Nashua Native's Dog Hurt in Iditarod Attacks

An Iditarod sled dog was killed Saturday after authorities said a snowmobiler "intentionally" rammed two teams.

Arnold Demoski, 26, of Nulato, was arrested and charged with a host of crimes.

Race officials said Demoksi intentionally struck Jeff King and Aliy Zirkle's teams. Zirkle was born in Nashua and grew up in Merrimack. King is a four-time Iditarod champion.

The attacks killed King's dog "Nash," a 3-year-old male dog, and injured two of his other dogs. One of Zirkle's dogs was also hurt.

"Regrettably, this incident very much alters the race of the two mushers competing for a win," race officials said in a statement. "However, both are going to continue on."

Demoski is not a member of a race team. He told KTUU-TV he was drunk and doesn't remember hitting the teams. He said he turned himself when he realized what he had done.

"I just want to say I'm sorry," he told the station.

Zirkle told the Alaska Public Radio Network said the incident has been hard to deal with.

"I have to stop thinking about it, because all I do is think about it," she told the network. "And it’s not helping."

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Top photo: Iditarod Trail Committee