Iditarod 46: If Danny Seavey were King of Iditarod

Below is Danny Seavey's latest "blog post" from Facebook about how he would solve the current woes of Iditarod.


He makes some interesting points.

My experience with Team Seavey

2007 Wildride, retired Iditarod Champions Angus and Zebra
pull Alaskan Malamute rescue Buddy out of the Arena.

Guys, I'm having a hard time remaining silent. For over a month I've watched a friend and former employer go through some pretty crappy things, and for the most part he's handled it with far more grace and dignity than I ever could. But, in the last couple of weeks, a couple of blowhards looking for - I guess - a little more limelight decided to jump on the hate train and come out with some pretty ugly allegations of their own. I won't link to their writings, because I feel that any more hits to their site is exactly what they want... and she who must not be named demanded over two years ago that I not use her name on my blog. So I won't. But if you're reading this blog post, my guess is you know who and what I'm talking about.

I met Dallas Seavey in the spring of 2007. He was starting a new attraction in Downtown Anchorage and was hiring folks to work in his gift shop. I ended up landing a "bigger" role than "just" gift shop girl. I ran the soundboard for his outdoor arena where he and his [then] fiance and a few other mushers showcased the power of the sled dog. I worked for them for four summers straight. It was probably the most fun I have EVER had with a job - and that's including my being a professional photographer. I'm not exaggerating for anyone. You can pretty much ask anyone who knows me - I talk about Wildride, still, after 10 years. I LOVED that job. I LOVED being around dogs and puppies all day. I LOVE the people I got to work with.

After I moved back to the Kenai in 2011, I figured I was done working for the team in any sort of capacity. I didn't even make it up to see the show in its final year, I was so busy trying to make ends meet. It was a very lonely time. I missed being part in some way of a sled dog team. How weird is that? I was never a dog handler. I still can't tell you the more intimate details of training, feeding, etc. But I loved being a part of the bigger picture. It wasn't long, though, before Team Seavey came calling again.

I worked for Mitch Seavey for another three years. Again, not in any dog handling position, but the daily office work that comes with running a touring business as well as social media for an active racing kennel. Again, I had a blast and learned so much and I'll always be grateful. But this was where I became increasingly aware of the ugliness of mushing. Don't think this is going to be a blog post supporting the allegations being lobbied at both Dallas and Mitch, far from it. I'm talking the ugly, untrue, and disgusting thing said by the likes of PeTA and other "Animal Rights" organizations against the Iditarod and the sport itself. One group used to have a "head hunter" list of mushers who needed to be "dealt with". Their photos from the Iditarod Website were placed on wanted posters. It was crazy. But the real kicker was when "fellow mushers" (term used loosely) decided to go after the team that was on top.

My first encounter with Mitch was my first week of work with Dallas back in 2007. That was the year that the Ramy Brooks "incident" happened during Iditarod. The decision had just come down from the Iditarod that Brooks would be banned from the race for 2 years, and following that would have a 3 year probation. As a fan of the sport, I felt the sentence was too light (still do), and for some reason when I met Mitch it was a burning question in my head that I had to ask. What did he think? I woke the bear with that question. Mitch has a way with words. Many find him standoffish with not a lot to say, but I think he just likes to choose his words carefully. One of the many things I admire about Mitch is how he presents himself, and how he speaks. I could listen to him talk shop for hours (which I've been chastised by his wife at different functions where the last thing she wants to hear is more dog talk).

Mitch let it be known than hitting/spanking/beating a dog was the most asinine way to try to get a dog to run. Key word is "try". You cannot beat a dog to run. That was a point he stated repeatedly in his - what felt like eternal - rant. Nothing good comes from losing your temper and taking it out on your team. The dogs' first instinct is to curl up and protect itself by shutting down and hoping it stops. They do  not understand what they are doing "wrong". Sled dogs are out there to have fun. Period. If it isn't fun, they stop. It is a delicate balance of how much you can push and for how long before they pull a Forrest Gump, stop, turn around and say, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now" in the middle of no where. It's a mantra that Mitch has held on to I'm sure his entire racing career.

It's why his kids and fans sometimes get frustrated with him because he typically plays it a little "too safe" and holds his dogs back and makes the push too late. You don't want the race to ever become a chore for the dogs. When it does, it's not pretty. Most mushers eventually take it in stride and hang their head low knowing they - not the dogs - did something wrong. They forgot for a second about the dogs need to have fun, and they focused on the placement. Or they were just having so much fun themselves going at a nice clip that they didn't see the subtle warning signs.

Please note: this is what I took away from Mitch's statements over the years, I in no way speak for him.

You can see how my first year working for Dallas & Mitch shaped my outlook on the sport. The Seaveys have been a part of the Iditarod since the beginning. Since before the beginning. Dan Seavey (possibly one of the greatest human beings to ever breathe air) was one of the friends helping Joe Redington get his crazy idea of a race started. He's raced it. He's defended it. He's watched a son and a grandson both win it. Iditarod's a big deal in their family. Their involvement is due to Dan following a childhood dream to Alaska and staying here to see it through.

