Take a look at what is going on in the United States.  Then, send us your summary for us to collect and post to  help more teachers reach the needs of students.  Send an email to let us knkow what you do. Let us know what you are doing, what successes you notice, and anything else you’d like to share!

We wondering which state has the most ‘Iditarod classrooms’.  Florida, Texas, California, Wisconsin, Indiana have traditionally been in the top 10.  What states will make this year’s top 10?  Let us hear from you!  Ten thousand plus schools follow the race each year!  Let’s count you among them!

Alabama

Thanks for all you do to help my students recognize that meeting challenges takes a lot of hard work.  Each year for the past dozen years or so, this race has captured the minds of my students!

Marcie, 8th grade

Alaska

My students had a musher come to our classroom to visit before the start of the race.  We have our own I Kid A Rod.

Nancy, 5th grade

Arizona

From science, to math, to language arts, my students are involved in wanting to do school work while following the race.

Susan, Grade 3

Arkansas

Thanks for the lessons you provide on the website.  I love the song from Cathy Walters.

Barb, 1st grade

California

The project starts with learning about Alaska then the Iditarod Race.  The class goal is to learn the history of the Iditarod and its impact on Alaska today.  There are a few smaller objectives, such as writting a friendly letter to the musher they are following throughout the race, as well as analyzing the lifeskills needed to compete in the race.  My students also compete in a IditaRead…

We all get so much joy out of learning about Alaska, the Iditarod, and the mushers.  My students come back every year and ask about it.  After studying the Iditarod for 15 years, I finally was able to travel there this summer…My family and I took a 10 day northern cruise, and then a 3 day land tour into Denali National Park.  It is something my family and I will never forget.

Julie, 3^rd Grade Teacher

Colorado

Our principal is Rick Holt, who raced in the 2008 Iditarod, he introduced me to the race last year and I have tried to include objectives of doing this project in my Reading Standards.  This year we read numerous books on dog racing and my students are so excited to ‘adopt’ a musher and follow him/her throughout the race.  Each day they will log on to the official site to log their statistics.  They will also write a question each day about something they are wondering.  My goal is to support my writing teachers, who are working on letter writing.

This is very new to us, our school is about 75% second language learners and we are a very poor socioeconomic area.  But since Rick has been here developing a real interest in this sport.  My kids are very impressed that these mushes have so many dogs and that they can do things outside when it is cold.

I have lived in Colorado my entire life, I have a son that lives in  Anchorage as an Environmental Scientist, so I do get a chance to come up to Alaska once a year.

Denise, 5^th – 8^th Grade

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Students will read A-Z books (2) about the Iditarod to build background information.  The 16 students I have for reading read between a 1st & 4th grade level.  The goal is for students to be engaged and want to read.

Amanda, 1st and 4th grade level

Connecticut

There are 5 teams in the class and each team chose a musher they believe will win. I put up the parts of
the route on the board and will mark which team is in the lead as a way to keep up with the race. I also chose a fiction read aloud about the Iditarod called Black Star Bright Dawn by Scott O’Dell.

I am the student teacher for this class from the University of Bridgeport. I am coming up with a writing lesson and thought this was a great idea since they are learning about the Iditarod.

Claudia and Cheryl

Delaware

Florida

While reading the story Balto, my students became fascinated with the journey and challenges Balto faced on his mission. Seeing their enthusiasm, I realized the incredible opportunity for learning.

Project goals are aligned with the Florida Sunshine State Standards for the writing process. LA 3311, LA 3321, LA 3331, LA3341.  Objectives include prewriting, generating ideas, determining purpose, organization using graphic organizers, editing for language conventions.

More importantly, the Iditarod is providing me, as a special educator, an opportunity to bring meaningful and relevant learning to my students.  Special education students experience repeated failures when presented with “fit all” state mandated tests. This project will open up a new world for my students, where success will come not from a bubble form, but from an understanding of determination, sacrifice, hard work, and the limitless potential of the human spirit.

Eveline, Florida

*****

Our three fifth grade classes are presently running their own Iditarod along the southern trail after forming mushing teams of three.  It is a race between the three classrooms tied into math concepts and each team running 100 laps.  Students have been researching the competitors for 2009, then in March each team will choose a musher and follow them along the trail incorporating writing, geography, map skills, and also measurement when making their dog sled and Husky cookies (I bought cookie cutters in these shapes off of e-bay).

JoAnn, 5th Grade

Georgia

The Iditarod is taught across the curriculum in fifth grade.  We conclude with letters to the mushers to reinforce the skill of writing a friendly letter.

Kerri, 5th Grade

******

The boys and girls in this class are highly individual and somewhat competitive. Although they enjoy team sports, they relish individual challenges and risk taking. However, goal setting has not been a priority and mushers provide a good role model for that character building trait. Most students are Georgia natives and have not experienced the wind and low temperatures of northern states. They are fascinated, as I am too, by the extreme climate and the relationship between mushers and their dogs. I think it is important that students connect with sports heroes that live their dream and are not highly paid but are persistent, strong physically and mentally, goal oriented, caring, and simply very cool.

