People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to trooper Col. Audie Halloway. In it, PETA urges him to determine if any of the four mushers whose dogs died in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race should be charged under the state's cruelty to animals law.
PETA director Debbie Leahy said in a prepared statement that the five dogs paid for the race with their lives, and "deserve justice."
Holloway wasn't immediately available for comment.
However, a spokeswoman for the troopers notes that the state law which PETA cites in asking for the investigation does not generally apply to accepted dog mushing contests.
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