“Whoosh” went the dogs running along the icy paths of Iditarod. In the book, The Great Serum Race, by Debbie S. Miller, I learned that, in 1925, there was a race to get a serum for diphtheria to Nome, Alaska from Anchorage, Alaska. The doctors needed to get the serum to Nome before the disease spread. They needed a way to get the serum to Nome but they couldn’t use planes because they were only used in the summer so instead, they used sled dogs. When they had got the serum to Nome they lost the serum in the snow. When a musher called Gunnar put his hand in the snow, he felt something hard. It was the serum. Gunnar raced to tie the serum back onto the sled. They had finally gotten the cure for diphtheria. This is an essay about the pros and …show more content…
First, at every checkpoint along the paths of Iditarod there are multifarious safety precautions along with food and water for the dogs to eat and drink. Second, the dogs that race in Iditarod are trained and raised in that weather so they are prepared when the race begins. Third, the race of Iditarod is a remembrance and celebration for The Great Serum Race. Lastly, the dogs that race get lots of exercise during and before the race. Now, I will inform you on the cons of Iditarod. First, 137 dogs have died in Iditarod since 1973. Second, the dogs paws can get frostbitten which can damage their feet. Third, if a dog dies in the race, it holds the musher back a great deal. Finally, dogs have been abused by their mushers by whips, punching them, kicking them, and being thrown. Dogs have also been beaten with shovels and snow hooks. I will now state my opinion on the subject. Personally, I think that Iditarod and dog sled races should keep going. First, there are about 70 mushers participating in Iditarod with at least 14 dogs, which means that only about two or three dogs die annually out of almost 1,000 dogs. Which is still sad but is a very little amount of dogs per year. Second, The dogs grew up in that weather and were trained and exercised for the race. Lastly, every checkpoint has various safety precautions for the dogs, so if the dog is sick or hurt, the musher can leave the dog to rest and