This is my first year using Iditarod with students. I hope to help students make a real world connection , one way to do that is with letter writing.  Students will understand that the receiver is as important as the writer (reason for research, clear writing). The project will also be a step toward researching for interviews later in the year. Familiarity with Alaska will enrich state studies in their regular classroom.

Vicki, 2nd/3rd Grade Gifted Education

Hawaii

Aloha!  Bring on the race!  Can’t wait to follow it!

Mary, 4th Grade

Idaho

We connect the race to our reading program.  It is a great incentive that seems to work to inspire students to read.

Margit, 7th Grade, Language Arts (Middle School)

Illinois

Prior to and during the Iditarod Race our grade level teaches an Iditarod/Alaska interdisciplinary unit. After doing some background-building activities, we allow the students to select a musher based on the online bios. Writing to a musher seems to provide greater motivation to learn about the history of the race as well as the geography, history, and culture of Alaska. My students have written to and followed mushers’ daily progress on the internet for 9 years and this will be the third year that we have subscribed to the Insider.

Objectives of this unit include successful composition of a friendly letter, students will increase their knowledge of the aforementioned aspects of Alaska, students will be motivated to read fiction as well as nonfiction materials (including biographies) using strategic reading and consequently will improve their reading skills, and students will learn to use the internet to procure information. Students will learn to read and record information on charts and practice map skills as we log musher’s daily progress on charts as well as maps. Note that we have purchased numerous fiction and nonfiction materials over the years from the Iditarod Trail Committee and from other resources.

Cindy, 6th Grade Teacher

Indiana

I begin this unit in January using many of my own photographs and personal knowledge of Alaska (I’ve been there several times and LOVE it.) Language arts includes the children reading chapter books such as “Balto”, “Stone Fox’, and “Snow Dogs! Racers of the North”, and comparing and contrasting what makes each dog and each musher successful—perseverance, courage, determination. We also read “Granite”, “Togo”. “Akiak”, and “Big enough Anna”. Creative writing is used regularly: if I could be a musher… and similar ideas. We use map and geography skills to track the route of the race and the terrain over which the mushers travel. Each child selects a musher about whom he will learn in January. They go to web sites to see and learn about the musher and the dogs. Letter writing skills are taught to prepare for writing to the mushers prior to the race. During the race each child charts and graphs his mushers progress Math skills are used daily as teams change sizes and miles are crossed; we also do an Iditarod problem of the day—a challenge math activity to develop problem solving skills which I create each year using actual musher information. Photos from Iditarod calendars of past years and Iditarod souvenirs are on display to motivate the children. We design Iditarod posters of our own and have booty races—putting booties on large stuffed dogs in the classroom. This is a popular unit each year and older students come back often to catch up on Iditarod news. It is the unit I most enjoy teaching.

Again this year my students will be writing and sending letters to mushers. Each child has already selected a musher about whom to learn and whom they will be following throughout the race. Children will also be charting and graphing their musher’s progress daily during the race. Each has read several books about the history of the Iditarod and about sled dog racing in general. This is the fifth year I have participated in this project.

Sally, 2nd classroom teacher for accelerated second graders

Iowa

We read the website news and create math daily problems for the students!  They love it!

Robert, Grade5

Kansas

March is spring time for some, but for us, it is Iditarod season.  We start in the fall to plan our lessons and we introduce the mushers in December.  We have a huge party at the end of the race to celebrate everything we have learned.

Rita, 3rd Grade

Kentucky

I’m a special education teacher and I’m going to be tracking five of the mushers with my 3rd grade reading group. We are going to read the chapter book “Stone Fox” which is about a little boy that enters a dog sled race. I thought we could follow the Iditarod to connect the story to something real life that is happening! After reading the book, I wanted to have the students write an e-mail to the mushers they picked to follow.

Emily, Special Education Teacher, Working with a 3rd Grade Reading Group

Louisiana

Alaska is far from us but we are there with you thanks to Insider.

Lester, 5th Grade

Maine

We are covering the race from start to finish with each student researching and following one to two mushers. Students are keeping a journal with information they find: race results, emails and letters they have sent and received, and personal thoughts on the Iditarod. Students will also be doing several other writing assignments connected to the race. They will keep track of their musher’s progress on a large to scale map and will watch daily videos of the race.

They will be looking to make a personal connection with their musher to gain first-hand knowledge, to develop their interpersonal skills and to make the race experience more meaningful.

This is our first year using the Iditarod in the classroom. Our students are from a small town in Maine and enjoy many of the same outdoor activities as students in Alaska would- hunting, fishing, snow sledding, ice fishing, etc.

Rick, 8th Grade, Reading/Language Arts

Maryland

My students beg me to start the Iditarod unit.  They love it!

Janis, 6th Grade

Massachusetts

This week I started my after school k-4 students on the history of Alaska -using an over head projector.