Jen Seavey Statement/Update

I'm at work, so I cannot blog my thoughts at the moment, but I wanted to share this here, now, while it's still "hot".

I have known the Seavey family for over ten years. I know them to be honest, dedicated, caring people - all of them. I know I can sometimes say some things tongue in cheek about Dallas, but that's just because I had some of the best times working for him and for Jen, and that grew into a friendship. That they're having to defend themselves from PETA and other ridiculous "animal rights" groups (read homegrown terrorists) but now from wild and unfounded accusations by two humans I barely feel should be classified as people... it just makes me want to scream. They don't deserve this.

No boycott for most Iditarod teams

Speculation and accusations continue to be lobbied about this weekend by fans and mushers alike over the news of Dallas Seavey's 2017 Iditarod team testing positive for the race banned drug Tramadol. While the majority of people seem to continue to side with the musher, others have taken to use this moment to beat him down. Seavey, for better or worse, is currently in China attending a previously scheduled event. While he's "half way around the world" the battle has raged on.

However, with the drama going into week 3 (if we could the week where Dallas was simply known as Musher X in the story), the media has begun to find other things to focus on. Fans are a little less angry. And the mushers... the mushers...

Well, most of the mushers are not following Dallas's plea for a boycott of the last great race.

This should come as no real surprise. The Iditarod is the top echelon of the sport these mushers throw a lot of money into training. There's no US National Mushing fund teams can get a little help from. They rely on sponsorship from individuals and businesses. Most big sponsors want to see results to make the investment look worthwhile. Top name means the brand is scene more, and is associated with excellence. It's why Dallas Seavey and J.J. Keller are such a good partnership, one that sees Dallas giving motivational speeches nationwide every year. Mitch Seavey has Young Living. Jeff King was the Cabela's musher until Animal Rights activists managed to ruin a good thing there (ironic considering). Red Paw, Eagle, Dr. Tim'ss and other high performance dog foods also have mushers they support. These sponsors want results. You don't get results if you don't run.

It's also "helpful" that the deadline to withdraw from the race and get a full refund passed before the positive drug test came to light. The petition written and signed by many of the Iditarod Finishers Club requested not only that the ITC release the name of the musher whose team tested positive, but also that the refund deadline be postponed until November. We know the ITC gave in to the first request, but have seemingly ignored all other requests by the mushers. We have no more transparency since Monday's release of the musher's name, and the mushers are out $4,000 if they withdraw.

Aside from Dallas Seavey, only two other mushers have withdrawn since the announcement - both citing the ITC's handling of the "doping scandal" as reason behind their pulling out. Laura Neese was first, and while she did not come out in full support of Dallas, she did cite concerns about the ITC's leadership. Jason Mackey announced Thursday that he, too, was dropping out of the race due to being "sick of the politics". Mackey is also charged with third-degree theft after he allegedly took four dog crates that belonged to another musher when he was in Nome, and he never returned them. After allegedly ducking phone calls for months, musher Al Eischens said he had "no choice" but to file a police report. A hearing is set for the first part of November.

More mushers have come out in support of both Dallas AND the ITC - saying now was the time to unify, not divide. This is most likely not what Dallas had in mind when he spoke out against the ITC and their recent decisions. Top names like Aliy Zirkle and Wade Marrs both said that they believed that Dallas was smarter and had more integrity than to knowingly use a banned substance - especially when he knew a drug test would happen at the finish. However, neither one feels the ITC maliciously went after Dallas and that they planned on running Iditarod. Other mushers have spoken in favor of Dallas, but have not spoken one way or the other on the Iditarod, but are still listed on the Iditarod roster.

Only one musher has said their decision is still up in the air - unsurprisingly that musher is Mitch Seavey. While some have shared surprise that Mitch didn't just pull immediately, it'd be remiss to point out that Mitch is deeply connected to the Iditarod in ways his son can't be. Mitch watched his father and the other Iditarod Trail Blazers come together with Joe Redington to get the race off the ground. Can't help but think the loyalty to the race (not the ITC, as Dallas pointed out the ITC is not the Iditarod) weighs heavy on his mind as does his loyalty to his kid.

Dallas' brother Danny made the point in an interview with fellow musher and journalist Blair Braverman that it wouldn't matter if the top 10 mushers all pulled out, and the ITC board were all fired, there would still be an Iditarod. The race is bigger than a few top names. Volunteers and fans and mushers are here to stay.

Also staying put are all of the Iditarod's sponsors. For once, scandal isn't scaring anyone away - for now. Though some have told the media that they are "monitoring the situation" for now, all of their money is staying put. This is good news for the race in general. The Iditarod recently lost a major sponsor in Wells Fargo due to Animal Rights Extremists pressured the bank into stopping sponsorship. Sound familiar? Kinda hard not to think they had a hand in the latest bout of negativity within the race.

There are still questions that the ITC needs to address. Full transparency in sports - especially when it's the health and safety of the sports athletes - is of great importance. The ITC is hoping the attention will die down, but my personal hope is that the mushers continue to push for answers. Not just Dallas shouting with righteous indignation over how they handled this, but the other mushers who deserve to know just what happened. Dogs were drugged, the ITC has no proof their musher did it - are they still investigating? It might make everyone breathe a little easier if they actually seemed to want to find out how the drug got in the dogs system. Right now with their inaction to investigate, it just seems that they still believe Dallas Seavey to be to blame, even when they say they don't believe it to be the case.

