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Pam Flowers – Heroine by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers Date: February 8, 2010

Pam Flower, Author and Adventurer

Pam Flower, Author and Adventurer

Pam Flowers is a small quiet woman who considers herself a loner. Her idea of fun is to travel with her dogs in lonely desolate places. This may or may not sound like fun to you but Pam’s adventures captivate the interests of adults and children alike.

After graduating from college, Pam held a good job as a respiratory therapist. She lived in a big city and worked in a big hospital. Pam was unhappy and dreamed of spending time in snow covered isolated places. She left her job and moved to Alaska intending to raise dogs and travel solo into the hinterlands.

Pam’s most extensive and dangerous expedition was traveling solo from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay in Nunavut Territory, Canada, as distance of 2,500 miles along the entire Arctic Coast of Alaska and Canada. Pam left Barrow with eight dogs in February of 1993. After many distressing incidents including polar bears, melting sea ice and a lost dog, Pam and the eight dogs reached Repulse Bay eleven months later. This was the first and longest solo dog sled trek by a woman in recorded history. You can read a detailed account of the adventure in Pam’s book, Alone Across the Arctic – One Woman’s Epic Journey by Dog Team.

Pam’s most recent expedition was a through hike on the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail with one-year-old Ellie, her black lab. The trek took the better part of the 2008-2009 school year. Pam is currently writing a book called Ellie’s Long Walk to tell of their experiences along the trail. I can’t wait to get a copy for our Just Guts Library.

Is that a polar bear by my sled?

Is that a polar bear by my sled?

Pam has traveled to the Magnetic North Pole by dog sled on two occasions, one being the first documented solo journey by a woman over the 325-mile route from Resolute Bay to the Pole. It must have been exciting to stand at the pole looking at a compass that was pointing straight down. Pam has run the Iditarod. She’s logged thousands of miles between Kotzebue and Kaktovik and on the North Slope solo with her dogs. Pam attempted a solo dog sled trek to the geographic North Pole but early break up of the sea ice put an end to all expeditions to the pole that year.

Pam has amazing skill when it comes to training dogs. She has two rules in her kennel, no fighting and no stealing another dog’s food – if you want more food I’ll give you more but you must not steal. Pam spends a lot of time, energy and effort in making sure that her dogs understand what she expects of them. Pam had her work cut out for her when training little Ellie for the Appalachian through hike. As a puppy, Ellie had enough energy for half a dozen dogs. She tried to please Pam but sometimes she couldn’t resist fun and games, especially with other dogs. When Ellie saw another dog on a training run, she’d charge up to the dog hoping to play. One day Ellie’s actions caught Pam off guard and she was knocked face first into the ground ending up with a wrist injury, black eyes and broken glasses. Would Ellie ever learn to behave for the long through hike? Pam was concerned. For several days, she withheld affection from Ellie, giving her food and water but rarely speaking to her except in a very stern voice. Ellie began to understood that her actions had injured Pam. This was the turning point for Ellie, sometimes it was hard but from then on she did her best to obey Pam to earn her love and trust.

Pam has authored two other must read books about her dogs, Douggie and Anna. In Douggie – Sled Dog Hero you’ll read the story of a playful mischievous pup that, under Pam’s tutoring turned into a stellar lead dog. Big Enough Anna is the story of a little dog that was determined to succeed and became one of eight dogs to travel the entire Arctic Coast. You can learn more about Pam’s adventures and order books at www.pamflowers.com.

Thanks to my friend Pam who gave us these pictures.  Stay tuned for our next story about idols. In the mean time, take Pam’s advice – look at a problem as a solution waiting to happen.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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DeeDee Jonrowe – Heroine by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers Date: February 8, 2010

The heroes and heroines that have been featured in these stories thus far are made of some pretty tough stuff. The same is true for DeeDee Jonrowe. Have you created a definition for heroine? How is a heroine different from a hero? If you’ve done your research, you’ll realize they are the same except hero refers to a male and heroine refers to a female. Some sources say that hero is a gender-neutral term so it’s okay to bestow the honor of “hero” upon a woman. That’s what I’ll do.

DeeDee and Volt have a heart to heart chat.

DeeDee and Volt have a heart to heart chat.

When it comes to Iditarod, DeeDee Jonrowe is like the energizer bunny – she just keeps on going. We’ve elected DeeDee to hero status because of that, because she’s a cancer survivor, because of her popularity as a musher and because she is renowned for her excellent dog care. The 2010 race will be her 28th trip to Nome. In all of those runs, DeeDee has finished in the top 10 fourteen times, placing 2nd three times. She has the fastest time for a woman in the history of Iditarod. We’ve heard many DeeDee stories from our handler. Here are a few of our favorites that show her determination, energy and perseverance.

In the fall of 1996, DeeDee was in a terrible car wreck. She and her husband suffered life-threatening injuries and her grandmother was killed. It was 20 below and they were trapped in the mangled car for a long time until workers arrived with the jaws-of-life to cut them out. It took DeeDee and her husband months to recover from their injuries. In the mean time, friends trained her dogs and had them ready for her – if she was ready to run Iditarod. She was ready and she crossed the finish line in 4th place. What a woman!

