In Wake of Iditarod Scandals, Chrysler Urged to End Sponsorship

After Reports of Doping, Mass Killings of Dogs, PETA Protesters Will Urge the Motor Vehicle Giant to Pull Its Funding for the Cruel Race

For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2017

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

What:    Brandishing signs that read, “Chrysler Driving Dogs to Their Death,” as well as graphic photos of suffering dogs bred for the Iditarod, PETA supporters will gather outside the Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center on Thursday to demand that the motor vehicle giant end its sponsorship of the cruel and deadly dog race. The protest comes on the heels of disturbing photographs and video footage of reportedly dying puppies and injured, sick dogs at a kennel owned by “Iditarod royalty” Dallas Seavey, the four-time Iditarod champion who was recently implicated in a dog-doping scandal and a veteran musher’s revelation that trainers in the industry have killed “hundreds on top of hundreds or more dogs” who didn’t make the cut.

When:    Thursday, November 16, 12 noon

Where:    Outside the Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center, Chrysler Drive, Exit 78 off Interstate 75, Auburn Hills

“The shocking reports of an Iditarod champion doping dogs, allegations of cruelty at his kennel, and the killing of those who don’t make the cut should be more than enough to persuade Chrysler to sever ties with this cruel industry,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges the company to stop funneling money into a race that forces dogs to run despite suffering from bloody paws, stress fractures, and other injuries.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that more than 150 dogs have died in the Iditarod, and that number only includes those whose deaths were reported while racing. In the 2017 race alone, five dogs died in less than one week.

Wells Fargo recently ended its Iditarod sponsorship, and many other major brands—including Costco, Maxwell House, Nestlé, Pizza Hut, Ride Aid, and Safeway—cut ties with the race years ago.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.