How big is the state/facts/climate ocean. The students wrote facts down on their own map-which will become a journal once the Iditarod starts. Once the race starts the students will use the computer lab to follow a musher through the trail check in time and check out time-(again figure out the miles and how long their musher stayed to rest and the dogs too)

Today the students will use google earth to locate the towns on the trail and check points.(this is a half hour block of time) also today the students will measure from Ashburnham to Anchorage AK.  They’ll also discover how many miles/time zones are between here and there.

Candy, Extended Day, After School Program

*****

I am teaching a writing intensive course for freshmen. Students are exploring the diversity of the canine and how form follows function allowing canines to do a variety of jobs. A lot of focus happens to be on sled dogs because I breed and show Siberian Huskies.  Bridgewater State College.  Most of the students are athletes.

Mary

Michigan

Since I teach 2 grades, I have the same students 2 years in a row and they get so excited to follow the Iditarod and start asking on the first day of school about when we are going to start the Iditarod.

We will be learning how to write a friendly letter and how to address an envelope.  I find if they are writing to a “real” person, they take more care and interest in the project.

Jennifer

Minnesota

Following the race each year is the highlight of our year.  We race our own math race solving problems.  We read books.  We use maps.  We follow the race on the computers.  It is wonderful because all students are engaged in the lessons and don’t want to miss school during the race.

Beth, 5th Grade, Special Education

Mississippi

Can’t get enough of the race!  Thanks for all you do!  Cheering on the mushers is great!

Roberta, 4th grade

Missouri

Thanks to Cathy Walter’s and her songs, my students sing all day!

Missy, Kindergarten

Montana

Writing friendly letter for language arts and learning about the Iditarod for Social Studies are our projects. (1st year doing this!)
Lacy, 3rd Grade

Nebraska

I am teaching a small group of homeschooled students a four-week unit study on the Iditarod. For this project, the students will learn to write a friendly letter. I have used the Iditarod as a unit study for our own students for about 7 years and now I am sharing this with other homeschooled students.

Marcia, Home school program, 3rd Grade and Up

Nevada

Please keep giving the great lessons to us.  You have so much to choose from and we are blessed to have your website.  We do math and reading the most.  Of course following the race is pretty neat!

Mick, Grade 2

New Hampshire

The students will learn about the history of the race, read books about the Iditarod, and follow their mushers progress online.  I have been using the race for 15 years.  I love the Iditarod and my classes have been inspired by it for many years!  Thank you for all your hard work!

Bob, 2nd Grade

********

Hi,
My name is Fran and I teach grade 5 in Northwood, New Hampshire. I am combining math and the Iditarod race in my classes. Each student chose a musher to follow and have been so excited each day reporting on their progress in the race. I thought as a closing activity the students could write to their musher. Would it be possible to get a list of addresses? We wouldn’t write to them until April when each has returned home.
I know my students would enjoy this final actititvy.

Fran, 5th Grade

New Jersey

Alaska is so different from our state that the students are very interested to learn about the race.  Doing math problems is also fun for them.  They love getting to know the mushers in a personal way thanks to your website.

Donna, Grade 2

New Mexico

Our students enjoy following the race.  They like to compare our state to Alaska.  The school day is way too short during the Iditarod.  Kids want to be in school.  They don’t want to go home until they’ve checked on their favorite musher!

Milton, Grade 4

New York

Many of the students have never heard of the Iditarod, so this is a great opportunity to teach the students about it. The Iditarod provides many great learning activities that are engaging for students. This unit plan will hopefully have an everlasting impact on the students!

Jonathan, 4th Grade Teacher

I am student teaching in 4th grade classroom this semester.  He gave me the great idea of using this topic for my unit plan.  I am going to begin by teaching the students about Alaska and then focus in on the race using many useful teaching resources off the website.  The goal/objective is for students to gain an understanding of different events around the world and where they are located geographically.

Mallory, Student Teacher

North Carolina

I work with all at risk students who have learning and/or behavior disabilities.  Most of my students live in nearby projects and have very difficult home environments.  They are many years below grade level in reading and writing and generally do not like to do either.  Our class is following the Iditarod Race this year and doing several reading, writing and research projects around it to help motivate my reluctant readers.  So far they are super excited!

Susan, Special Education

North Dakota

We enjoy doing math, reading, and map activities during the race.  One of my students hopes to run the race someday.  We all, including me, learn new things each day!

Delbert, Grade 3

Ohio

In our school, there are four fourth grade teachers working with students. We are creating a cross-curricular unit including activities in math, social studies, language arts, and technology. Our students will be choosing a musher, graphing/charting their progress, writing friendly letters to the mushers, completing an informational report, and writing personal narratives. Various math skills will be included as information regarding the progress of mushers is gathered. We are also reading books (titles chosen from this website) in small groups.

There are 23 students in my class.  I have 3 students on Special Education Programs. This is a very diverse socio-economic group! 65% of my students have never been out of Ohio.

