Libby Here!
Are you wondering how much money the winner got? How about the rest of the finishers? What other awards did mushers get?
The 2008 Champion, Lance Mackey got $69,000 and a NEW TRUCK.
That sounds like a lot of money. You should think about how much it costs to run a kennel for […]
Category Archives: Explore Alaska
The Musher’s Purse
What about the Dogs?
Libby Here!
Do the same team of dogs do the whole race?
This is another great question.
Yes. The team of dogs that a musher has selected and have passed their medical exams are the only dogs that can be in the race.
The musher starts with his selected team of dogs and cannot add different […]
Cheer on the Mushers!
Hello Boys and Girls,
We’ve been getting lots of comments from race fans who are cheering on their mushers. The K-9 repporters and I decided we’d post those comments in this blog entry. SO to read who is cheering on who, click the comments and read. Go mushers! Run to Nome fur-friends! […]
Vet Check by Sanka W. Dog
It’s no exaggeration to say that Iditarod Sled Dogs are the best cared for animal athletes in the world. Vet check is always scheduled for the Wednesday prior to the race. That day, Iditarod Headquarters is a busy place - dogs, mushers, vets and spectators.
This year there were 96 teams that […]
24 Hour Time
Hi boys and girls,
I was following the race today and got really confused when I was looking at the times. I saw the time 16:42. That didn’t look like any time I had ever seen before. So off I went to find my human. I knew she could help me out. […]
Sanka W. Dog Reports: The Jr. Iditarod
One week before the big Iditarod, young mushers between the ages of 14 and 17 participate in the Junior Iditarod. The kids have a bib drawing and musher meeting on Friday evening and on Saturday at 10:00 the race begins. The route takes the juniors from Willow Lake out to Yentna Station and […]
Gopher’s Story by Sanka W. Dog
It was Iditarod 2004. Sue Allen out of No Snow Kennel in Wasilla, Alaska was about to start her rookie Iditarod. It was an exciting time - one that she and her dogs had been working and training toward for a long time. Together Sue and the dogs had logged well over […]
The 2008 Iditarod Begins!
Hello Boys and Girls,
The 2008 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has begun!
It was exciting to walk the streets of downtown Anchorage and watch the 98 musher and my fur-friends arrive. Crowds of race fans walked the streets and met my fur-friends. In each sled, Idita-Riders rode on an incredible 11 mile adventure. […]
Sled Dog Criteria By Sanka W. Dog
Sled dogs come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some are large and some are small. Some have tall ears, others have floppy ears. Some have blue eyes while some have brown eyes. Some have one eye that’s blue and one eye that’s brown! Some look like a wolf, some […]
Criteria for Dogs
Libby Here!
Ms. Thompson’s class asked, “Is there criteria for the dogs?” Criteria is a set of characteristics or traits that need to be met.
Yes. There is a set of criteria for the dogs. The dogs have to be healthy and have passed their medical exams that are given right before the […]
The Jr. Iditarod Begins!
Hello Boys and Girls,
I can hardly wait! The Jr. Iditarod begins tomorrow!
Each year, the Jr. Iditarod is held the weekend before the start of Iditarod. This year, twenty one mushers have entered the race. These mushers arrived at headquarters on Friday evening for an important meeting. They learned about the trail, […]
Do Sled Dogs Wear Booties to Prevent Frostbite? By Sanka W. Dog
I’ve seen pictures of Iditarod dogs wearing booties while on the trail. What is this about? My musher and handler wear big boots out in the dog yard during the winter. Do Iditarod dogs wear booties to keep their feet warm and prevent frostbite like my humans do?I decided to ask Iditarod’s Chief […]
Your Family Tree, My Family Tree by Sanka W. Dog
Bothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents - some folks are very interested in genealogy and can trace their roots back to ancestors who came to America on the Mayflower and some even further back than that. People get a sense of who they are from their lineage. Dogs have roots […]
What’cha Snacking On?
Libby here!
“When do the dogs get fed?” asked Ms. Thompson’s students.
I’m glad Zuma sent me that question to answer.
Sled dogs get fed when they are hungry!
Sled dogs eat and they eat nutritious meals and snacks so that they have the energy to run the race. Eating nutritious meals also helps the dogs stay healthy.
Not […]
It is Iditarod Season!
Hello Boys and Girls,
It is hard to believe that the 2008 Iditarod race will soon begin. The race always begins on the first Saturday in March and it ends when the last musher reaches Nome. This year, the race starts on March 1. The restart is the following day, March 2. As […]