Alaska--Moose Kills lead dog of Iditarod Musher

[Jahla Jahla]

BIG LAKE-- Fido, the lead dog of an Iditarod musher, was stomped to death by a charging moose along the Denali Highway in Alaska.

 

Ramey Smyth said that a few years ago, Fido led his team to a victory in the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race on the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Fido, who was killed earlier this month, was behind the leaders in a team of 20 dogs, when the moose appeared and charged the dog, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

 

Mr. Smyth said he wished he had kept the gun he had loaned to another musher, who was having trouble with a moose on the trails around Talkeetna.

[ladysail2]

I'm very sorry to hear of the tragedy. One cannot always control what wild animals do. I would be very sad if Fido was mine....

[jaspertl]

We were in Jasper National park last year and a Daddy, Mommy and twin baby moose had swum/swam (?) across a lake (which was amazing to see) and were then trying to cross the road.

 

This male was HUGE and so beautiful with a full rack, and the babies were still fairly small and twins to boot which I guess is rare.

 

The Dad crossed the road first and made it fine but the mom and babies were still on the other side.

 

People were stopping their cars and getting out to take photos. A park ranger happened by and really read the riot act to these people saying that you never want to get between a moose and their offspring.

 

The Mom and babies finally made it across safely but reading this post made me realize how much danger these people were in.

[ute_fan]

I have a friend from Minnesota, 20 miles from the Canadian border. She always says she'd rather run into a bear than a moose in the wilderness -- she knows lots more people who have been injured by a moose than a bear.

 

We have them in Utah, too, and the forest rangers are always urging people to keep their distance, which is further than you expect it to be. They can be amazingly quick for such awkward looking animals.

[Budget Queen]

This also happened to Susan Butcher running the Iditarod in 1985, causing her to withdrawl from the race.

[Screwbit]

Further pointing out the idiocy of continuing this archaic "athletic event". The number of dogs that are seriously injured, or, worse, die each year in the Iditarod is much greater than people realize, whether in rare occurences such as a moose attack, or weather conditions. Sled dogs still serve a useful purpose in much of Alaska, but these races are not among them.

[fsdj1097]

Those dogs and mushers that compete in this "archaic" event train year-round.

 

They are never more alive than when out on the trail.

 

I guess we call off the Tour de France because some of the competitors might have a heart attack, or get run over by a camera truck.

[GNisme]

I was visiting my husband's mothers' house in Anchorage and I was standing outside her house and saw a moose just walking down the street and a couple days later next door just chomping on one of her trees, it's amazing how close they can come and they don't seem bothered by coming to you at your house.

[bunduo]

My wife and I were driving out of Yellowstone near Cooke City when we spotted a young female on the side of the road. It was pretty cool. Before I knew it, my wife jumped out the car, climbed on moose's back and road it around like a pony. We brought her home and named her Tonya. However, we had to train her not to stomp on the dog. The End.

[jaspertl]

VERY FUNNY!!!!!!!!

 

that made me laugh out loud!

[greatam]

BIG LAKE-- Fido, the lead dog of an Iditarod musher, was stomped to death by a charging moose along the Denali Highway in Alaska.

 

Ramey Smyth said that a few years ago, Fido led his team to a victory in the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race on the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Fido, who was killed earlier this month, was behind the leaders in a team of 20 dogs, when the moose appeared and charged the dog, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

 

Mr. Smyth said he wished he had kept the gun he had loaned to another musher, who was having trouble with a moose on the trails around Talkeetna.

 

Hypw, Hype, Hype!!! And SHODDY reporting. The Iditarod does not start for another MONTH. http://www.iditarod.com/

 

Maybe a musher's dog got killed but NOT on the Iditarod. I, too, am a super animal lover-7 dogs and NO KIDS. But get your act together and stop badmouthing a sport which is truly a dog lover's sport.

[Jahla Jahla]

Hypw, Hype, Hype!!! And SHODDY reporting. The Iditarod does not start for another MONTH.

 

No where in the article does it say that it was during the Iditarod. Only that an Iditarod mushers dog had been killed. The article starts off with Big Lake.

 

Jahla