Host: The 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off this weekend. It is a world-famous sled dog race, but there have been some issues about animal rights. Today, we are going to talk about these issues with our panelists. Ms. Stewart is a member of PETA, an animal rights group, and Mr. Gibson is the chief Iditarod vet. I would like to hear from Ms. Stewart first. Ms. Stewart: First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting me to this debate. We all know the beautiful story of Balto that is celebrated by the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. However, the race itself is not beautiful at all.↵
Most of the dogs that participate in this race go through extremely hard training. Some drivers even give drugs to their dogs to make them run faster. Mr. Gibson: Yes, perhaps, but we do drug testing before the race starts. Any dog that uses a drug cannot join the race. More importantly, I have seen a lot of dogs enjoying their races. Actually, these dogs are born to love running. They can also receive medical treatment during the race if they need it. Vets and other staff of the Iditarod Race do their best to keep the dogs safe. Ms. Stewart: Well, yes, but how can we actually know that these dogs are enjoying the race? The dogs that participate in the race have to run for hours a day in the cold snow. No one likes running through snowstorms without enough sleep. The race is so dangerous that several dogs even died during the race. Mr. Gibson: Safety always comes first.↵
The dogs receive medical check-ups before and in the middle of the race. If the dogs have any health problems, we do not let them continue on.