In the summer of 2002, DeeDee was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent extensive surgery and received her last dose of chemotherapy in January, just a few weeks before the race. Similar to 1997, friends trained her dogs so they’d be ready – if she was ready to run. She was ready and with nothing less than monumental determination, DeeDee arrived in Nome in 18th place. While her body was mending, she ran the race to heal her mind and spirit. The astounding beauty.,the rugged trail, the support of the volunteers, the encouragement from the villagers and the unconditional love she and her dogs share played a significant role in restoring her health. It’s not surprising that DeeDee was chosen by fellow Iditarod competitors to receive The Most Inspirational Musher Award for her courageous run to Nome in 2003.

DeeDee awaits the start of Iditarod 2005

DeeDee awaits the start of Iditarod 2005

Handler saw DeeDee in action at the start of Iditarod 2005. Ten minutes before her start time, she was just sitting around talking with folks. The gangline was laid out and the sled was packed but there were no dogs or harnesses in sight. DeeDee didn’t even have her anorak on. Most other teams had been hooked up 15 or 20 minutes before their start time. Didn’t DeeDee know it was her turn to go? With just two minutes remaining, DeeDee stood up and pulled her anorak on and from out of nowhere came sixteen handlers, each holding a harness. They went to a specific door on the dog box, brought a dog out, harnessed it and hooked it to the gangline. In just 20 seconds, the dogs were harnessed, DeeDee was dressed and standing on the runners ready to head to the starting chute. Her dogs didn’t experience any of the pre-race stress that other dogs experience from being harnessed too early. This amazing demonstration of confidence, organization and dog management is so DeeDee.

The list of awards that DeeDee has received is was too long to cover. As a sled dog, a few really stand out in my mind. She’s received the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for excellence in dog care, the Best-cared for Team Award, the Best Dog Care Award and (I like this one) the Dog’s Best Friend Award. DeeDee is one of the founding members of Mush with P.R.I.D.E. That’s an organization that sets standards for all aspects of sled dog care. We’re planning to read her book, Iditarod Dreams. You can read more about DeeDee in Lew Freedman’s Iditarod Classics and at www.deedeejonrowe.com.

DeeDee could write volumes about excellent dog care, the value of teamwork, being a survivor, perseverance and overcoming adversity. Standing at just 5’2” she shows everyone that it’s not the size of the person, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Ivedi – our Local Heroine by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers Date: February 7, 2010
Ivedi, descendant of Granite

Ivedi, descendant of Granite

Ivedi isn’t as well known as Balto, Togo or Granite but none-the-less, she’s our hero. Locally known heroes like Ivedi are very real and very important. You and your classmates undoubtedly have included famous people on your list of heroes and heroines but don’t forget about folks in your family, community or school who have done great things or lived an exemplary life and are worthy of “hero” status.

Ivedi was born in Susan Butcher’s Trail Breaker Kennel in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was raised and trained by Susan until the age of two. Her bloodlines can be traced back to Granite. Wanting to purchase a dog of good ancestry, our musher called Susan who said, “I have the perfect dog for Just Guts Kennel, her name is Ivedi.” When the time was right, she was bred and then flown to Wisconsin – all by herself in a kennel in the belly of the plane. A few weeks later, Gabe, Holstein, Tundra, Tikchik, Baffin and Morgan were born. Ivedi nurtured and trained those pups along with later arrivals, Mr. Blue, Trego, Bootleg, Bosca, Bill T, and Curly. They all turned into speedy, devoted, dependable, dedicated, handsome sled dogs.

Ivedi didn't need to follow her nose on this trail

Ivedi didn't need to follow her nose on this trail

It was common for the Just Guts team to go up to northern Minnesota to run and camp out in the Boundary Waters or cross into Canada and camp in the Quetico. Often a bunch of teams would all run and camp out together. On one trip, they ran about 30 miles out across frozen lakes and portages and then set camp up for the night. It began to snow and by morning, their trail was covered. When it was time to head back to the trucks, some of the mushers were uncertain of the direction. All the bays looked the same, all the islands looked the same and all the distant hills looked the same. With snow falling there were no prominent landmarks. The mushers studied their maps and read their compasses and thought they knew the way back but they weren’t certain. They decided to put the Just Guts team with Ivedi in lead up front. Trusting her nose and sense of direction was the right thing to do. Without faltering, she led them back to their vehicles. Who needs a GPS when you have a great leader like Ivedi? Susan would have been proud!

At the age of 14, Ivedi retired from distance running but she continued to train pups like me. She taught me almost everything I know about being an outstanding sled dog and a great leader. Ivedi was the matriarch of the kennel – the alpha dog of our pack. She lived to run. Ivedi earned our respect and admiration because of her work ethic, natural ability, gentle nature, intelligence, athleticism, devotion, and leadership. Faithful friend and sturdy shelter perfectly describe Ivedi, our beloved and hallowed hero. What a dog!

Stay tuned to learn about why we chose DeeDee Jonrowe to be on our list of Heroines. Remember – when you are faced with a problem, be creative and do your best to turn it into a solution.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Granite & Susan Butcher – Hero & Heroine by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers, Reading and Writing Date: February 6, 2010

Susan Butcher being interviewed by reporters in Ruby

Susan Butcher being interviewed by reporters in Ruby

When speaking of Granite one has to mention Susan, when speaking of Susan one has to include Granite. Without Susan, Granite might have become a house pet. Without Granite, Susan might have been just an ordinary musher. Together they accomplished remarkable feats. That’s why they have both been named to the Just Guts Heroes, Heroines and Idols list. It only seems fitting that our Hero Granite and our Heroine Susan be featured in the same story.