Sue, 4th Grade Teacher

Oklahoma

I have 17 students ranging in grades 9-12. It is a self contained special education classroom for students with learning disabilities which make it extremely hard to be in the general classroom. I am using the Iditarod race for all 4 core subjects; English, Math, science and history. It has something that appeals to all students. They are really enjoying learning about the dogs, mushers, and racers.

Tammy, Grade 9 – 12 Special Education

Oregon

My reading group each completed a newsletter page regarding some aspect of dogsledding.  They would love to send a copy to a musher and wish them good luck.  We would love to have a musher’s name and contact info!  Thank you so much!

Susan, Title 1

Pennsylvania

I would like to have my class write to the mushers because it correlates with our writing standards, and the students would LOVE getting involved in writing to the musher of their choice. In turn, the students will also be “tracking” their musher, with the classroom GPS tracker I purchased from the Iditarod website. A colleague and myself went to Alaska on an educational trip with students this past summer of 2009, and we learned so many amazing things about Alaska, and immediately knew we wanted to include a Unit on the Iditarod in and integrate it into our curriculum. I’ve had the privilege of getting to visit the Iditarod HQ in Wasilla and came back with videos, books, maps, etc. to use as teaching tools for my students. We also study the regions of the U.S., the West being one of them, and the Iditarod Headquarters in Alaska is one of the places in the students’ social studies books, that they learn about. We also do mean, median, mode, range, etc, and hope to have students track the mushers progress and compare data between checkpoints/amongst teams, etc. The students will also be using researching skills, which is another standard in 4th grade to research their musher of choice, etc. I can’t wait to get them started!!!

We briefly study the Iditarod each year in our Social Studies curriculum, but never to the extent that I plan to this year with a Unit of study on the Alaskan culture and the Iditarod.  Plus, now I am equipped with first-hand knowledge of Alaska since my trip!

My kids are fantastic, enthusiastic, and love learning about new cultures. They were so interested in my trip to Alaska as well and my photos from the trip, that I know they are going to be so excited when I fill them in about our GPS tracker, following, researching, and writing to the mushers, doing an “I-Kid-A-Rod”, etc.

Michele,  4th Grade Teacher

Rhode Island

What an awesome way to get students motivated to work on map skills!

Calvin, Grade 8

South Carolina

We incorporate the Iditarod into our studies across the curriculum.  We will be working on writing friendly letters in the upcoming weeks, and since the students are currently following the race, we decided that they could write letters to their mushers.  I have used the Iditarod as a teaching tool in my classroom for the past six years.  My students are very excited to study and learn more about this race.  Most of them have never heard of it and they are amazed to find out what all it takes to be a musher.

Amanda, 5th Grade

South Dakota

Each year, my teaching unit gets longer and longer.  There are so many ways to connect the race through curriculum activities.  Thanks for what you do.

Delores, Teaches Grade 3

Tennessee

We are reading the book Stone Fox.  We are interested in finding out more about what the personal experience is like for mushers as well as working on letter writing format.

Lacey, Teaches Grade 3 and 4

Texas

My students have IEP objectives that address writing and spelling skills.  They are very interested in the Iditarod and we plan to follow it closely.  They will each choose a musher to write to and follow in the race. My students are hard workers and each of the 4 that I am working with have progressed 3 or more grade levels in reading in the 2 years that they have been working with me.
LouAnn, 5th Grade, Special Education

*****

3^rd graders are required to learn how to write a letter (writing). They are also studying perseverance, responsibility, respect and fairness. (character education) We are learning mapping skills (social studies) and measurement-distance and temperature (math). We have also learned about ecosystems and adaptations in science. This is a unit study covering all subject areas.  I’ve been doing this for 2 years, i was referred to this by a fellow teacher.  My students get so excited about this every year!

My students are hard working and very enthusiastic about learning about this race. No one had heard of this race up to this point, so it should be a great learning experience for them.

Amanda, 3rd Grade Teacher

Utah

Vermont

My name is Jeremy and I teach 5^th grade in the little town of Arlington Vermont. I have been teaching for 6 years and have taught about the Iditarod every year. The kids are BEYOND excited about it!

We each track a musher’s progress, do charting, find info about the trails, sleds, dogs, mushers, mapping, etc…

This is my 6^th year using the race.  The students are very VERY excited about their mushers and the Iditarod as a whole.  I already have a bunch that want to race in it.

This is the first year that I am going to incorporate writing letters to the mushers. (we previously wrote to celebs asking for autographed pictures and the kiddos LOVED it!)

Thank you VERY “mush”!

Jeremy

Virginia

Thanks so much for the letter writing info!  Last year, we heard back from 33 mushers!  I’ve used the race for 10 years with students!  My students think that I should apply for Iditarod Teacher on the Trail!

