ALERT: Protect Iditarod dogs from Microsoft and Coca-Cola

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UPDATED ALERT - PLEASE CROSS POST

 

From The Sled Dog Action Coalition, http://www.helpsleddogs.org:

 

The dogs used in the 1,150 mile Iditarod dog sled race need you to tell

Microsoft, Coca-Cola and other new Iditarod promoters not to support dog

torture.

 

The torture begins in the Iditarod puppy mills where dogs are permanently

tethered on 4 to 5 foot chains, living in their own fecal material. Mushers

breed large numbers of dogs, and kill the unwanted ones with a shot to the

head. Death by gunshot can be terribly painful.

 

During the race, dogs fall injured, ill and die, sometimes from neglected

ulcers, heart failure, pneumonia and from eating contaminated food.

 

Please stand up for the dogs and tell the promoters not to support this

barbarism. Below is a list of NEW (as of several weeks ago) and OLD 2003

promoters and a sample letter. The Sled Dog Action Coalition is careful to

document the race involvement of each organization listed.

 

Emails are first given in block form separately for the NEW and the OLD

promoters, followed by a sample letter. Emails for NEW and OLD 2003 promoters

are given separately under the sample letter.

 

NEW (as of several weeks ago) 2003 promoters:

 

msft, jdunn, obrown, randy_siegel,

tricon.investor,

jbeyersdorfer, jclark,

chbriscoe, Investor_Relations,

eniva, redpaw, info,

neisgar2, sales

 

OLD (previously given) 2003 promoters:

 

Elizabeth.Wade, NewsOutback,

hhc, marketing,

investorrelations, investors,

media, invest,

consumeraffairs, enterprise.comments,

newsroom, dave.dunnewald, ptalamantes,

info, MButler, Customer.Service,

info, jfahey, stephen.sanger,

mstewart, investor_relations,

info, Shareholder.Relations, agilmour,

john.devine, shareholders.im, nationalaccounts,

IRglobal, melissa.thompson,

jthompson, mail,

superintendent, WCavalier,

service, info, discoverywww,

bllindskog, joyce,

phenry, brookpark, custfeedback,

asc_mkt, bonnie_ingraham,

customerservice, info, jdc,

info, rambler, cymbainc,

info, info,

international, taplowf, evy,

info, info, ryoung,

caninecaviar, nelsonmfg, Bruce_Anderson,

James_Pouliot

 

PLEASE PERSONALIZE SAMPLE LETTER (If you will be boycotting, please say so.):

 

Dear

 

I understand your organization is associated with the Iditarod, and I would

like to bring some facts to your attention. This race is condemned by animal

protection groups and animal lovers across the United States. Please stop

supporting this abusive race and all of the evils associated with it.

 

Mushers treat their dogs abominably. In the Iditarod, dogs are forced to run

1,150 miles over a grueling terrain in 8 to 14 days, which is the approximate

distance between Orlando and New York City. Dog deaths and injuries are

common in the race. USA Today sports columnist Jon Saraceno called the

Iditarod " a travesty of grueling proportions " and " Ihurtadog. " Fox

sportscaster Jim Rome called it " I-killed-a-dog. " Orlando Sentinel sports

columnist George Diaz said the race is " a barbaric ritual " and " an illegal

sweatshop for dogs. "

 

Please visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website

http://www.helpsleddogs.org and be sure to read the quotes on

http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks.htm.

 

At least 119 dogs have died in the Iditarod. There is no official count of

dog deaths available for the race's early years. Causes of death have

included strangulation in towlines, internal hemorrhaging after being gouged

by a sled, liver injury, heart failure, and pneumonia. " Sudden death " and

" external myopathy, " a fatal condition in which a dog's muscles and organs

deteriorate during extreme or prolonged exercise, have also occurred.

 

Tom Classen, retired Air Force colonel and Alaskan resident for over 40

years, tells us that the dogs are beaten into submission:

 

" They've had the hell beaten out of them. " " You don't just whisper into their

ears, ‘OK, stand there until I tell you to run like the devil.' They

understand one thing: a beating. These dogs are beaten into submission the

same way elephants are trained for a circus. The mushers will deny it. And

you know what? They are all lying. " -USA Today, March 3, 2000 in Jon

Saraceno's column

 

Beatings and whippings are common. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing

Manual, " I heard one highly respected [sled dog] driver once state that

" ‘Alaskans like the kind of dog they can beat on.' " " Nagging a dog team is

cruel and ineffective...A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all

but is effective. " " It is a common training device in use among dog

mushers...A whip is a very humane training tool. "

 

Mushers believe in " culling " or killing unwanted dogs, including puppies.

Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted

for any reason, are killed with a shot to the head, dragged or clubbed to

death. " On-going cruelty is the law of many dog lots. Dogs are clubbed with

baseball bats and if they don't pull are dragged to death in harnesses..... "

wrote Alaskan Mike Cranford in an article for Alaska's Bush Blade Newspaper

(March, 2000).

