2 dogs die during 1,000-mile Iditarod, prompting call from PETA to end the race across Alaska

Two dogs died over the weekend during Alaska’s annual Iditarod sled dog race, marking the first deaths during the race in five years and renewing calls to end the 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) competition that sees mushers and their canine teams traverse mountain ranges, a frozen river and sea ice — often during treacherous weather.

Bog, a 2-year-old male on musher Issac Teaford’s team, collapsed Sunday morning about 200 feet (61 meters) short of the checkpoint in the village of for about 20 minutes.