Please end the Iditerod!

  • by: Colleen Stadnick
  • recipient: Superintendent of Schools Rigg, Principal Ackerman and Pastor Romo.
Dear Superintendent Rigg, Principal Ackerman and Pastor Romo,

I am writing to implore you to please stop the running of the Iditerod! The dogs’ feet often become cut, bruised and raw from the frozen rugged terrain. Countless dogs are injured during this grueling race and it has proved deadly to them for years. In fact deaths are so common that Rule 42 of the official Iditarod rules blithely acknowledges that some dogs’ deaths “may be considered unpreventable.”

Dogs used for racing and sledding suffer off the trail too. The vast majority of them are chained up behind the scenes with only overturned barrels or dilapidated doghouses for shelter.
Those who aren't the best runners are often treated like defective equipment and have been beaten, shot, abandoned to starve or dumped at already overburdened animal shelters.

This cruelty is exactly what Saint Andrew School, a Catholic school in Chicago, is celebrating—because one of its teachers is participating in the 2017 Iditarod “Teacher on the Trail” program and incorporating the experience into her lesson plans. Not only is glamorizing this deadly race in the classroom contrary to fostering kindness and respect in students it’s also at odds with this school’s mission “to provide a[n] … environment that instills Catholic values for each student” as well as “encouraging service for the common good.”
All schools have an obligation to teach students to be kind and compassionate individuals think critically about any action that causes harm to others and protect animals—not exploit them for entertainment. Please show compassion for these dogs. Thank you.
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