 

Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, " He [Colonel Tom

Classen] confirmed dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain

their most advantageous racing weight. Skinning them to make mittens. Or

dragging them to their death. "

 

Iditarod dogs are unhappy prisoners with no chance of parole. Please end your

organization's association with the Iditarod dog sled race.

 

Sincerely,

 

NEW 2003 RACE SPONSORS

 

Coca-Cola, North America

Email: jdunn

 

Jack Daniels (Brown-Forman Corp.)

Email: obrown

 

Smurfit-Stone Recycling (Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation)

Email: jbeyersdorfer

 

Sundance Spas

Email: jclark

 

Global Information Technologies

Email: sales

 

AVID

Email: Investor_Relations

 

NEW 2003 RACE PROMOTER:

 

Parade Magazine (promoted Iditarod in article)

Email: randy_siegel

 

NEW 2003 MUSHER SPONSORS:

 

Microsoft

Email: msft

 

Taco Bell/Denali Foods (Franchisor: Yum! Brands)

Email: tricon.investor

 

Benton Elementary School

Email: neisgar2

 

Century High School

Email: chbriscoe

 

Rex Wheat Germ Oil (Viobin Corporation)

A Division of McShares, Inc.

Email: info

 

ENIVA

Email: eniva

 

Redpaw Feeds

Email: redpaw

 

OLD 2003 RACE SPONSORS

 

Daimler Chrysler

Email: Elizabeth.Wade

 

Outback Steakhouse

Email NewsOutback

 

Ace Hardware Corporation

Email: hhc

 

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels

Email: marketing

 

Wells Fargo & Company

Email: investorrelations

 

Kroger Co.

Email: investors

 

Carnival Corporation

Email: media

 

ChevronTexaco Corp.

Email: invest

 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Email: enterprise.comments

 

Alaska Air Group

Email: newsroom

 

Coors Brewing Company

Email: dave.dunnewald

 

Mc Clatchy Company

Email: ptalamantes

 

World Communication Center

Email: info

 

Providence Health System

Email: MButler

 

Cabelas

Email: Customer.Service

 

Comtec Business Systems

Email: info

 

OLD 2003 RACE PROMOTERS

 

National Geographic Society (website webcast promotion)

Email: jfahey

 

General Mills (sponsors Geographic's race promotion)

Email: stephen.sanger

 

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (website promotion)

Email: mstewart

 

Scholastic Corporation (promotes the race to children)

Email: investor_relations

 

Bain Capital (co-owner Houghton Mifflin, promotes the race to children)

Email:info

 

Thomas H. Lee Co. (co-owner Houghton Mifflin, promotes the race to children)

Phone: 617-227-1050

 

VIA Magazine (promoted Iditarod in article)

Email: Bruce_Anderson

 

California State Automobile Association (publishes VIA Magazine)

Email: James_Pouliot

 

OLD 2003 MUSHER SPONSORS

 

PepsiCo (Pepsi Bottling Group)

Email: Shareholder.Relations

 

Hain-Celestial Group

Email:consumeraffairs

 

Ford Motor Company

Email: agilmour

 

General Motors

Email: john.devine

 

Procter & Gamble (Iams)

shareholders.im

 

AmeriGas

Email: nationalaccounts

 

Outdoor Channel

Email: IRglobal

 

MeriStar Hospitality Corp. (Sheraton)

Email: melissa.thompson

 

Shaklee Corporation

Email: jthompson

 

Northern Outfitters

Email: mail

 

Applegate Elementary

Email: superintendent

 

BMC Mortgage

Email: WCavalier

 

BookMobile

Email: service

 

Teck Cominco Limited

Email: info

 

Montessori Discovery School

Email:discoverywww

 

McGilvra Elementary

Email: bllindskog

 

Udelhoven Companies

Email: joyce

 

Patrick Henry Creative Promotions

Email: phenry

 

Brookpark Elementary School

Email: brookpark

 

OpenConnect Systems

Email: custfeedback

 

American Seafoods Group

Email: asc_mkt

 

Manchester Elementary School

Email: bonnie_ingraham

 

American Biophysics Corp.

Email: customerservice

 

Annamaet Petfoods

Email: info

 

Eagle Premium Pet Foods/Eagle Pet Products, Inc.

Email: jdc

 

Breg, Inc.

Email: info

 

Caribou Creek Gold Dog Food

Email: rambler

 

Cymba.com

Email: cymbainc

 

Dogbooties.com (a division of Arrowhead Fabric)

Email: info

 

Cold Spot Feeds

Email: info

 

Grabber Performance Group

Email: international

 

FirstMate Pet Foods (Taplow Feeds)

Email: taplowf

 

Kumpi Dog Food (Spirit Filled Foods)

Email: evy

 

Blackwood Dog Food

Email: info

 

Batteries.com

Email: info

 

Sofast.net

Toll free phone: 1-877-7-Sofast

 

Canine Caviar

Email: caninecaviar

 

Pheasants Forever

Email: ryoung

 

Nelson Mfg.

Email: nelsonmfg

 

Seaside Club of Plymouth

Phone: 508-746-8913

 

Amaize (Marsland Laboratories)

Email message box: http://www.amaize.com/dealer_inq.htm

 

Visit: http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm for complete contact

information.