As a puppy, Granite was the smallest of the litter and sickly. Folks advised Susan to give him away. However, right from the beginning Susan believed in the little pup and wanted him to succeed. That’s why she gave him the “strong” name of Granite. When young, Granite didn’t have any confidence. Susan says he was afraid of his own shadow but he worked hard and loved to race.

Granite’s first Iditarod was in 1984. In Iditarod Classics by Lew Freedman, Susan claims she didn’t choose him because of his skill; he was just the right age. During that race Granite got the chance to show her what a great athlete and leader he could be. He soon became Susan’s main leader and was instrumental in Butcher’s ‘86 & ‘87 Iditarod victories. Later that fall Granite became ill and it didn’t look like he would be competing in any more races.

In the fall of 1987, Granite collapsed on a run. Realizing that Granite was seriously ill, Susan rushed him to a vet where he was diagnosed with a kidney infection that caused a heat stroke. As a result, Granite would have to live with permanent heart, liver, kidney and brain damage – IF he lived at all. Susan stayed with him for every minute of two long scary weeks. Granite showed some improvement but the vet, sure that Granite would not live long, said his racing days were over.

After returning home, he was NOT happy staying behind while the other dogs went out on training runs. With permission from the vet, Susan began taking Granite for short walks then she let Granite run loose with the puppies. Then he began pulling the sled, leading for two-mile puppy runs. Granite continued to improve and wanted to run with the race dogs so finally Susan put him in lead for a 20-mile training run thinking she’d have to put him in the sled after a few miles and carry him home. But no, Granite lead for the entire distance! Later that winter, Susan decided to run Granite in the Portage 250, a short race out of Unalakleet. Nearing the finish, Susan, Granite and their team of two-year-old dogs were in the lead until Rick Swenson passed them. Susan says that Granite didn’t like being in second place. He literally turned on the burners and towed his young teammates down the trail. Worried that Granite was working too hard, Susan stopped the team and waited until Rick was out of sight before continuing on. Still determined to catch and pass Swenson, Granite charged down the trail leaving the young dogs no choice but to keep up. Before long, Granite and team passed Swenson and won the race. At that point Susan knew Granite was back and ready to run in Iditarod where they claimed a third consecutive win. With his remarkable comeback in 1988, Granite was awarded the Lolly Medley Golden Harness Award for being the lead dog making the greatest contribution to the race.

Our Heroine, Susan Butcher is the only woman to win Iditarod multiple times. Setting new time records, she won three consecutive races between 1986 and 1988 and then claimed a fourth victory in 1990. Susan completed her rookie Iditarod in 1978 and then ran every year through 1994. In seventeen races, she finished in the top 10 fifteen times. Susan, along with Iditarod founder, Joe Redington, Sr., have taken their dog teams to the summit of Denali, the highest peak in North America, an accomplishment that’s never been repeated. In her early years of racing, people didn’t think she’d ever have great dogs because she “babied” them. But after she won multiple Iditarods, people changed their tune. Now they said she wins because she takes the best care of her dogs and they take care of her.

In the ’85 Iditarod, Susan and team suffered a devastating set back. An angry moose charged the team. Granite was in the lead and fought the animal to defend his teammates. The moose kicked Granite into a tree and injured several other dogs. Although in the lead, Susan had to withdraw from the race to care for her disabled dogs. They went home and Susan tended to their injuries and nursed the dogs back to health. It was a long hard comeback for the wounded team but with Susan’s tender loving care, they were ready for the 1986 Iditarod.

In 2005, Susan received the shocking news that she had leukemia. She fought the disease with all of the strength and spunk she was known for. Sadly, Susan lost the fight against cancer in August of 2006. While in Ruby during the 2006 Iditarod, Handler met Susan Butcher. Handler asked Susan what she’d like to share with students who follow the race. She replied, “Cancer is a formidable challenge, but it can be beaten. I see heroes everyday who are living proof.” Memories of Susan continue to inspire all those who knew her and those who never had the opportunity.

These stories about Granite were summarized from Granite written by Susan Butcher and David Monson and from an interview with Susan recorded by Lew Freedman in Iditarod Classics. You would enjoy reading those books if you’re interested in learning more about Granite and Susan.

Here are a couple of questions for you to research. Besides Susan and Granite, what other mushers and lead dogs have three consecutive Iditarod victories? Can you name the other mushers who have achieved four Iditarod Championships? Stay tuned for our next story that will feature or Heroines DeeDee Jonrowe, Pam Flowers and Ivedi. When you encounter a barrier, do what Susan and Granite would do, turn it into a hurdle.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Our Hero – BALDY OF NOME by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Alaskan History, Messages to Teachers, Reading and Writing Date: February 5, 2010

Black Jack

Black Jack

Thus far you have met our heroes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, Balto and Togo. You have read about their great skills, determination and perseverance. Our hero, Baldy of Nome, has accumulated equally impressive accomplishments. Have you noticed that some of our heroes are from current times, some are from the recent past and some are from long ago in the gold rush days of early 1900? I guess the past is important and I’ve learned it’s really fun to learn about the past by studying history. Elders Baffin, Holstein and Tikchik provided a definition of a hero in my last story. For this story, I asked Black Jack to define hero. Black Jack is a big, no nonsense sort of dog. He always gets right to the point. He’s not only a leader, he’s wise and he’s the alpha dog of our kennel. All of the dogs respect Black Jack. When I first came to Just Guts, I knew He’d be a great friend and teacher. According to Black Jack, a hero is a dog (or person) who is respected for incredible accomplishments in adverse conditions. Black Jack also added his B-HOOPS theory. Heroes turn barriers into hurdles, obstacles into opportunities and problems into solutions. Isn’t Black Jack awesome?

