Proper care for dogs withdrawn from racing is a crucial part of the veterinary team's duty as stewards of these animals. The ITC and Iditarod veterinary staff are committed to ensuring optimal medical outcomes while keeping mushers' costs low. Most return dogs undergo evaluation, basic treatment, and are released by our medical team without any cost to the musher. Ongoing housing, feeding, and care post-release from the ITC are essential for the dogs' welfare, making the completion of this Return Dog Care Agreement a necessity.

This agreement establishes:

1) Local Return Dog Contact (two): Your contacts are responsible for picking up your dogs from Anchorage Headquarters and housing, feeding, and caring for them until they can be re-united with you. Your contacts should also have the permission and ability to take your dog to the designated Local Veterinary Clinic if necessary for any follow up care until you return from the trail.

Requirements for your local contacts:

1. Dogs must be picked up within 4 hours of being contacted.
2. They must bring valid identification for pick-up (driver's license preferred).
3. They must be capable of driving in the state of Alaska.
4. They must be capable of driving at night.
5. They should have a reliable means of transportation.
6. They should have the space and proper equipment to transport, care, and house your sled dogs including leashes and crates, and ability to keep indoors if medically instructed.
7. If you are relying on them to be able to pick up your dogs if you scratch, they should have access to a dog truck, or know who does, in order to collect your full team of dogs if needed.
8. Ideally they should NOT have an international phone number. If they do, our main form of contact will be email (which is slow and more likely to make this process less efficient).

2) Local Veterinary Clinic: This clinic is the location that your Return Dog(s) may be brought for further non-critical care during normal business hours. You authorize the veterinarians at this location to make medical decisions in the best interest of the dog. Should the care become more critical, the Local Veterinary Clinic should contact the Iditarod Veterinary Team in Anchorage for further discussions. Financial arrangements should be been made directly with this veterinary clinic. This veterinary clinic must be located in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, Palmer, or Big Lake.

3) Emergency Dog Care Policy: These terms outline the process in the event that your Return Dog(s) have serious/critical conditions that require 24-hr care and facilities beyond the Iditarod Vet Staff and local clinic’s abilities. All Returned Dogs are examined by ITC Returned Dog Veterinarians after their arrival in Anchorage, and the decision to send a dog to the 24-hr Anchorage PET Emergency will be made by the Chief Veterinarians and/or Veterinarians in Return Dog in Anchorage. Reasonable efforts are made to inform mushers of situations where hospitalization at PET Emergency is needed. As stated in rule 41, financial responsibility for dog care shall be borne by the musher.

When you submit the form below, you will receive two DocuSign forms for your official signature. When you submit those forms, they will be emailed separately to your designated local return dog contacts and local vet clinic for their electronic signature. So please speak to all parties ahead of time regarding their expected duties.

Read - For full information about the Return Dog Program, please click on this link for the Return Dog Manual

Thank you for completing the below information. If you have any questions, please contact Race Director Mark Nordman (mark.nordman@iditarod.com) or Iditarod Veterinarian Dr. Erika Friedrich (erika.friedrich@iditarod.com).