Iditarod Allegations Under Investigation

The issue of whether musher Ramy Brooks abused his dogs during this year's 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is not over.

Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee, said Tuesday that race officials will continue to look into an allegation that Brooks hit his dogs with his fists, kicked some and struck some with a ski pole in a rant that lasted more than 15 minutes.

For now, however, it is one person's word against another, Hooley said.

That could change if race officials can verify the account reported by Maude Paniptchuk, an elementary school teacher in Golovin.

If her account proves true, Brooks could be permanently banned from the race, Hooley said.

Brooks' wife, Cathy, said her husband obviously disputes the alleged eyewitness account. She says they want people to remember several veterinarians examined the dogs after the allegations of abuse were raised, she said.

"Our dogs are happy and healthy and well taken care of and not abused," she said.

The following statement was posted Tuesday on Brooks' website:

"Brooks regretfully acknowledges this unfortunate incident and accepts the disqualification decision of the judges. Brooks is passionate about his love for his dogs and Native heritage as an Alaskan."

Brooks was disqualified from this year's race after admitting he "spanked" his dogs with a wooden trail marker after two refused to get up and run outside of the Golovin checkpoint, less than 100 miles from the finish in Nome.

A three-member panel of judges responded by voting unanimously to disqualify Brooks from the race.

"We weren't trying to discredit her allegations. They just felt as though they needed additional information," Hooley said.

Brooks, 38, a popular Native musher from Healy, was the 12th musher to cross the finish line in Nome. After completing the race, he admitted to race officials that he had "spanked" his dogs with a wooden trail marker.

Hooley said Brooks was disqualified for one year based on what he admitted doing. Brooks vehemently denied Paniptchuk's account, he said.

Iditarod officials were aware of Paniptchuk's version of events when making the decision to disqualify Brooks for a year, Hooley said.

"Obviously, the witness has a different account of the chain of events and we will be pursuing those as well," he said.

Race officials, according to Hooley, will try to find other people to corroborate the schoolteacher's account.

Hooley also said that race officials are also aware of an allegation that Brooks' mother, famed sprint musher Roxie Wright, got on the back of her son's sled and got the team up and running out of Golovin. Race rules prevent mushers from getting help. The penalty for such an occurrence would be a fine, Hooley said.

"One of the issues on the table is Roxie Wright getting on the back of the dog sled," Hooley said.

Brooks was not fined, but race officials enacted what is called the 8-hour rule when he arrived at the finish carrying a dead dog in his sled bag. Brooks' placement fell from 12th place to 15th place while race officials investigated the death - a loss of about $7,000 in prize money. The first 30 race finishers receive prize money. The subsequent disqualification dropped him from all prize money.

Brooks had notified race officials that the dog, Kate, a 3-year-old female, died between White Mountain and Safety, just 22 miles from the finish. He was told to bring the dog to Nome.

Hooley said he was not sure whether the veterinarian who conducted the necropsy on Kate was aware of the allegations against Brooks. The necropsy was inconclusive. Race officials said they had no reason to believe that Brooks' account of striking his dogs with the trail marker and the death of the dog were connected.

Brooks' main sponsor is wireless phone company Cellular One. The company has sponsored Brooks for three years, said spokesman Craig Davis, who refused to reveal how much money Brooks gets from the company.

"Obviously, we are watching the situation," Davis said. "It is an issue that Ramy has to work out and go through the right process with the Iditarod."

Brooks also receives about $40,000 a year to be a spokesman for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and make appearances to talk about his experience with depression as a teenager that led to a suicide attempt. The authority is standing by Brooks, said Jeff Jessee, the authority's CEO.

"From my personal connection with him over a couple of years, it is hard for me to believe he would have reacted like this teacher seems to think he did," Jessee said. "What we have to go by is the work that Ramy has done for us. He has been just awesome. He has an ability to reach people that really is pretty amazing."

Roxanne Brooks, an aunt who lives in Fairbanks, said people are forgetting all the good things her nephew has done. She also said she would like to see someone at the Iditarod stand up for Brooks.

"We will continue to support Ramy, no matter what," she said.

Nenana musher Jerry Riley, the 1976 champion, was banned for life in 1990 for mistreating his dogs. Riley said he was trying to break up a dog fight when he accidentally hit a dog with a steel snowhook. Judges banned him for life, citing past allegations of abuse.

Despite the lifetime ban, Riley was allowed to race in 2001. He has since been told he can't race again because of the level of care he provides for his dog team, Hooley said.
By Mary Pemberton