Back in the days of the gold rush in Nome, a young boy by the name of Ben had a dog named Baldy. Times were tough for Ben and his family. Often they didn’t know where their next meal would come not to mention food for Baldy. In a great act of personal sacrifice, Ben put Baldy up for sale. Renowned musher, Scotty Allen purchased the homely mutt not so much for the dog’s potential as a racer but because he felt sorry for Ben. As Baldy trained with the other Allen dogs, Scotty saw in him a deep desire to please and excel. During the 1909 All Alaska Sweepstakes, in a blinding storm on hazardous trail, Scotty moved Baldy to lead – exactly where the dog longed to be. Pulling with all his strength, Baldy led the Allen team to their first Sweepstakes Victory. Murphy & Haigh tell us in Gold Rush Dogs, “Baldy proved himself to be a strong, faithful and willing leader.” Altogether, Baldy and Allen earned 3 victories and 5 other top three Sweepstakes finishes along with numerous victories in other races. But wait, it gets better!

It’s the Solomon Derby, a race run from Nome to Solomon and back. Baldy is in lead and the team is making good, if not great time as they near the turn around point of Solomon. Baldy senses that the sled is lighter than usual and notes that Scotty hasn’t been singing and talking to the dogs as he usually does. Baldy, overcome by the feeling that something was wrong, stopped the team and looked back to find that Scotty was missing. Swiftly, Baldy turned the team and sled around and headed back down the trail in search of their missing musher. A short distance back, they found him lying unconscious on the trail, bleeding from a gash in his head. Baldy hovered over his master, licking his face, pawing his chest and barking. It took some time but Scotty finally opened his eyes. It took a great amount of effort for him to crawl into the sled and then in a weak voice he told Baldy to turn around toward Solomon and continue the race. Slowly, everything came back to Scotty – as they were moving speedily along, he had heard something snap – bending over to inspect a runner – BAM, the lights went out. Scotty’s head had collided with an iron trail marker he never saw coming.

With an injured Scotty in the sled, Baldy and the rest of the team made it to the halfway point of Solomon ahead of all the other contestants. Everyone urged the dazed and still bleeding Allen to withdraw from the race. But quit was not a part of Allen’s vocabulary. He simply said, “Baldy and I can make it.” Indeed they did – they raced back Nome and took first place.

You can read about Baldy in Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy and Haigh. For a detailed and exciting story of Baldy’s life, you should read Esther Birdsall Darling’s Baldy of Nome. You can read it online like Black Jack and I did at www.gutenberg.org.

Well, there you it – our hero, Baldy. Wow, what a dog – he saved his musher’s life!  Stay tuned for our next hero, Granite. Remember, do your best everyday to turn problems into solutions.

Born to Run,
Sanka

Comments: 1

TOGO – Our Hero! by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Alaskan History, Messages to Teachers Date: February 4, 2010

Baffin thinks about defining hero

Elder Baffin

Since you’ve read Heroes, Heroines & Idols featuring our heroes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton and Balto, have you created definitions and a list of your own heroes? Have you taken time to define hero? I got together with some of the elder dogs in the kennel, Baffin, Holstein and Tikchik, to come up with the Just Guts definition of hero. Here’s what we came up with.

Because we are dogs, some of our heroes are canine and some are human. We think the same might be true for humans. When Gunner Kaasen came into Nome with the serum in early February of 1925, most certainly his hero was Balto. Heroes possess extraordinary gifts, talents and strength. They are known for their remarkable achievements, outstanding qualities, courageous actions and brave or amazing deeds. They are held in high esteem. A hero might also be called superman, brave man, champion, conqueror or idol. The elder dogs based their definition on a huge thick book called the Miriam-Webster Dictionary. I contributed by doing some research on the computer in the Encarta World English Dictionary.

You want me to define hero?

Elder Hostein

Martin Buser’s run to Nome in 2005 with an injured hand definitely falls into the category of a remarkable achievement. He started the race and was able to finish in 13th place because of his extraordinary strength and his drive to persevere against adversity. How about Bruce Linton with his diabetes? We consider him to be a real superman. People told Bruce he shouldn’t compete in the Boston Marathon, the Ironman Triathlon or the Iditarod because he was diabetic. But because of his strength and courage Bruce was determined to accomplish what he wanted to in life rather than letting his medical condition rule. Both Martin and Bruce have prevailed to achieve their goals against steep odds. Now it’s time to share stories about Togo, another one of our heroes.

Tikchik

Elder Tikchik

Togo wasn’t always the famous Alaskan Siberian husky of the Serum Run. I learned in the books, Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy & Haigh and The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury & Salisbury that Togo was a sickly spoiled pup, hard to handle, difficult and mischievous. Leonhard Seppala actually found a new home for him, not once but twice, and twice Togo returned to where he was born. Finally Seppala gave in and decided to keep Togo. As a young pup, Togo rain along side Seppala’s team as they trained but he was always a nuisance nipping at their ears and tails. Once when Seppala had to make a very lengthy run to a mining camp, he confined Toga in the dog yard. Togo wanted to be with the team so he broke free and ran after the them. When Seppala came out of the roadhouse where he had spent the night, there was Togo waiting next to the sled. There was no way to send the bold eight-month-old puppy home so he was harnessed and put in wheel. Seventy-five miles later, Seppala realized that Togo had behaved better and worked harder than any of the other dogs. Seppala realized there was something special about this persistent, if not spunky puppy. Over time, Togo was promoted to lead, a position he held for 16 years. Seppala had found a great leader in the grown up dependable Togo.

After winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three times, the Ruby Derby twice and numerous other races, Togo, teammates and Seppala were quite famous in Nome. No wonder they were chosen to head out from Nome, meet the serum and bring it safely to the children. Over the 261 miles from Nome to Shaktoolik and back to Golovin, Togo and team experienced Alaska’s most brutal weather. True air temperatures reached 50 degrees below zero. Winds gusted to 50 miles per hour and created wind chills that were unimaginable. “Blizzard” didn’t adequately describe the winter storm conditions, at zero visibility, Togo had to follow the trail with his nose. After Seppala received the Serum from Henry Ivanoff on Norton Bay outside of Shaktoolik, Togo lead the team on a risky but time-saving short cut across the heaving ice of Norton Bay to Isaac’s Point. With his sixth sense for danger, Togo did what he was famous for.  Believing in Togo’s leadership, Seppala turned the team over to him to safely cross the dangerous sea ice.

With Togo in lead, Leonhard Seppala drove 170 miles from Nome to Shaktoolik to meet the serum and then returned 91 miles to Golovin. Altogether, Togo covered 261 miles in the race to save the children of Nome, a far greater distance than any of the other teams in the relay. In The Cruelest Miles, Salisbury describes Togo as a dog that didn’t look like a leader – he was small, about 48 pounds, with a black, brown and grayish coat but he was large when it came to courage, intelligence, speed and dependability. In 1925, at the age of 12, Togo was amazingly “fast, strong and alert.” After all, beauty is only skin deep and it’s not the size of the dog, it’s the size of the heart inside the dog that counts.

Well, there you have it – some great stories about our hero, Togo. What a dog! If you haven’t already done so, read Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy and Haigh and The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury & Salisbury. They are packed full of stories about great dogs and the events that made them great. By the way, if you ever get to Alaska, Togo’s body has been preserved and is on display at Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla.

Stay tuned for more hero stories and remember the Togo saying – it’s not the size of the dog; it’s the size of the heart inside the dog that counts.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Heroes, Heroines & Idols by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Alaskan History, Messages to Teachers Date: February 2, 2010

Storm Watch Siberians wondering who will watch TV tonight.

Storm Watch Siberians wondering who will watch TV tonight.

My good friends, the Siberian Huskies from Storm Watch Kennel up there in Wasilla, Alaska just across the road from where I used to live at the Redington’s, have their own television watching room in the musher’s house! With a huge wall television, leather couches and chairs, a really durable floor, a large bucket of treats and big tall bowls of cool fresh water, it’s quite luxurious. Every night a few of the huskies go inside to watch some TV and relax human style with their musher, Wayne Curtis. Wayne and the Sibes seem to agree that American Idol and Heroes are their favorite shows. Down here at Just Guts, we don’t watch much television except for football on Sunday evening but we do talk about our heroes, heroines and idols on other evenings and sunny afternoons when we’re not working.

Our list of Heroes includes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, Balto, Togo, Baldy of Nome and Granite. Susan Butcher, DeeDee Jonrowe, Pam Flowers and Ivedi have made our list of Heroines. All of these creatures have done miraculous things in the face of adversity and extremely challenging situations. We have some idols too – Jeff King, Rick Swenson and Lance Mackey.

A few days before Iditarod began in 2005, Martin Buser cut part of a finger off in a saw while doing some fancy woodwork project. Unless you’ve had an injury like that, you can’t imagine the pain. Everyone thought Martin would withdraw from the race to let his finger heal but no. Martin said, yes I’m in a lot of PAIN but my dogs have trained hard and they deserve to run this race. It won’t be easy but I’ll endure the pain and do what is necessary to get this team to Nome. I still have one good hand, I’ll figure out how to manage the pain; bootie, feed and care for my dogs; drive the sled; and take care of myself. They ran the race and amazingly finished in 13th place.

Bruce Linton, an Iditarod veteran of three races, is a Type 1 diabetic who needs to inject insulin daily. As a diabetic, Bruce focuses on living life in a healthy way. From experience he knows that exercise is important in keeping his blood sugar in a healthy range. His impressive list of athletic accomplishments includes 12 marathons including 3 Boston finishes, 3 Ironman Triathlons and 3 Iditarods. Bruce is convinced that diabetics can achieve anything as long as they take care of themselves, live a healthy lifestyle and have a positive attitude. Bruce models this belief in his lifestyle and has renamed his kennel – No Limits Dog Sled Kennel. He’s improved his place every year that he’s run Iditarod – 55th to 46th to 28th. Do you suppose he can finish in the top 20 in Iditarod 2010?

You all know about Balto – he was the lead dog of the relay team that delivered the much needed diphtheria anti-toxin to Nome. The weather conditions were horrible between Bluff and Nome but Gunnar Kaasen and the relentless dogs led by Balto covered the final 53 miles delivering the serum to the waiting Dr. Welsh. We read in The Cruelest Miles that after the brave driver handed the serum over to Dr. Welch, he stumbled up to Balto where he collapsed praising his brilliant unstoppable leader.