Carol, 6^th Grade

Washington

Following the Iditarod gives RELEVANCE to every part of our curriculum with Reading, Writing, Math, Art, Social Studies, and Science. We would like to write to the Mushers and Congratulate them. Of course, we would be thrilled to hear back from any of them too. Writing to the Mushers allows students to make personal connections with them beyond just looking at their pictures online. Students apply skills learned for the writing process.  Already, each student has a musher that they are cheering on for the Iditarod 2010. Writing to the mushers allows them to connect with others beyond the class and state. My class is also writing to soldiers overseas. Tracking the mushers allows us to  integrate multiple subject areas like  Reading as we learn about mushers  from biographies and math as we add up distances traveled. It allows my students to  relate information to real situations.  Perhaps personal stories will develop as students visit Alaska and mushing  farms. Thanks for helping us connect to others in our world.

Kathy, 2nd Grade Teacher

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For the past three years my students have been learning about Alaska and The Iditarod race. Each student follows a musher on the trail and completes various writing activities about their musher including stories, acrostic poems, and mini-biographies. This year I would like to include the option of writing friendly letters to our mushers. The objective of this lesson would be to practice our letter writing skills using appropriate etiquette and practicing grammar. The goal for me is not to necessarily receive letters back from the mushers, but rather having my students practice their writing skills and encouraging/thanking our mushers for a job well done.

As a teacher, I am so thankful for the wonderful learning opportunities this race and its participants make possible for us. My students have a contagious enthusiasm that spreads excitement to the other elementary students. I even had a student from last year come back and tell me that he was doing his own mini-unit at home on The Iditarod since he does not have it in class this year. Thank you so much for all your hard work in letting classrooms across the nation get just a taste of what it means to participate in The Iditarod.

God bless!

Nancy, 2^nd Grade

West Virginia

I am an avid follower of the Iditarod and get my students involved extensively each year in a myrid of activities to raise their enthusiasm about the history embedded in the event and the sport. One student got so excited during her 2nd grade experience, that she actually set a goal for herself to run the Iditarod someday. Although she has not met that goal yet, she did work at the finish line three years ago and sent me pictures to use in my unit, 12 years after I had her in class.

I have developed an extensive unit over the past 15 years.

Amy, 5th Grade Teacher

Wisconsin

Each year my third grade class reads about Balto and then we discuss the Iditarod and Alaska.

Else, Grade 3 Teacher

*****

I am a third grade teacher in WI and want to join the Iditarod Insider.  I want to use it at home to preview the news before I use it in my classroom, but I also want to use it in my classroom.

Mary Anne, 3rd Grade Teacher

Wyoming

And we thought Wyoming was the wild west!  Our students follow the race and can’t wait to mark their musher’s progress.  They also complete math and reading assignments.  At the end of the race, we put on a big ‘news broadcast’ that summarizes the race.

Dillon, Grade 6

Washington, DC

Good afternoon, I am sure that things are beautiful in Alaska right now! I almost moved to McGrath, the halfway point of the Iditarod. It was very exciting to be in the bush; however, I remained in DC.

Teaching areas of focus in our Iditarod projects: Social Studies and Geography (I think that kids from an urban area would be fascinated by Alaska’s topography, and the race itself. Very exciting! We would like to communicate with the mushers and have first-hand knowledge of what they are experiencing, and be able to track their progress on the map.)

I am currently a librarian at an urban, bilingual school. I want to teach my children about the Iditarod’s history, Alaskan geography, and the sport of dog mushing. Our school is bilingual in English and Spanish. We have students from over 30 different countries. 80% of our students are from low-income families. We love books and reading. This is the first time that I have participated in the Iditarod activity.

Bridgid, Librarian

The chart shows pay out for mushers finishing 1 – 30.  Finishers 31 to the Red Lantern (the last to finish) get $1, 049.

The total amount for the ‘purse’ won’t be determined until the last musher finishes the race.

This picture was taken at Race Headquarters at the Millennium near the Dog Drop area.  The Dog Truck was broken.  The volunteers really ‘got into’ fixing the problem.  Are you willing to do what it takes to fix a problem?

Internet Problems this evening.  Image to be loaded tomorrow.  Sorry!

Trent and the Snowshoes

Just like all of the 2010 Iditarod Mushers, Trent Herbst left Willow, Alaska for Nome.  Trent is a 4th Grade teacher from Idaho.  In many ways, Trent’s students began the journey with him – and the sled and snowshoes with Trent, were symbols of learning and mutual trust.

Pounding, sawing, thinking, sewing, cooking, organizing, and planning— for the 2010 Iditarod all became a part of the student’s classroom curriculum, the reading, the math, the science, the real life application of skills turned a classroom into a learning experience of a lifetime.

The students did the math, the science, the research, and the work to design Trent’s sled, create snowshoes, prepare meals on the trail for Trent, to sew important gear to keep Trent’s dogs safe and to support their teacher’s trek on the 1049 mile journey to Nome!

When Trent left for Nome, student signatures on the sled were not symbols of a classroom left behind.  The signatures are instead, symbolic of what is good — no great about education today.  Trent’s students will have what it takes to be academically successful because they’ve learned to used the content skills.  More importantly, his students have learned about volunteerism, problem solving, research, organization, goal setting, compassion, teamwork, and many other life skills that will guide them as they help make the world a better place.

