Hi Boys and Girls,
First let me give you an update on Cousin Irving. Karen left for Alaska this week with 24 dogs. Unfortunately, Irving was not among the lucky 24. He is sad but doing well. His sister Bingo did make the top 24. While sad for himself, he is happy for Bingo. Irving will now rest a little and then start getting ready for next year.
Now for my big news. Saturday was a great day for my brother Slate and myself. My human told me we were going to go for our first run. The whole kennel got really excited and we weren’t sure why. Grandma Lyra told me to listen so that we could hear what the humans were doing. I heard some jingling and and realized they were very busy. They were getting the dog truck ready to go. Then the humans came and put collars on us and leashed us and started taking everyone to the truck. The dog truck only holds 6 dogs and there were 8 of us going. My human had put crates in her car and tried to put me in the crate. OH NO- I only ride in a crate in the car to go to the vet. I wasn’t going to go to the vet and I let her know that. She tried to put me in the crate but I stiffened my legs and spread them out so I wouldn’t fit. With the help of the other human, they got both Slate and I into the crates. We weren’t happy. We knew it was a trick.
We went for a really short ride and stopped at a new place. There were 6 dog trucks there and lots of dogs. But what a surprise, daddy Skor was there and cousin Bongo, Irvings other sister. I had heard she had moved to NH a few months ago but I hadn’t met her yet. My humans and Bongos humans took a few other dogs out first. When they came back it was our turn. Slate and I were taken out of the crates and put on a chain hooked to a truck. We tried to get away but couldn’t. My human told me that we had to be there to have our harnesses put on and to get ready to go. Bongo was next to us. She was so calm. She told us to relax because this would happen before each run. She also said that we’d get water and snacks while on the line. I still didn’t like it but I guess there’s not much I can do about it.
My human brought over the harnesses. I was hoping she had bought me that pretty blue harness I wanted. She put a red harness on Slate and a maroon one on me. She told me that maybe when I make the team, I can have the blue harness. The maroon one did fit me and it is kinda pretty but I think I’d look much prettier in blue.
There was so much going on. The sled was set up with ropes. My humans unleashed us from the truck and took us to the ropes and hooked us up again. Slate and I were so scared and we tried to get away again. My human got down with us and talked to us calmly. She explained that the line that was between us is called a gangline. She said to think about it as the gang’s all here. All the dogs, going on this run were hooked up to this line in two places. First the back of my harness was hooked to a line called the tugline. My human said that I needed to pull and keep this line tight- I was to tug on it. Then there was a line coming off my collar called a neck line. This line also hooked up to the gangline. Other dogs were brought to the gangline. I turned around and there was Bongo, behind me. I felt much better. Behind Slate was our half brother Brady. Brady and Bongo were the wheel dogs. Slate and I were the team dogs and Holly and Quest, who have lots of experience, were the lead dogs. The humans hooked up two sleds. One behind the other. The back sled is called a drag sled. This way Bongos human and my human could both go on the run and see how we did. It also meant there would be 2 humans in case there were any problems. I guess some times first time runners like Slate and I can have some difficulties.
I heard the words “Ready?” and “let’s go”. Quest and Holly started running, Bongo and Brady started running, Slate and I???? we had no choice, we started running. I heard my human laughing at us. We got our feet under us and we were off. What an incredible feeling. The humans were telling us how good we were doing. I tried to look at the beautiful scenery but I had to stay focused on what I was doing. We slowed down a little and what good smells there were. I smelled other dogs, and animals like moose and deer. I don’t know what a moose is, but it sure smells good. That’s when I learned the command of “on by”. That means no matter how good something smells or looks, I have to leave it and keep running. That’s really hard to do sometimes. Then there were sounds. One sound really scared me. It was loud and this big green thing was coming towards us. I wasn’t too sure about it. My human said it was a snowmobile and it was okay. The green thing passed us and something human looking on it waved at us. I was glad when it was gone even if it seemed friendly.
We ran about 3 miles and then we were back at the dog truck. I wasn’t ready to stop. I was having so much fun. My human came and told me we’d go again soon. She hugged me and gave me lots of human kisses on my nose. Then she said that I was now a real sled dog.
OH BOY, maybe I’ll get my blue harness now.
Till our trails meet again,
Gypsy
18 Comments
Congratulations, Gypsy! I’m so glad the conditions changed and allowed you to take your first run! It sounded like a good one! I’ve read that a couple of the races have been able to go on as scheduled now as well. Keep us up to date on the weather. It will be really interesting to know how things are doing closer to Iditarod time. Oh, and I have to agree with you about the color of your harness. My favorite color is blue, too!
Dear Gypsy,
Iam so excited for you and Ivring. I think when you are old enoughto race you will have a blast! I have a couple of questions about the Iditarod ( If you can answer them)Has it ever been to cold to race? Also have any dogs refused to race?
Dear Gypsy,
My goals are very important to me. They are to run as fast as my legs can carry me. To get great grades and to get a great education.
Keep working toward your goals,
Julia
Hi Jamie and Julia,
Thanks for writing. I love getting letters as much as I love running.
Jamie, remember I don’t live in Alaska. I get my weather information from the various weather websites. You can also get updates on the Iditarod website.
Julia, you have great goals. Good luck in meeting your goals.
For the other questions, I can’t imagine refusing to run, but if I did, I know my human would not make me. She would also try to find out why and get me whatever help I would need. That probably would mean going to the vet and getting checked out. Out on the trail, mushers will put a dog in their sled bag and give them a ride to the next checkpoint where vets will check them out.