You and your classmates might consider these questions and activities. What is the difference between a hero, heroine and an idol? Create a list of criteria for each category. Create your own list of heroes, heroines and idols. After you’ve made your list, look for common characteristics they all share. Does it match your list of criteria? Create a list of synonyms for each of the categories – hero, heroine and idle.

To read the biographies of our heroes Martin Buser and Bruce Linton, just go to www.iditarod.com and click on 2010 Iditarod and then choose Musher Listing. Visit www.buserdog.com and www.nolimitssleddogkennel.com to learn more about Martin and Bruce and their preparations for Iditarod 2010. You can learn more about Balto from two of our favorite books – The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury and Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy & Haigh.

Stay tuned for more stories about our heroes, heroines and idles. Remember, in everything do your best and as Bruce Linton would say, there are no limits!

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Something Pink for Dogs

Posted by Libby in Messages to Teachers, Race Coverage Date: January 29, 2010

Libby here!

100_1395 Doesn’t this look yummy?  Oh but this is not something to eat!

This is a special ointment that is made special for the sled dogs!

Each year, a group of Iditarod volunteers meet at Iditarod Headquarters  for a very important job!  The volunteers mix up a special recipe that can be used on the sled dog’s paws.   Dr. Nelson, Chief Veterinarian for the race, provides the recipe and works with the volunteers.

Thanks, volunteers!  The jobs you do are so important!

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby

Comments: 1

Community Challenge- Shared Gifts

Posted by Gypsy in Community Challenge Project, Community Service, Messages to Teachers Date: January 18, 2010

shared gifts 002

Hi Boys and Girls,

I sure have been busy this weekend. It started on Friday when my humans said I needed a bath. They said I smelled like a dog. Well DUH! I don’t understand why humans want us to smell like them and not like we should. Anyway, my human told me that I was going to a special event on Saturday and that little humans would be hugging me and giving me belly rubs so I needed to smell good (meaning not like a dog). Well I’ll do just about anything for a belly rub so I went and took a bath. I have to admit I looked better as my fur was really soft and fluffy.

What a great time we had on Saturday. The event was a fund raiser for a group called Shared Gifts. Shared gifts is an organization that helps individuals (children and adults) with special needs, learn how to love, care and ride retired, elderly, or once abused horses. Marcia Evans has run the 4H Easy Riders Program for the past 40 years and The Merrimack Valley Equestrian Special Olympics program for the past 20 years. The money raised on Saturday goes to support these 2 very worthy causes. The main fund raiser for this year was a raffle. You will never guess what the grand prize was– A 6 day trip to Alaska for the Iditarod. Can you believe that??? Iditarod musher Judy Currier donated her frequent flyer airline mileage for the plane tickets. That was really nice of her. The winner will stay in Alaska at a Bed and Breakfast and will attend the Mushers Banquet the Start and Restart. Now that’s a prize! The raffle drawing was the last thing that took place. Before that there were a couple of other organizations there raising money, there were a few demonstrations and/or talks, and there was an I-kid-a-rod.

The New Hampshire Special Olympics had a table. They were representing the High School Penguin Plunge to be held February

Penguin Plunge

6th. A Penguin Plunge is where humans jump in a lake, the ocean or another body of water when it’s freezing cold. The humans usually form teams and family and friends give them money to do this. The money collected goes to the organization- in this case- NH Special Olympics. I think it’s a pretty unique way to raise money. Good luck to everyone participating on Feb. 6th.

shared gifts 019One of the favorite groups at this event was Peace and Paws. Peace and Paws is a non profit organization dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned and homeless pets. It is run by Melissa and Bo who started the organization after adopting a dog for their family. Each dog is placed in foster care first. After an application and introduction process the dogs are placed in their forever home. Peace and Paws brought several of their adoptable dogs with them. They were such nice dogs. I wanted my humans to take all of them home with us. My humans seem to think the 10 dogs we have are enough! You can get more information about Peace and Paws by going to: www.peaceandpaws.org I sure hope the new fur friends I made found good forever homes due to this event.

There were several outside events going on also. It was such a beautiful sunny day that the outside events were a

chinook booth

big success. One group had a display on Chinook dogs. A Chinook is the New Hampshire state dog. The Chinook is one of the few breeds that was bred in America-(in New Hampshire) in the early 1900’s. It was bred for it’s intelligence and for being a good sled dog. For more information about this breed you can go to: www.chinook.org. I was able to meet two Chinooks at the event. They were having a great time greeting the participants and getting big hugs from the children.

The Hopkinton High School Interact Club put on an I-Kid-a-Rod. They used sleds that were made out of heavy corrugated cardboard. The cardboard sleds were attached to a regular wooden childrens sled. Then stuffed dogs were placed in the sleds along with equipment for the race. The children were to pull the sleds (just like us dogs do) to a variety of checkpoints. At each checkpoint the children had to do something- check for equipment, check booties, have the vets check them etc. It was so much fun. Has your class or school ever had an I-Kid-a-Rod?

Ikidarod

My humans, my grandma Lyra and I, set up a sled with all the lines, had our dog truck open for viewing, and gave a small presentation. For me that was the best part of the day. I love teaching humans about dog sledding. The little humans were my size and they gave me lots of kisses, hugs, and BELLY RUBS!!!!! I made some new doggie friends also. Then I got some special treats! I can’t think of a shared gifts 021better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Congratulations to Mary who put on this event. She has worked very hard the past few weeks to make sure this event was a success. Congratulations also to the winner of the raffle. I know you will have a great time up in Alaska.