*Congratulations to Trent and his students for the incredible job they did on the teacher’s workshop presentation.  Thanks to Trent and his students, the parents, the principal, and the Community School.  Well Done!  A+  You are Idita-Excellent!

A Dropped Dog Receives an Exam at Race Headquarters

Iditarod is dedicated to the best dog care ever!

Dogs pass physical exams before they receive the ‘ok’ to race in Iditarod.

During the race, veterinarians who are stationed at Checkpoints examine dogs and ensure the best possible care for the canine athletes.

Dogs that are ‘dropped’ from the race are returned to Anchorage  They are examined at Race Headquarters at the Millennium.  Veterinarian staff provide check ups, meals, fresh water, and comfortable lodging for the sled dogs  while the dogs await their handler or family to pick them up.  While waiting, the dogs enjoy snoozing on straw, relaxing in the sunshine, and meeting race fans and volunteers.

The dogs are healthy and eager to return to their ‘families’.

The Alaskan sled dog is widely known as being the most athletic dog in the world.  These marathon runners are revered for their strength and endurance.  However, just like human athletes, they’re not problem free.  Some of their issues arise from characteristics inherent to their breed; others arise from their athletic training similar to humans.

While it’s commonly known that the Iditarod dogs go through a regimen of tests and physicals both before and during the race, lesser known is that there’s ongoing research on sled dogs at major universities.  For the past twenty years research has been conducted in six major areas concerning sled dogs:  enlarged heart, gastric ulcers, muscle metabolism, vaccine titers, red blood cell count, and most recently diarrhea.

It’s a fact that sled dogs have enlarged hearts.  It is a genetic trait.  The question is, “Is that a problem?”  Studies conducted in the 1990s sought to answer that question.  ECGs were conducted on dogs and it was found that 50% of sled dogs have heart murmurs naturally, running or not.  Heart murmurs may be a problem for other breeds, but it’s not for sled dogs—well, not if the murmur is on the left side.  If the murmur is on the right side, however, it’s cause for concern.  A dog with this condition will be disallowed to run the race.

The second area of research on sled dogs concentrated on gastric ulcers, a condition also common to human marathon athletes.  Approximately 50% of sled dogs experience gastric ulcers; although they’re usually not a threat to their health unless internal bleeding occurs. Additionally, the research showed that no link between gastric ulcers and diarrhea exists.  As a result of this research, the Iditarod has recommended mushers give their dogs Pepcid, an antihistamine that blocks the release of stomach acid, in order to prevent gastric ulcers.  It’s believed that most mushers follow this advice for the best care of their team.

Another major study of sled dogs started in the early 2000s and is still ongoing.  You may be surprise to find out that it was financed by the U.S. government.  This 1.4 million dollar endeavor focused on muscle metabolism.  The aim was to study how the sled dog can run for such long distances day after day and have metabolic recovery.  The ultimate goal was to relate the endurance of dogs to humans, in this case soldiers.  Michael Davis from Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences says, “The secret to the dogs’ feats of day-to-day endurance lies in their ability to ‘reprogram’ their bodies’ responses to stress after just one day of competition.  Something humans can’t do.”  When an athlete, be it human or canine, pounds the pavement for miles, bits of muscle enzymes and proteins leak out of their cells.  This is a sign of cell damage.  For humans, the cells recover in a day or two.  However, as soon as a human goes for another run, the damage happens all over again.  For sled dogs, that’s not the case.  They adapt their systems within a day, and the leakage doesn’t occur.

Davis also found that sled dogs have voracious appetites.  During race season, a sled dog that weighs 55 pounds can consume up to 12,000 calories a day.  Human athletes can do the same, but their body weight is three times more than a sled dog.  Sled dogs diets need to be very high in fat and protein.  It’s comparable to a human marathoner training by “eating the Atkins’ diet,” says Erica McKenzie, researcher at Oregon State University who once worked under Davis.  As a runner herself, she also wishes that there’d be more transfer of the dog research they’re conducting to the human world of sports medicine.  But, “we just aren’t there yet.”

In 2006 & 2007 two studies were conducted at Oregon State University.  The first concentrated on vaccine titers.  The question explored was, “Does the stress on a sled dog affect the effectiveness of their vaccines?”  The study showed that some dogs did experience a weakening of vaccines. However, the study also revealed that when these same dogs were exposed to various diseases during race, their immune system built up a tolerance 4x that of the vaccine.  The second study focused on red blood cell count.  It was discovered that for every day of a race, the red blood cell count dropped by 1% in 40-45% of the dogs tested.  This phenomenon also happens in human athletes in races such as the Tour de France.  After the race, however, the red blood cell count returns to normal levels.  The conclusion reached is that the lowering of the red blood cell count is a natural response to exercise for both humans and dogs, and it has no harmful effects.

