First Iditarod doggy death of the season. I hope it is the last.

A dog in the team of Nenana musher Noah Burmeister died early this morning, becoming the first to perish while the 34th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was under way.

The dog, named Yellowknife, was a 4-year-old male. Yellowknife was dropped at the Rohn checkpoint on Tuesday and flown back to Anchorage for treatment. The dog died while hospitalized.

The Iditarod Trail Committee said it ordered a necropsy on the animal.
According to Mark Nordman, race marshall, the dog seemed fine leaving Rainy Pass, the highest elevation on the trail. At some point during the 48-mile run from Rainy Pass to Rohn,

Burmeister became concerned and put the dog in his sled basket.

Race veterinarians had the dog flown from Rohn to Anchorage.

I am sure that this dog received the best care available once it made it to the vet. This race is grueling and we have deaths pretty much every year. I can't help but mention how rare it is for a human to die while participating in one of the hundreds of marathons held around the world.

I am posting this because I noticed that there was some interest in this subject by visitors to this site. I realize that I have a unique perspective because I have lived up here all of my life and therefore have been aware of the Iditarod since its inception. I have not participated but I have had the pleasure of living next door to a man who raised dogs for mushers. I got a whole lot of sleep at that house.

I would like to mention however just how treasonous a thing it is for an Alaskan to say anything even remotely negative about this race. We are very protective of our unique cultural iconic events. I would not be surprised to find my house surrounded by Carhart clad, bearded men with torches, yelling "Iditarod hater go home!" Of course that would be weird because this is my home and has been since my birth.

I really do love Alaska! I am just not all that interested in watching skinny, shivering huskies pull a fat bearded man through a blizzard. Truthfully I don't even really like standing next to some of these aromatic, occasional bathers on line at the bank. But live, and leave me the fuck alone, that is my motto.