We need answers.

ITC seems unconcerned with who drugged Seavey's dogs

I was forwarded a Facebook message the Iditarod social media representative sent a concerned fan in regards to how the Dallas Seavey case has been handled. That they responded at all is in itself shocking, but that they were willing to admit that they could find not proof of any wrong doing is what most are focusing on.

Screencap of the message sent to a race fan today about Dallas Seavey's
Doping allegations. October 25, 2017

If they could find no proof of Dallas Seavey being the one to administer the drug to his dogs, then that raises a concerning question: "just who did?" This is the issue that Seavey brought up Monday night as news broke that he was Musher X, and again in the many interviews he gave yesterday trying to pressure the Iditarod Trail Committee into releasing their findings. Seavey reiterated how he and others were concerned of the lack of security in the checkpoints when drop bags are delivered, as well as the apparent lack of security in the Nome Dog Lot.

If Dallas is not guilty, then that leads to only 3 main options: 1. another musher/musher's people tampered with Seavey's team/food, 2. An Animal Rights activist group is to blame or 3. It was an honest mistake by a vet/handler/volunteer. All three are plausible, but we will never be sure unless the guilty party breaks their silence. If Dallas Seavey is telling the truth, and he nor his team gave his dogs the drug, then why isn't the ITC concerned? Why are they not investigating this fully? Why not release what they found? Why not release how they came to the conclusion that there's no proof Dallas did it?

If the Board came to the conclusion that there was no wrongdoing by Dallas, and that they believe he did not administer the drug to his dogs, then WHY have they not even ENTERTAINED the idea of sabotage? If they have no proof of wrong doing why sit on the findings so long? Why not produce the evidence that they have? Where are the test results.

If what Dallas Seavey said about his communication with the ITC, race marshal, and lead Iditarod veterinarian is true, then the drug was administered in Nome. If administered then, then it was after his team was done racing. If he was done racing when the drug was administered then there is no broken rule. The drug, Tramadol, is only banned during the race, it is a legal prescription drug to have for either pain relief for humans or dogs. It is fairly easy to get as anyone can get it with a script from a doctor or vet. If there is no broken rule, the doping allegations are a moot point. If it's a moot point the ONLY concern the ITC should focus on is - if there is no proof that DALLAS or his TEAM fed the dogs the drug then someone else DID. There needed to be a thorough investigation, and by all accounts there wasn't. There were a few phone calls back and forth, with no doubt Dallas going from "how" to "who" and asking for answers.

Instead of answers, Dallas purports that he was thrown under the bus. And judging by how ridiculous this PR nightmare for the Iditarod has become, one is apt to believe him. That the ITC is now more concerned about how the longer this discussion goes the more likely the Iditarod will lose sponsorship money than they are that someone's dogs were drugged without their knowledge is concerning. The ITC seems to be way out in left field, in one sentence they say they believe Dallas, in another they all but call him out as a liar. Which is it?

Stan Hooley went to KTVA for a nearly 40 minute interview where through his double talk said he wants to listen to the concerns of mushers and that they should never have felt they couldn't speak their mind about the race. All actions by the ITC before now would contradict that, as many mushers have said as much in at least the last 2 years since the gag rule came into effect. Hooley wants to see Dallas run this year's Iditarod, Seavey says that won't happen and wants other mushers to follow him out of the race until the ITC sees new leadership. That is unlikely to happen as many teams would be out a great deal of entry fee money as the deadline to withdraw with full refund happened before news of the positive drug test broke. This is yet another slight mushers feel from the ITC.

Hooley said he hoped this would die down and go away, and it very well could with Seavey stuck forever with the questions, but this is Dallas Seavey. He doesn't just lay down and die. This will not just go away.

And it shouldn't go away. Fans, mushers, media, everyone needs to pressure the ITC. First off to release the test results and other evidence ITC used to come to its conclusions. We need actual answers not speculation. Not vague statements. And secondly, since they say Dallas didn't give his dogs the drug, they need to start an investigation into who did. None of this "we're looking at new security measures", FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG, and make sure it never ever happens again. This time the dogs were drugged with something safe and in the right dose. Next time it could be a far worse result. It's time for the ITC to step up and protect the mushers and the dogs THAT is the true spirit of the race, not lining their pockets.

I Support Dallas Seavey

'Nuf said.



I may blog later about this issue. I had a blog in the works when the news broke. Work and life got in the way of my weighing in with more than 140 characters on twitter about the drama of the last week in Iditarod. Yes, it's true, I am "biased" as I've been gungho Team Seavey (and a fan of Dallas') since 2007. However, in that decade I've trusted Dallas. I've respected Dallas (name calling and witty remarks aside). I consider he and his family friends. I do not trust people easily. I do not choose who I'm loyal to easily. I believe Dallas. I know he would never cheat - because he does not need to. I don't think his ego would even allow him to entertain the thought. This witch hunt is unwarranted and shame on the ITC for the way they've handled this.