Alaska News

2nd dog on Lance Mackey's team dies on Iditarod Trail

Another dog on four-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey's team died while racing Friday. It was the second dog in his team to die suddenly in just over a week.

The death occurred while Mackey and his team made the 45-mile run from Elim to White Mountain. Around 5:15 p.m., his 3-year-old dog named Stiffy died of unknown causes, according to Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officials.

On a post on Lance Mackey's Comeback Kennel website, Mackey commented on Stiffy: "Can you say A.D.D. x 5?"

On March 12, Mackey lost his first dog. Three-year-old Wyatt died on the 120-mile route between Tanana and Ruby. Mackey described Wyatt as the "next leader to become famous" on his kennel's website.

A necropsy on Wyatt found no abnormalities that could explain the death, according to a news release from Dr. Stuart Nelson, the Iditarod's head veterinarian. Further testing would be conducted, Nelson said.

Iditarod officials said a necropsy is also planned to determine the cause of Stiffy's death.

Before the deaths of Wyatt and Stiffy, a dog hadn't died while racing in the Iditarod since 2009.

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In 2013, one dog that was left at a checkpoint died after it was buried by snow in a storm. Since then, the Iditarod has provided shelter for dropped dogs.

During this year's ceremonial start, a dog died when it was hit by a car in Anchorage after it got loose from the team of musher Lachlan Clarke. Clarke remained out on the trail Friday.

Mackey, who once won the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race and the Iditarod back to back, checked into White Mountain around 5:30 p.m. Friday.

He had left from Elim with 10 dogs roughly seven hours earlier.

White Mountain is 80 miles from the finish line in Nome. As of 8 p.m. Friday, Mackey was still in the Western Alaska village.

The first musher, Dallas Seavey, reached Nome early Wednesday. By Friday evening, 35 mushers had completed the race.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

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