This movie posits itself as a documentary but fails because of the many lies that are the results of omission by concealing information or juxtaposing sensational footage with a clip of an Iditarod musher to get the viewer to draw the false conclusion that they are related. The producer deliberately misled one of the mushers who is filmed in order to get the footage she then used in to suggest by innuendo that his dogs -- happy at the end of the Iditarod -- were somehow mistreated. She filmed, without my neighbors knowledge or consent, a musher working out of his kennel as well.
I had to chuckle at the review which claims the Iditarod vet checks are of no value. Clearly, this was written by a person who has never been through an Iditarod vet check and has never raced the Iditarod The dogs are extensively screened with blood work and EKGs prior to the race; dogs that have issues are not allowed to race. At the checkpoints, vets look over the dogs. These are dogs, who by the time they reach the start of Iditarod, typically have 2,000 to 3,000 miles on them that season so they are healthy athletes. Most humans don't get this type of care.
So, let's talk about the sled dog world that I know through my friends and neighbors. The dogs get excellent quality food (high quality kibble, meat, fat, fish etc.), they get daily exercise, and they love to run and pull the sled.
Most parents love their kids but there are some bad parents -- that does not mean that there should be no children. The same is true of dog owners and mushers: most love their dogs and take excellent care of them. The film shows some bad dog owners and mushers and then through innuendo and juxtaposition suggests that most sled dogs are generally neglected or mistreated. So, this film is just a 21st century example of yellow journalism.
