``The growing prominence of the Iditarod has placed the race squarely in the sights of animal rights extremists who use the race's fame to gain media access and garner donations,'' said NAIA president, Patti Strand. ``By attacking the race in the media, activists succeed in stealing some of the attention and part of the spotlight for themselves.

``Using the model established by the Humane Society of the United States in the early 1990's, animal rights groups pressure sponsors and supporters to cut ties with the Iditarod by publicly accusing them of condoning cruelty and threatening them with boycotts and other business disruptions if they don't stop,'' Strand said. ``Companies that do not succumb easily are subjected to prolonged attacks. A long list of ex-supporters attests to the success of this corrupt and predatory strategy.''

Even though Bayer is not an official sponsor of the Iditarod, anti-race campaigners have added the company to their list of targets in recent years because it supplies antibiotics and deworming medicines to the dogs that run in Alaska's Last Great Race. This time, however, it appears that their misguided campaign has failed.

In an official statement just released, Bayer reaffirmed its intention to continue providing products that benefit sled dog health. Bayer senior Vice President John B. Payne put the company's position this way:

``The foremost priority for the people of Bayer's Animal Health group is providing safe and effective medicines that help ensure professional humane care of animals.''

``Contrary to sensational propaganda,'' Strand declared, ``the mushers are sportsmen and women who care deeply about their animals and work with their dogs 365 days a year. The dogs are superb athletes, in peak condition, that are bred and trained to race. They live to run and are happiest when competing.''

The Iditarod Trail Committee requires that dogs receive thorough veterinary examinations, including electrocardiograms and complete blood work-ups, a month prior to the race. Veterinarians experienced in the care of canine athletes man the trail's 24 checkpoints. Mushers keep diaries about their dogs, and vets examine the animals at each checkpoint along the trail. Sick, injured, and tired dogs are flown to Nome or Anchorage.

In the off-season, many mushers open their kennels to the public so that visitors can meet the dogs and learn about the sport that commemorates the importance of dogs and dog sledding to the north country.

Despite well-known improvements in animal welfare generated by the mushers themselves, anti-race extremists vow to keep the pressure on. Anti-Iditarod websites spew a constant stream of anti-race propaganda, denouncing the race, the race committee, mushers and sled dog veterinarians, in an effort to convince the uninformed reader that the race and its sponsors are evil. Few social movements can match the hateful rhetoric found on these pro-animal rights websites. The current campaign to deny dogs medicine and treatment underscores the growing belief, said Strand, that ``activist groups like PETA, the Humane Society of the United States and other anti-race extremists are driven more by a desire to grab publicity and donations than they are to provide for the welfare of the dogs they claim to protect.''

NAIA urges all who abhor these bully tactics to thank Bayer for its continuing support of the canine athletes who run the Iditarod by purchasing sled-loads full of Bayer products at the supermarket, drugstore, and veterinary clinic. Bayer brands include over-the-counter painkillers Bayer Aspirin and Aleve and Alka Seltzer, Midol, and One-A-Day vitamins for people and Advantage flea control, Droncit tape worm treatment, Drontal and Drontal Plus dewormers, and Baytril anti-bacterial preparations for animals. Letters of appreciation can be sent to John B. Payne, Senior Vice-President; Bayer Animal Health; PO Box 39; Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201-0390; 913-268-2000. Copies of letters can be sent to NAIA, PO Box 66579, Portland, Oregon 97290-6579.

SOURCE: National Animal Interest Alliance