That’s it for now. I hope this has given some of you ideas about what you could do for the Community Challenge Zuma has told you about.

Happy Trails,
Gypsy

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The Cruelest Miles – Book Report by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers, Reading and Writing Date: January 15, 2010

The Cruelest Miles by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury

The Cruelest Miles by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury

It’s all a part of the history of the great state of Alaska and the Iditarod itself – the Serum Run of 1925, Balto, Togo, Dr. Welch, Nurse Morgan, Governor Bone and 20 brave mushers who carried the anti-toxin from Nenana to Nome. The Cruelest Miles, written by cousins, Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury, is a story full of details about Nome’s 1925 diphtheria epidemic and the great race by dog team to get the life saving serum to Nome. My handler and I read this book. It gives a far more detailed account of what went on back in 1925 than you can find in the movies or books about Balto or the Serum Run. When you read about the fierce weather with frigid temperatures, strong winds, wicked storms and treacherous ground blizzards, you’ll feel like you’re on the runners with Leonard Seppala and all the other drivers.

In 1925 like today, no roads or railroads went to Nome. Snow machines hadn’t been invented yet. Once the Bering Sea was frozen over, Nome was completely isolated. There were only two possible ways to transport the serum the 674 miles from Nenana to Nome – airplane or dog team. Learn about the dangers of delivering the serum by airplane and the dangers faced by the dogs and mushers. The risks and rewards were many whether the serum got to Nome by the unproven airplane or by the tried and true dogs and their drivers. The decision on how the serum would reach the sick children was left up to the Governor of Alaska.

Read about Nome and the people living there.  Read about the trail, the dogs, the drivers, the roadhouses, the horrific weather, crossing Norton Bay and the challenge of keeping the serum from freezing.  Read about how the relay was halted when the temperatures reached 60 degrees below zero but because there was no way to communicate with the driver on the trail, the serum kept moving.  Read about the chance meeting of Seppala and Henry Ivanoff on Norton Bay outside of Shaktoolik as Ivanoff carried the serum toward Golovin.  This book is a true adventure thriller.  I could hardly put it down!

Blackjack gets to read Cruelest Miles next.

Blackjack gets to read The Cruelest Miles next.

Well, you know that the serum made it to Nome by Dog Team in a remarkably short time. You know that Balto was the lead dog of the team that carried the life saving serum into Nome. You know that the serum arrived in time to prevent an epidemic of Diphtheria. You know a lot about the Serum Run but there’s plenty more to learn by reading The Cruelest Miles.

Nearly all the other dogs at Just Guts Kennel have read The Cruelest Miles. It’s Blackjack’s turn next.  You should read it too.  For sure it’s my all time favorite book and it makes me really proud to be a sled dog.

Born to Run,

Sanka

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To Zuma from Students in Indiana: Community Challenge

Posted by Zuma in Community Challenge Project Date: January 14, 2010

zuma_adult Hello Boys and Girls,

I was so excited to get email from Mrs. Goble’s students this week.  They are doing an exciting project this year.  I hope you enjoy their letter!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

Hello Zuma,

I am Joan Goble, teacher at Cannelton Elementary School in Cannelton, Indiana.  I just wanted to let you know that again this year my students and I are making booties for the Iditarod dogs.  This year we are helping out both the Bootie Brigade and the Paw Partners groups.  The dog teams we are making booties for are Hugh Neff’s dogs and Michelle Phillips’ dogs. We are making 100 booties for each team.

We also had fun right before Christmas hosting one of the traveling Iditarod Quilts. As a matter of fact, we got to host the original quilt!  It was fun to read each quilt piece and see where it came from. It was also fun to do a scavenger hunt using the quilt.  I have a photo of my students in front of the quilt if you are interested in seeing it.

We plan on following the Iditarod again this year. I am planning on becoming an Iditarod Insider again. It was great to be able to follow all of the dog teams last year via the GPS.

We thank you and the other dog reporters for keeping us informed about the race and the mushers.  You are all doing a great job!

By the way…we received our Zuma award last week! Thank you so very much!

Everything in it is wonderful…and two of my students are creating a small website about our Iditarod learning experiences, and the booklet and other items will help them with it.

We will hang the award and your picture in our hallway!  It is beautiful!

Mrs. Joan Goble

Comments: 2

Panhandle Hook by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Messages to Teachers Date: January 11, 2010

Wishing the snow flakes were larger!

Baffin wishes the snow flakes were larger.

If you’re a sled dog that lives on a glacier and can run on snow all year long, the first big snow isn’t such a big deal. For the rest of us, as fall turns to winter, we are plenty anxious to park the 4-wheeler and get the sled out. In Wisconsin, we begin to look for snow around Thanksgiving. We anxiously listen to the weather report at least three times a day. There was no mention of snow until the second week of December when winter storm watches and warnings were issued for our area. We didn’t get too excited – you know how it is – storms can take different paths and a storm forecast to bring many inches of snow might only deliver a trace or maybe the precipitation turns out to be rain. With the watches and warnings in mind, we settled into our houses after supper hoping we’d get enough snow for the snow hook to hold. That’s the determining factor between using the 4-wheeler or the sled. During the night, the wind blew fiercely and the snow sometimes fell at the rate of two inches an hour. Little peeks out of my house during the night revealed a white out. At dawn I could wait no longer, I leaped out of my warm house and found myself BELLY DEEP in snow! We were not disappointed this time – the watches and warnings produced a BLIZZARD. In just one night we got 14 inches of snow complete with even deeper hard packed drifts created by dangerous winds! I was so excited I howled the good news to the other dogs as well as our handlers and mushers.