Good question about the cold. I don’t think it has been too cold to run. I bet Zuma can help us find out for sure.
Great hearing from all of you.
Gypsy
Hello!
My fur friends do have their own ‘fur’ jackets! The Alaskan Husky has a natural coat that keeps them insulated and warm. Sometimes, mushers put jackets on their dogs or cover them with little blankets when they sleep. Watch for pictures on the website or in Iditarod Insider that show the dogs in their colorful jackets.
Lots of Tail Wags,
Zuma
Oops! I forgot all about that, Gypsy! Thanks for reminding me!
Nice Job!
Katy
Happy Birthday Gypsy! Your run sounded like a great first adventure. Tammy
Thank you Katy and Tammy,
I had a great birthday. Slate and I heard from all our littermates. My human says I’m not a puppy anymore but a teenager. I hope that’s a good thing!
Thanks for writing.
Gypsy
Congratulations on running with your first sled dog team. We want to know if you liked running with the team and how come you didn’t have booties on this time? We are from Florida and we know it had to be cold while you were running. If we were there we think we would be frozen to death or at least close to it. Also, was the sled very heavy to pull? And what is your favorite food? We know Zuma’s is pizza but what is yours? We can’t wait to read your next blog. Keep us updated on your adventures in training. Ms. Elmore’s Class
Hello Ms. Elmore’s class,
Zuma here… I think Gypsy is out on the trail somewhere, but I’m sure your question will get answered. I wanted to say that wearing booties aren’t to keep the feet warm. They are used when trail or weather conditions are such that the dog’s feet could be injured with junks of ice or patches of ground instead of snow. When the run is short or when the trail is good, the dogs don’t need the booties. Also, the amount of energy the dog team has makes pulling a sled pretty easy! I also wanted to add, I haven’t had pizza in 7 or 8 months. I am eating a better canine diet now and haven’t missed human food at all!
Lots of Tail Wags,
Zuma
Hi Ms. Elmore’s class,
What a great letter with some great questions.
Trail conditions here have been close to perfect. My human says the trails haven’t been this good in years. So, we did not need booties for this run. I have booties. They are green and fit me well. I haven’t gotten use to them yet so I was happy we didn’t have to wear them. I love the feel of the snow covered trail on my feet.
My human grew up in south Florida. She told me about what it was like to live where there is no snow. I can’t imagine not having snow. She says she got use to the cold weather, and snow and she loves it up here. She says I come with a natural coat to keep me warm, while she has to put on layers of clothing to stay warm. I think I’ll do a post on the clothing mushers need to stay warm. I’m so glad I don’t have to dress like that to go outside.
The sled is pretty easy to pull even with my human on it. We are pretty strong dogs and when we’re working together we can pull 100’s of pounds. The sled has runners on it and they are smooth and glide over the snow easily. That makes it easier. Also, the sleds are pretty light. The heaviest thing on our sled is our human. Think about this, if you have a dog that you walk, think about how hard they can pull on the leash, especially if they are excited about something. Now imagine holding on to 6+ excited dogs. Think about how strong they would be and how far they could pull you and how easy it would be for them to pull you down the street.
As for food, I eat a special dog food for working dogs. My human then puts a little soup mixture with some meat in it and mixes it up. It’s pretty tasty. I don’t really eat much human food unless I sneak it off the counter. My favorite food is my dog food with a salmon soup on it and all kinds of dog biscuits.
Hope that answers you questions. Thanks for writing.
Gypsy
YUM, yum, yummy! Salmon soup is so delicious! You humans just don’t know what you are missing!
Lots of Tail Wags,
Zuma
You are SO CUTE! Caitlyn
Dear Gypsy,
I loved those pics you posted up on the website they are so CUTE!
Emma
Thanks Caitlyn and Emma.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Gypsy
Dear Gypsy,
What are all different sled dog positions? What is the fewest dogs there can be to pull the sled? Abigail
Hi Abigail,
What a great question. There are 4 different sled dog positions. Lead, Swing, Team, and Wheel. I’ll explain the differences in a post.
My human has taken as few as 2 dogs on her sled. For the Iditarod a musher must finish with at least 5 dogs.
Thanks for writing.
Gypsy
Dear Zuma,
It’s Lauren again. In class, at our musher banquet, we dress up as one of the mushers and give a speech. My musher, Hans Gatt, finished in 6th. He had some pretty amazing experiences during the Iditarod. Someday, I would like to run in the Iditarod. Sadly, I’d have to move across the country to Alaska. Training so many hours would be tough, too. But I love animals, especially dogs, though, so it would be worth it.
Lauren
Thanks for your comment. Good luck at reaching your goals. The K-9 Reporters
Dear Zuma,
At school, my class is doing an Iditarod unit. My teacher is awesome! We read books and do fun activities. Once, we raised money with a book sale, and an Iditarod musher came to our classroom! He made a presentation just for us. He brought 4 of his dogs, named Miakoda, Doc Holiday, Daisy, and Flash. They were running all around the classroom! We all took pictures on his sled, and played with his dogs.It was so much fun!
Lauren
P.S. I went to my teacher’s house, and we made Moose Stew! We’re having a musher banquet, and there will be: Moose Stew, Aleutian Applesauce, Blizzard Bread, Polar Punch, and Iditarod Ice Cream to top it off! Yum!
Hi Lauren, It sure sounds like you are having fun. YUMMMMMMMMMY- Moose stew! Enjoy your banquet. Gypsy