command is challenging at best, so [Rex] Jones uses the old 'matchstick-up-the butt' trick. "The irritation
of the matchstick helps them clean their system and therefore run a better race," said Jones.

[Rex Jones is the owner and operator of Arctic Paws Kennel and Sled Dog School in Chugiak, Alaska.
Jillian Rogers -Yukon News, March 8, 2006]

Important Yukon Quest Race news stories of 2007 [majority of stories are by Genesee
Keevil of Yukon News - these stories are from the 2007 archives on the Yukon News web
site - Yukon News ONLINE available by free subscription at http://yukon-news.com ]

"Maybe I'm too 'mommy-like' with my dogs"
[Sled dogs 'left to starve' near Whitehorse rehabilitated as racing sled dogs]

'Injuries, purse money and pong'
[Yukon Government $50,000 purse injection somewhat placates whining dog mushers]

'We are just beginning our quest'
[Human rights and spiritual writer insensitive to sled dog cruelty]

'Dog dies on Quest trail'
[Japanese musher Yuka Honda "gut-shot" on death of dog]

'Sled dogs like Reggae'
['Jamaican dog mushers' to join Yukon Quest circus]

'Quick CPR saves dog on the trail'
[Quest musher revives over-stressed sled dog whose heart had stopped]

'Good trail conditions mean high speeds and injured dogs'
['Many injured dogs competing in 2007 Quest']

'Mackey wins gold second year in a row'
[Lance Mackey drives dogs 159 kilometers, with little rest for dogs, to win 'gold poke']

'Not all mushers race to win'
["950 sled dogs go through the Fairbanks Animal Shelter every year"]

'Flying solo gets Quest rookie kicked out of race'
['Homeless musher' kicked out of Quest for not having dog handler support]

Quest Notebook: 'Sled dogs in jail'
[Quest musher John Schandelmeier's dog care/Yukon Quest organization allows controversial drug to be
used on injured dogs]

'Iditarod strategy changes the face of the Yukon Quest'
['Long, 160-kilometre runs becoming more typical in Yukon Quest']

'Race vets want to learn what makes four legged athletes tick'
[Ghouls and vampires conduct 'scientific research' into sled dog injuries and deaths along the Quest
trail]

Web exclusive: 'Mackey's dog team is in the dark'
["Lance Mackey's dogs never know how long they're going to be running for, or when they're going to
eat"]

'Injuries, exhaustion and bad luck force three more mushers to scratch'
[Musher Frank Turner 'fights back tears' over his dog team's suffering]

'Race marshal messes with Mackey's mind'
["Iditarod people make fun of the Quest people because of the ineptness of the people in charge" - Quest
musher Hugh Neff]

'Too cold to race, or lift a leg'
[Quest race "cold enough to freeze a dog's privates"]

'A record breaking run earns Mackey third Quest'
[Story excerpt - Second-place finisher Hans Gatt runs dogs nursing injuries from race start]

'Second dog dies on Quest'
["He just went down like a gunshot" - Quest race marshal Mike McCowan]

'Trading lions, tigers and bears for sled dogs'
["After training all those exotic animals, training dogs was really easy" - Quest veteran musher and
ex-animal trainer Wayne Hall]

'With a well-rested, healthy dog team, Phillips moves up the ranks'
["Never trust a musher - we're all full of bullshit" - Quest musher Michelle Phillips]

'Eagle Summit stalls dog teams'
[One false step on Eagle Summit and it's a fast, bumpy plunge to the bottom]

'Leasing a team is more worry than it's worth'
[One of the dead Quest dogs (Jewel) belonged to Alaska musher Bill Cotter, who leased his dog team to
Japanese musher Yuka Honda]

'Quest notebook: Third dog dies on Quest'
["It's sad, but people and dogs die every day" - Quest race marshal Mike McCowan]

'Banquet leaves one musher out in the cold'
[Story excerpt - Alaskan musher Richie Beattie's feelings hurt after his dog team causes him to lose $4,000
in prize money]