The most recent research conducted on sled dogs is in the area of diarrhea, which is a widespread and poorly understood problem.  Erica McKenzie has been a leader in this area of research for the last few years.  She took samples of dogs before the race and after 400 miles of running and conducted testing.  Although there’s still research to be done in this area, her studies showed that the diarrhea was not a result of disease, rather a natural response to the stress of running.  Again, this same issue is not foreign to human athletes.  She said that in most cases, the diarrhea is more of an annoyance than a health issue.  Dogs usually regain normal regularity  within a day or two.  There’s one exception though.  If the diarrhea is 9% watery, then it’s a sign of a health issue.  If the watery condition continues for more than a day, a dog will probably be dropped.

This research is hot off the presses and was shared this year with the mushers at their meeting the Thursday before the Iditarod start.  The practice of veterinary research being shared with mushers is a long standing practice.  Mushers are receptive to finding out about health issues concerning their dogs.  I’ve seen first-hand how the care for their dog team is the ultimate priority of a musher.  Now I know it’s also a priority with several researchers around the country.  It’s been said the sled dog is the most cared for athlete in the world.  I think it’s safe to say they’re also the most researched athlete in the world, at least the ones with fur.  Hopefully the research being done on sled dogs will be transferred more consistently to humans marathoners and help them as well.

(Special thanks to Erica McKenzie of Oregon State University for graciously giving of her time for an interview so I could learn about this fascinating subject).

For More Information:

Why Sled Dogs are Super Dogs:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26889282/

Iditarod Dog Car Measures:  http://www.iditarod.com/learn/vet-10.html

Sled Dogs and Enlarged Hearts:

*http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF12/1223.html

Sled Dog Endurance:

*http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/science/06dogs.html

*http://www.scienceline.org/2008/11/28/bio-teyan-sled-dog-metabolism-iditarod/

*http://www.faculty.uaf.edu/ffmew1/krista_west/magazine/SledDog_KristaWest_1p.pdf

*http://sleddoggin.com/mushing-news/sled-dog-endurance-capabilities-change-long-distance-racing-strategies

*http://www.newser.com/story/26658/what-we-can-learn-from-being-dog-tired.html

Sled Dogs Diet:

*http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/dominiquegrandjean-97205-nutrition-racing-sled-dogs-part-1-veterinary-medicine-isdvma-sport-nutrtion-science-technology-ppt-powerpoint/

*http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/128/12/2686S

Sled Dogs and Insulin/Diabetes Research:

* http://newsok.com/dogs-could-help-diabetes-studies/article/3335362?custom_click=lead_story_title

*http://spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com/2009/11/physiology-research-at-sp-kennel.html

Sled Dogs and Diarrhea:

*http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122686405/abstract

NOTE:  For high school students conducting scientific research, or who are involved with the INTEL science program, sharing this area of research might spark an interest in a related topic.

Iditarod sled dogs are the most amazing athletes in the world, literally.  We love the challenge they embody, both personal and physical, as they run full tilt across the state of Alaska. It is a passion we share with our best friends.  But if our best friends are not in the most superior condition possible they cannot pursue the challenge and their joy evaporates like snow in sunshine.

Last summer I spent a few weeks visiting kennels and watching what was being done to condition Iditarod sled dogs off season and what I saw at Jeff King’s kennels near Denali was a unique approach to conditioning dogs in the heat of summer.  Jeff had, during the 1989 Yukon Quest, found himself in a frightening overflow situation that threatened the lives of his dogs and him.  That situation and others like it led him to devise a unique approach to summer time training.  He hooked up a team of dogs to a paddle boat on Goose Lake, adjacent to his property.  The dogs gained several advantages from this experience.  They gained confidence in this aquatic environment, they gained strength in the specific muscles required for swimming and they gained endurance unique to this specifically stressful situation.  Other advantages to this particular workout were allowing the dogs to stay cool while doing serious conditioning in the summer heat and attention to specific muscle groups that might otherwise be ignored.  This kind of cross-training is similar to what human marathoners do which allows them to run with less effort and more insurance against injury.  I can’t wait to ask Jeff if he thinks this conditioning had anything to do with the slow drop rate out of his team in the new soft snow on the early parts of the trail this year.

Martin Buser, at Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake, has for years worked with university researchers and dog food companies to develop dog food that efficiently fueled the unique requirements, ten to twelve thousand potent calories a day, of these dogs.  Now he has acquired the elephant treadmill cast off from the Anchorage Zoo and built a building around it.  (to control the environment?)  Who knows where that will lead?

Puppies are routinely born in the summer time when tourists eagerly visit mushing kennels across Alaska and wrap their affectionate arms around these furry little bundles.  The socialization gained from these experiences adds social and emotional balance to these dogs’ temperment allowing them to handle the stress of competition more easily and depend more confidently on their human counterparts.

The point is that the mushing community cares so dearly about the well being of their teammates that they are constantly studying and developing new methods to keep them in optimum physical and emotional health.  A healthier, happier team is a stronger, more resilient team – WIN and WIN.

