The "Dark Cloud" with Clearing Skies on the Horizon

I watched the live stream of the bib draw last night....gotta love the Internet!  I must say, the Iditarod did a decent job with addressing the scandals that are hovering over this Great Race.  They acknowledged them, and then focused on the dogs, the Alaskan wilderness, the lore of the trail, and the start of Iditarod 46.  The message was, "we shall endure".  I must say well done!!!  And I'm going to do the same right now.

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I'm not a Seavey Fan.....Mitch or Dallas, I'm not a fan because of their dog hauling tactics.  HOWEVER, the Iditarod Trail Committee banned the tactic of hauling dogs behind the Musher in any way.....you may carry dogs in the sled in front of you....which has been and will always be legal to do.  I applaud the ITC for stepping up and making this rule change before a dog got seriously injured being hauled behind the sled!  Score one for the dogs!

Then there is the doping scandal swirling around Dallas, and he immediately withdrew from the race in protest.  No one is saying he drugged his dogs....the only fact the ITC has is a positive drug test from 4 of his dogs....but no proof how it got there.  I wish he stayed in the race....show us all what he can do without hauling dogs and coming out with a clean drug test throughout.  Dallas could have raced, he was not banned or punished in any way because of the way the rule was written....but instead he picked up his toys and ran off to Norway to compete in a race there....while still hurling accusations and spinning theories using a high end "fix it" PR firm from San Francisco.  Just my opinion, but if Dallas wanted to clear the cloud around him he should have competed, shown the world what he can do with a clean test in the end and no gimmick of hauling dogs.  I believe he would have done well, but he chose another path....somewhat destructive to the race but that was his choice.
Moving on to PETA.  They have been dogging the Iditarod for years, and this year hit hard and peeled away some big Sponsors of the race.  All I have to say is yes, this sport needs to clean up its act....just like horse racing and dog racing it needs to set some stricter standards that reach into the Kennels all year round and not just for 2 weeks during the race.  Again, I applaud the ITC for enacting (for 2019) a Best Kennel Certification for all kennels competing in the race.  I see this similar to the "Dairy of Distinction" certifications on NY Dairy Farms.  When you pull into one of those farms and you see that sign you know its a well run farm that takes pride in their operation.  A Best Kennel Certification will let the public know the standards for dog care has been met, and if you don't want to get Certified, then don't compete in this Great Race!  This is definitely a step in the right direction and I'm excited to see the final framework a committee of Mushers will draft for the program.

Then there is the ITC.....did they handle things badly....maybe.  Do they need to make some changes....I don't claim to know the inner workings of the Committee but I'm thinking change is good, and I believe the ITC is committed to taking steps to clear some of the perceived conflict of interest that have been identified.  This summer is going to be a watershed moment for the ITC....but for now they want to concentrate on putting on an awesome 2018 race....so lets give them the room to do that. 

So this is why there is a "dark cloud" hanging over the race right now.  But last night, during the Annual Bib Draw Banquet I felt the cloud began to lift a little....and when defending champ Mitch Seavey got up and drew Bib #13 he made a short speech, then pulled out a note from Dallas that was not defensive or rude....the message was a good one about the inspiration he gets from his dogs.  Well said Dallas....lets all concentrate on that and put the destructive drama away....lets follow those dogs....care for them, love them, and honor them.  This race....this sport will endure if we do just that!

Now lets get this party started!  Cody Strathe will lead the field out (after Honorary Musher Joee and Pam Redington).....and Hugh Neff will be bringing up the rear!  Look out southern route....here they come!