A dog sledding kennel is rarely silent. Usually, the agitated barks of dogs chained to small shelters, treading deep circles into the earth from pacing the same spot every day, can be heard from far away. But when a local entered a dog-sledding kennel reportedly called Walker’s Wild Ride in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, it was eerily quiet.
The local, Mike Dolinar, allegedly heard that the facility’s dogs were all placed for adoption after months of neglect complaints from locals and went to the property to confirm, but a look inside the dilapidated dog houses revealed the truth. Twenty-five dogs were dead, many inside their “shelters,” some of them frozen in place, still chained.
“I saw a foot dangling out of a dog house… I just saw dead dog after dead dog after dead dog.” –Mike Dolinar
Only one dog was still clinging to life, slowly starving, and forced to watch other dogs die from alleged neglect.
Locals claim they repeatedly warned Mat-Su Borough’s animal control that no one was caring for the dogs throughout the winter, but an officer reportedly dismissed the piling concerns. One citizen even claims she brought food and straw bedding to the property, but the officer turned her away.
Now, state troopers are investigating, and arrested Misty Rehder on 26 counts of Cruelty to Animals on April 21, 2026. But it’s too late for the 25 dogs forced to endure months of reported neglect and slow deaths, likely from starvation, in the frigid Alaska winter.
The Dog-Sledding Industry Profits Off of Suffering
No dog should be chained, neglected, or left to die. If you’re planning a trip to Alaska, ensure that none of the packages or cruise excursions include dog-sled rides or visits to dog kennels.
Dogs in Alaska’s dog-sledding industry are often kept chained outside in the bitter cold, akin to an archaic outdoor prison in the 1600s, a practice exposed by a PETA undercover investigation. (Image for illustrative purposes only) Credit: PETA
The best way to help dogs forced to race in the dog-sled industry is to urge companies still supporting the Iditarod to reconsider their future ties with the race that has caused hundreds of dogs to die.
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