The storm that brought our sled out originated in northern Texas. It gained strength and crossed 14 states before dumping all that snow in Wisconsin and neighboring states. These storms are called “Panhandle Hooks” because they start brewing out near the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas then as they gain strength they hook around and head to the northeast. You can do an Internet search like I did to learn more about this type of storm. The other type of winter storm that hits the Great Lakes Region is an Alberta Clipper. Sounds like a ship – but it’s not. Alberta Clippers are fast moving storms that deliver sleet and freezing rain or a few inches of snow. The precipitation is always followed by frigid arctic air and bitter winds. Have you checked into the type of storms or weather systems that typically affect your hometown? It’s very interesting and while you’re at it, you might want to check into the meaning of weather “watch” and weather “warning.” The science of meteorology is very interesting especially for we sled dogs who live and work in the elements.

Trail Breaker Snow Machines at Koyuk.

Trail Breaker Snow Machines at Koyuk.

After all the snow, one might think our humans would rush to round up the mushing equipment, rig the sled, transfer the gang-line from the 4-wheeler and off we’d go for our first sled run of the season. Well, that didn’t happen. Remember, I said the snow was up to my belly and some of my teammates aren’t even as tall as I am. Before we can pull the sled down the trail, we need to have a trail. Even a large team of very strong huskies can’t go very fast or get very far in belly deep fresh snow so just like in the Iditarod where trail breakers go out ahead of the teams we needed trail breakers. Iditarod trail breakers on snow machines stay just ahead of the lead mushers to establish, mark and pack the trail. Trail breaking at Just Guts Kennel isn’t quite like that – our trail breakers do it the old fashioned way – snowshoes! While you might think that mushers and handlers have it pretty easy riding the runners of the sled while we do all the work, such is NOT the case. Musher’s and Handlers do a tremendous amount of work to open trails for us to run on. They can break trail at the rate of about 2 miles an hour and we have MANY miles of local trails.

I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to my trail breakers and to Iditarod trail breakers who open 1049 miles of trail for the Last Great Race. We couldn’t do it with out you! This is what team work is all about.

Born to run,
Sanka

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Happy New Year

Posted by Gypsy in Messages to Teachers Date: January 10, 2010

Hey Boys and Girls,
Happy 2010!
Hope you are all having a great school year. I’ve been really busy with my studies this year. Each year seems to get a little more difficult. Is that the way it is in human school too?
The Iditarod will be starting really soon. I can’t wait. I bet your teachers are busy getting ready for you to follow the race. Have you been thinking about what musher to pick to follow? If you’ve read my posts before, you know I’m all about setting goals. I’d love to hear about your goals and how you are doing with accomplishing them. If you haven’t set any goals, did you make any New Years Resolutions? Those could be your goals.
I will be writing to you more often now. Some stories I am working on have to do with schools and organizations working on Zuma’s Community Challenge Project, the new Teacher on the Trail Finalists, and stories on race preparation. Hope you check back often to read all of the K-9 reporters stories.
Is there something you would like us to write about? Is your school or class doing a community project that you would like to share? Just let us know.
Well, I’m off to do more homework.
See you on the trail soon,
Gypsy

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What Does It Mean to Withdraw?

Posted by Libby in Messages to Teachers, Zuma and Reporters Answer Questions Date: December 23, 2009

dsc_0536 Libby here!

Hello Boys and Girls,

I hope you have had time to go to the musher listing page and see all of the mushers who have signed up for this year’s Iditarod.   If not, go to the link that you will find after my name, and you can visit that part of the website.

When you look at the musher listing, you can see that a few mushers have already withdrawn from the race.  Are you wondering what that means?  My job as reporter is to help you with the ‘little details’ that you need to know.  I will help you understand what a withdraw before the start of the race means.

When a musher withdraws before the start of the race, the musher has decided not to race this year.

Reasons for this decision can be a personal reason like the health of a musher, concerns about money or sponsorship, or not enough trained dogs to run the race.  The Iditarod website does not usually give you a reason why a musher withdraws but you can be sure that the musher made the decision for a good reason.

One thing you can do is make a list of good reasons that a musher can have to make a decision to withdraw.   Then, think about good reasons that you might have when you or your family have to stop doing something.

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby

Follow this link to the musher listing.

Leave us comments or questions about reasons for withdrawing.  Share your thoughts with us!

Comments: 2

December Update

Posted by Zuma in Messages to Teachers Date: December 20, 2009

zuma_adult Hello Boys and Girls,

As December rolls to an end, Gypsy, Sanka, Libby, and I want to take a moment to wish you a Happy New Year!

While you are on your holiday vacation, we’ll be starting our research and beginning to write our articles for this year’s race!

When you get back to school, remember to check the website for updates every week!  At Zuma’s Paw Prints, you’ll be able to meet authors, meet some of our fur friends, and find out everything you need to know about the race.

Remember to click on the menu items on the side of the page to help you find information and articles.

This is going to be the BEST Iditarod race ever!  You can count on us to keep you up to date with news and information.

The Iditarod is just a few weeks away!

So, enjoy your holiday and then, start learning all about the race!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

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