In recent years, people have begun to wrestle with human/animal interactions.  Now, as never before, we are discovering the complex inner lives of animals and are asking serious questions about our relationships with them.  We have begun to understand that animals should not be forced to live lives that are foreign to them or that result in cruel confinement or isolation.  As a society, we have begun to reject the idea that killer whales should be confined to small pools and that tigers should be forced to leap through rings of fire for our entertainment.

As for me, personally, I am convinced that my mission for this stage of my life is to promote the well being of all animals and help to end their suffering at the hands of humans.  As a vegan chef and a board member of Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry, it’s a spiritual issue for me, and it’s one of the main reasons that I get up out of bed every morning.

Thorny Questions Regarding Human/Animal Interactions

It’s crystal clear to me that animals exist for their own reasons and that it’s not appropriate for humans to eat them or to exploit them for our own gain.  After all, we can be perfectly healthy on a whole-food, plant-based diet, and shoes can be made with other materials besides leather.  Still, in my view, ethical questions about human/animal interactions can sometimes be thorny.  As with many things in life, the matter is not simply black and white; there can be challenging shades of gray.  For example, when I was younger I used to own horses and loved exploring the world with them on trail rides.  And yet I know that race horses can die on the tracks, and people can mistreat horses who are kept as working animals.  In fact, my husband and I cancelled a trip to Havasu Falls last spring when we learned that the pack horses on that trail are often overworked, underfed, and otherwise abused by their wranglers.  So is it okay to ride horses for pleasure, if the animals are well treated?

With these kinds of questions in mind, I wondered what my husband Mark and I would encounter on a “Dog Sled Experience” that we booked at Rancho Luna Lobos near Park City, Utah.  Before visiting the ranch, we reviewed several online articles about dog sled racing and, not surprisingly, found that the sport has both ardent supporters and vocal detractors.  

History of Dog Sledding

What we learned is that sled dogs have historically been important for transportation in arctic areas, hauling supplies and mail to rural areas that were otherwise inaccessible.  The Alaskan Gold Rush strengthened interest in the use of sled dogs as transportation.  And then in 1925, sled dogs gained worldwide fame when they helped to counteract a diphtheria outbreak in Nome by delivering the life-saving serum, running a 20-team relay across 700 miles of Alaskan wilderness.  The Iditarod race was established in 1973 as a celebration of that event and is considered the premium sled dog race.  It’s currently a 1,100-mile endurance event that normally lasts about eight or nine days.

Negative allegations about the sport were publicized in last year’s release of Sled Dogs, a documentary that accused the mushers in the Iditarod race of cruelty toward the canine competitors.  The film raised concerns about overly grueling races, poor living conditions when the dogs are off the race track, and even the shocking execution of animals that are considered too slow.  Fortunately, it appears that the resulting attention on the issue has brought about positive change.  The Iditarod organizers have apparently implemented a “Best Care” kennel management program that outlines new requirements for shelter, tethers, nutrition, socialization, euthanasia and kennel size.

The dogs at the ranch are amazingly diverse, and the pack contains a wide variety of breeds, colors, sizes, and temperaments.  We met some of the dogs and heard a few of their stories.  There are “Hollywood sled dogs,” the beautiful Siberian Huskies whose furry, athletic bodies are featured in movies.  Then there’s Maya, a petite, tan-and-cream-colored, Husky/Greyhound mix who was an Iditarod champion in 2006 but is now retired.  There’s Zoe, who loves the children who attend summer camp at the kennel but is still wary of adults because of abuse that she had suffered before she came to Luna Lobos.  And there’s Humberto, a beautiful sled dog who happens to be blind.  Of course, there are many other interesting dogs at the kennel, and you will need to visit Rancho Luna Lobos if you want to meet more of them.

Getting a Second Chance at Life

But there is one thing that almost all of the Luna Lobos dogs have in common: they got a second chance at life when they came to Rancho Luna Lobos.  That’s because ninety percent of the dogs in the 54-animal pack are rescued animals.  According to Dana, the majority of the dogs at Luna Lobos were dropped off on the doorstep or surrendered by their former owners.  Sometimes Dana and Fernando have visited animal shelters and plucked out dogs who look like they might want to run.  If the dogs do want to run, they are added to the race team; if they don’t, Dana says it’s not a problem; the ranch will find them really good homes.   Their operating premise, according to Dana, is that “dogs should be dogs first.  We want them to be happy, love life, and know that they can trust us and that we have their best interests at heart.  And only if they 100% love it, they can be a sled dog second.”