What an exciting time of year – it’s back to school and the temperature is cool enough here in Wisconsin that we sled dogs can start training runs! I’m back in school too! This is my second semester of Lead Dog School. I learned so much last year from my musher, handler and the other leaders but I’ve got so much more to learn to get to the level of those great leaders like Balto, Togo and Granite. More about that later.

Did you know that Iditarod dogs train for about 2,000 miles before they do the 1049 miles of Iditarod? My handler has decided to experience this distance on her bike! Yup, since the snow melted, right here on the rural roads of Wisconsin, she has ridden her bike 2000 miles – that’s a lot of pedaling! And now, she’s going to go the distance of the trail – another 1049. I think it’s pretty cool that she wants to experience the miles that we sled dogs do in training for and running a race like Iditarod.

Now that she’s started the 1049-mile virtual trail journey, she’s keeping track of what checkpoint she’s made it too. There is a huge map on the fence in the kennel. After she rides she moves a little bicycle marker along the trail. And this is the best part – because she was Teacher on the Trail, she has been to all those checkpoints and villages so she tells us stories and we learn about the trail, checkpoint and the folks who live in the village and she has pictures – tons of pictures taken along the Iditarod Trail. This is social studies and geography coming to life right here in our kennel! How lucky can we be? I’m going to take careful notes on what we learn so that I can share all this trail information with you. This way you’ll be knowledgeable about the trail and checkpoints as you follow the race in March. I’ll include a couple of the best pictures with each story I share. Stay tuned for trail stories all during first quarter.

Getting back to Lead Dog School. You know I have to confess I didn’t get all perfect grades last winter. I did exceptionally well in energy, enthusiasm, strength, willingness to pull and effort. But there’s more to being a great lead dog than that, namely listening and following directions. My grades were lower in those areas – I would just get so excited about running with the big dogs that I’d some times go left when the command was GEE or right when the command was HAW or if a rabbit or deer crossed the trail I’d try to chase it. I’m older now and I’m going to work very hard on being more focused, listening and following directions. I know this will make my musher and handler very happy. It’s always good to please them! Listening and following directions will make your teachers happy too.

Whether you’re in pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, lead dog school or college, have a great school year and in everything, do your best every day.

Born to Run,

Sanka