4 days in with most having just completed the mandatory 24 hr rest.
Brent Sass is kicking butt and taking names in the lead. Dallas Seavey lurking. It's the best of the best of the mushing world. The dogs are amazing. Average speed 6 mph.
Lots of drama yet to unfold with the Bering Sea coast ahead. Any one of the top 15 could win. 24/7 for those that are up late.
I have trouble with supporting this with the sled dog abuse that happens
I will refrain fom posting pics
Respect your position, many others share your concern.
Maybe because of the Iditarod there is still mushing but dog abuse is not a part of it in any way. The dogs are born to run and very well looked after.
PETA could do more to recognize and promote good, ethical treatment but my guess is it doesn’t pay as well. All in the 2022 Iditarod will involve close to 1 million dog miles with vet checks at every check point. Your Toyota should be should be so reliable. Hugh Neff withdrew over concern for his team while running third. No pay day for him this year.
Despite all that Sass has hit the coast and has a couple of hours on Dallas
Seavey. Aaron Burmeister from Nome and Richie Diehl are within striking distance. 61 year old Mitch Seavey is 8th. Incredible what these people do.
Some American celeb on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (I think) went dog sledding while visiting Canada a couple years ago and had a blast… but couldn’t stop talking about all the ‘pooping’ (which wasn’t mention in any of the tourist brochures). 
(From Wiki) “When learning to run in teams, the sled dogs very quickly learn how to use the bathroom when they run so as not to reduce the tempo of the sled. Typically, they will move to the outer side of the pack and do their business. Just be a little wary when the dogs are running downhill.”
…funny story, went dogsledding a few years ago out in Canmore…now I’m a bigger guy, typical ex-football player bod, and the guide asked if I could run, which I can, so he said my wife could ride bundled up in the sled and him and I would stand on the runners that trail behind the sled a couple of feet…he instructed that on the flats and going downhill we stand on the runners, but on the uphills it helps the dogs out a lot if we jump off and run alongside the sled…
So we get going and it’s flat then downhill then flat then downhill then flat and we come to the first hill and as we go up I jump off the footboard and begin running and…every…single…dog looks around over their right shoulder to see if I’m running or if they’re hauling my ass up the hill…we all started laughing…for the rest of the hills only the rear right dog (the wheel position) looked back now and then to keep me in line…
They are incredibly smart dogs, especially when they’re hooked up together as a team…
I was shocked to see the winner's prize is over $50,000.
I have to ask, is dog-sledding an actual pro sport with a circuit or are there only a handful of events of which Iditarod is the biggest?