Category: News

We Get Mail! Questions from New Jersey

Dear Zuma and friends,
We here at Collingswood Middle School ( Grade 6) in New Jersey have been following the race and learning all about it.  My classmates and I enjoy seeing how our chosen mushers are doing. How exciting! I’ve learned about how the mushers have to carry the symbolic mailbags with them from Anchorage [...]

We Get Mail! Shouting Back to Florida!

Dear Zuma,
We are a third grade class from Jupiter, Florida (like the planet).  We have just finished taking the FCAT and boy we are glad it is over!  The test took us three days (reading and mathematics) and we did our very best. We live 15 minutes from the beach and enjoy the warm weather [...]

We Get Mail! A Shout Out to a Kindergarten Class in Idaho

Dear Zuma, We are in a small kindergarten class from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We have been wondering if you have ever seen the northern lights in the sky. Can you tell us how those lights get up in the sky and why are they different colors? We think the northern lights look awesome and would [...]

Mount Redoubt

Hi Boys and Girls,
Just a short message about Mt. Redoubt.  Mt Redoubt is a volcano in Alaska and has erupted during the night.  I just heard from Zuma and they are safe at the Millennium.  Here is what Zuma had to say:
Just an update to everyone.  Redoubt blew a couple hours ago and we’ve [...]

Scratched, Withdrawn, Disqualified

Hi Boys and Girls/p>
 
We K9 reporters have received many emails and blog comments asking us what the difference is between a musher who has scratched or was withdrawn from the race.  This is an excellent question for the blog. 
When a musher scratches from the race, he or she makes the decision themselves.  [...]

We Get Mail! Zuma Meets Ross

OOF!
My name is Ross, and I am a different kind of working dog.  I am in training to be a Canine Companions for Independence (www.cci.org) assistance dog. CCI provides dogs free of charge to people with disabilities other than blindness. I am 9 1/2 months old and go to CCI College (aka Advanced Training) in [...]

We Get Mail! Hello Libby!

ear Libby,
Hello.
This is Miss Evans class and we are writing to find out more about you and the Iditarod. We are in first grade. We are at Agnes Irwin School which is an all-girls private school. We are learning about the Iditarod.
Are you good reporting the Iditarod? How many of the lead dogs are females? [...]

We Get Mail! Classrooms Ask Us…

 Dear Zuma,     Hi, we are Mrs. Earl’s students at the Hanover Street School in Lebanon, New Hampshire. We are keeping a pretend journal and write each day to you in it. We write about different things like what to pack in our sled, moose on the trail, overflows, etc.,  We were wondering if you have ever raced [...]

We Get Mail! Hello to Students in Michigan!

Dear Zuma,
This is Mrs. Van Egmond’s 3rd grade class at West Side Christian School in Grand Rapids, MI.  We are following the Iditarod Race and we have some questions for you:
How did you learn how to type?  I learned to type by practice, practice, practice.
How did you meet D-2?  I meet fur friends and [...]

We Get Mail! Hello to Mrs. D’Agostinis’ Students

Hi Zuma,
We have a few questions for you, we hope you can answer them.
We were wondering how long you have been reporting for the Iditarod? Do you have a favorite musher?  I’ve been reporting for Iditarod for many years, now, Boys and Girls, more years than I have claws on my paws.    I don’t [...]

We Get Mail! Hello to students in New Hampshire

Dear Zuma,
How are you?  We are fine here.  We are 2nd graders at the Best Elementary School in New Hampshire. We are students in Mrs. Stanley’s and Miss Whitman’s class.
We are all impressed that you are able to read and type!  John said that you could spell better than he could:)  We loved looking at [...]

Booties

Hi Boys and Girls,
Several of you have emailed me about dog booties.  You’ve wanted to know what they are made of and when they are worn.  So this post is for you!
Most dog booties used for dog sledding are made out of a material called Cordura 330.  Cordura 330 is a lightweight flexible [...]

Biscuit Recipe

Hi Boys and Girls,
Several of you have asked me if Mrs. Andrews class would share the YUMMY cookie biscuit recipe they are making for their community project.  I asked and Mrs. Andrew was very happy to share.  I hope all of you can make them for your dogs.  Your dogs will really enjoy them.
Chicken Flavored [...]

Meet Luna!

eet a new friend!
Lots of Tail Wags,
Zuma
Zuma, I am attaching photos of my Siberian Husky puppy, Luna. She looks very similar to you and her birthday is in August as well, August 23. She is just seven months old, but I think being a reporter might be in her future. She is very bright (or [...]

People Food

Hi Boys and Girls,
I hope you are enjoying the race this year.  Several of you have asked about food for both the dogs and humans along the trail.  We’ve talked a lot about what the dogs eat but not about what the humans eat.  Mary Calore contacted me and said she [...]