To have my students understand these concerns more personally I have them study the nutritional and hydration needs of human marathoners as they train for their own long distance run.

Lesson Plan for Eat and Drink a Marathon

Lesson Summary:  Grades 7 – 12:

Physical Education high school course 1, standard 2.9 and Health expectation 1 – food choices.

Students weigh themselves regularly before daily running activity, run 30 minutes (on top of stretching and warm-up activities) and weigh again immediately after running.  Time of day and temperature should also be recorded.  The weight loss is equivalent to the amount of water lost from the body during this exercise and time interval that needs to be replaced. Students read about the need for hydration for optimum muscle functioning and brain activity.

Students also learn about the 60-20-20 ratio for caloric intake for physical activity (carbs-fats-protein) then design and prepare high quality pre-run meals.

]]> http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2010/03/16/for-the-love-of-dogs/feed/ 0 http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2010/03/16/caring-for-dogs-of-the-iditarod/ http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2010/03/16/caring-for-dogs-of-the-iditarod/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:08:35 +0000 Diane http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/?p=3508 By Martha Dobson, Finalist, Target® Iditarod 2011 Teacher on the Trail™, North Carolina

Caring for the Iditarod dogs is as thorough and professional as care for human athletes. High school, college, and professional athletes undergo regular physical examinations to ascertain their health and physical condition. So do the Iditarod dogs. The veterinarians and mushers associated with these dogs demonstrate their concern for the dogs’ wellbeing by participating in health and performance studies, feeding the dogs nutritious diets, and evaluating each dog’s health before the Iditarod begins.

About a month before the Iditarod begins, mushers take their dogs to their own vet or to veterinary technicians around the state of Alaska for screening lab work and an ECG (electrocardiogram) diagnostic test. Used for the past 15 years, the ECG measures heart rhythm and activity. The CBC and basic blood panels lab work check, among other things, red and white blood cells and platelets to determine if all is normal in the blood. To identify the dog, its microchip is scanned or if a microchip needs to be placed, the technician does so. The microchip number is particular to that dog and is used to identify it at the next exam for the race as well as in the future.

Physical exams on every dog considered for racing in the upcoming Iditarod are done within 14 days of the race start. Volunteer vets from the United States and other countries use the HAW/L acronym for this exam. H stands for heart and hydration, A for appetite and attitude, W for weight, and L stands for lungs. Every dog’s legs, paws, and temperature are checked, too.

At checkpoints during the race, dogs are examined again by the vets who hopscotch down the trail in bush planes to care for the dogs, performing about 10,000 routine exams. Vets use the musher’s vet book, a diary of vets’ notes from previous checkpoint exams, to follow each dog’s condition during the race. Another team of volunteers handles urine specimen collection for drug testing purposes, another example of concern for the dogs’ wellbeing.

Dr. Michael Davis of Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Services School researches performance and health concerns for the Iditarod dogs, including ulcer studies and prevention of ulcers during the race. Dr. Stu Nelson, chief veterinarian for the Iditarod, is most encouraged by the ulcer prevention protocol, a daily dose of medicine during race time and training.

During the race, mushers check their dogs’ paws, applying ointment and booties, massage their legs and shoulders, and feed them high calorie snacks, caring for them as athletic trainers tape their human athletes’ legs, massage or whirlpool them after games, and monitor their game day diets. And when dogs fly to Anchorage or Nome ahead of their teammates, vets check them there again using the HAW/L acronym. George, a Talkeetna, Alaska vet, examined one of these dogs thoroughly at the Millennium Hotel during the race while explaining to onlookers the HAW/L acronym he was following.

With the physical exams and information Dr. Nelson provides to vets and mushers regarding optimal health care and symptoms to observe, the four-legged athletes of the Iditarod are definitely on the receiving end of a high level of concern for their wellbeing.

For more veterinary information, go to http://iditarod.com/learn/vetcenter.html

Permission is given for teachers to use the pictures in their classrooms.

Primary Grades Lesson Plan—Write a picture book showing the sequence of the vet exam.

Other Lesson and Activity Ideas:

Paper cube—Use this link for the cube template. http://atozteacherstuff.com/pdf.htm?cube_outline.pdf

Print the pictures to glue to each side of the cube. Number each picture in its correct sequence of the vet exam. Then, play a game with the cube. Roll the cube and move a playing piece along a trail map of the Iditarod from checkpoint to checkpoint.

Upper elementary/middle school—Write the story of the vet exam from the dog’s point of view.

Upper middle school/secondary— Use this article as a springboard for a research project. Research physical exams for people and dogs. Compare and contrast these exams in a formal paper. Cite sources in MLA format. Create a power point presentation.

Lesson Plan: Dog Care

Primary Level: Lesson Summary: Students will put the pictures of a vet check procedure in correct order and then write sentences describing the sequence of a vet check using words such as first, next, then, after, last. Each picture and sentence will be on a single page of their book.

Vet Check Sequence Photo Poster for you to download and print out.

See how you can get involved.  Click Here.

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