Hello Boys and Girls!

We now have 65 mushers who have signed up to run this year’s race!  Isn’t that exciting?  Have you taken a look at the musher listing on the website?  When you do, you’ll be able to notice that we have mushers not only from the United States, but Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, and Jamaica.  Isn’t that amazing?  Get out a world map and locate those places, Boys and Girls.

Did you know that when you click on the name of a musher, you get to read about the musher?  Reading about each musher is a great way to learn about the mushers and their teams.  As you read, you’ll notice that some mushers have their own websites, too.  If your teacher says it is ok, visit the musher websites.  It’s lots of fun to read about mushers!

By the way, I thought you’d like to know that I was just hiking through the Iditarod Headquarters building and my ears perked up because I heard talk that even more mushers are expected to be signing up.  So this is your behind the scenes information, watch that musher listing and see who else signs up.  Mushers have until  November 30, 2009  to sign up.  You can read all about the musher’s rules by clicking here.

Well Boys and Girls, I think I’ll take another hike and see what else I can learn today!  Hike and learn! Hike and learn!  Hike and learn!  Great plan, don’t you think?

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

PS  If you have questions about me or the other K9 Reporters, be sure to click on the link on the left hand side of this page, Meet the K9 Reporters.  You can read about me there, too.  Where do you think I was born?  Click that link and find out!

]]> http://iditarodblogs.com/zuma/2009/10/07/october-update/feed/ 0 http://iditarodblogs.com/zuma/2009/04/24/dear-zuma-from-north-carolina-2nd-graders/ http://iditarodblogs.com/zuma/2009/04/24/dear-zuma-from-north-carolina-2nd-graders/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:43:17 +0000 Zuma http://iditarodblogs.com/zuma/2009/04/24/dear-zuma-from-north-carolina-2nd-graders/ Dear Zuma,

We are 2nd graders from Charlotte, North Carolina.  We have been reading Akiak:  A Tale from the Iditarod. This story has taught us a lot about the Iditarod dog race.  In the story, Akiak, the dog, displays his courage by finishing the race with an injured paw.  We enjoyed the story and had a few questions for you.

Do you know of any dogs that have gotten injured during the race?  Were they able to finish?

How many days does it typically take to finish the race?

Zuma, what temperature is it typically during the race week?

Zuma, can you please share a little more information with us about the Husky breed?  Why do Huskies look like wolves? Also, why do some Huskies have blue eyes? Thank you for your time.

Your Montclaire Elementary Friends

Hello Boys and Girls,

Thanks for your questions!

When a musher’s team arrives at a checkpoint the team of veterinarians examines each of the dogs.  If there are any dogs that need to be dropped from the race, the veterinarians care for those dogs.  Those dogs are later flown back to Anchorage.    Sometimes a rest in a checkpoint is all a dog needs to be feeling great again.  Do you ever come in from recess all tired out but find out when the next recess rolls around you are ready to out and play again?  Or have you ever had an upset tummy and then after a nap, you feel better?  Well, it is sort of like that for some of the dogs.  Once a dog has been dropped from the race and left with the veterinarians at the checkpoint, though, that dog doesn’t get to get back in the Iditarod— at least that particular year.

The winner finishes the race in 9 – 10 days.  Mushers roll into Nome one after another until they are all there!  Usually most of the mushers finish by 14 days.

It is hard to talk about the typical weather because weather conditions are different from one part of the trail to the next part of the trail.  The conditions can be different one year from the next or from one checkpoint compared to three checkpoints up the trail.   It is best for you to visit our weather center at the website during the race and click on the temperatures at the different checkpoints.  You can also use the GPS Tracker to see the temperature each musher faces during the race.  We also have some really awesome weather activities and lessons at the website.  You can see those ideas at this section of the website by click here. Then click on the Iditarod Ready!  Storm Read! materials.

I could write a whole book about the Husky breed.  I’ll tell you one thing— they are a northern breed which means they have a suitable natural winter coat to keep them warm.  You can go to this part of the website and learn more about the dogs.  To read, click here. Click on What is a Sled Dog?  Our Chief Veterinarian wrote that article and it will help you learn a lot of important information.  Your teacher can read it and help you learn more.

As far as eye color, I’m not so sure so many have blue eyes.  You might be thinking of Siberian Huskies.  A good place for you to look is at the Race Images by photographer Jeff Schultz.  Go to www.iditarod.com and click ‘View All Images’.  You can also check out our Zuma Blog scrapbook.  On the left side of this page, click on the Scrapbook of Pictures.  Look at the pictures of the dogs on the website pages, too.  I think you see that most huskies don’t have blue eyes.  Have fun looking at the pictures.

Thanks for your questions.

Have a great week in school!  I hope you keep reading Zuma’s Paw Prints all summer long!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

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 to Nome, and if they lose the bag they are disqualified.

My question to you is about the GPS systems that the mushers are wearing throughout the race. What happens if the musher loses their tracking device? Are they disqualified, like when they lose the mailbag?

Thanks for all the great updates! My 6th grade class is learning so much!

Your friend,
Cathyrn Maienza
Grade 6th
Collingswood Middle School

Hello Boys and Girls,

Thanks for writing to us.

The GPS Trackers are secured to the sled or put in the sled bag.  The musher isn’t disqualified if the tracker falls off or if it stops working.  If it falls off or breaks, the good folks at I on Earth who run the tracker system, try and fix it or get a different one for the musher’s sled.

The mail bag you are talking about is not a bag, but it is a package with promotional materials or mail.  The mail cachet is part of the required gear a musher has to have in the sled bag.

Lots of Tail Wags, 

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 year round.  If you would like to take a tropical vacation, Jupiter is the place.  We would love to visit with you.  Doesn’t a picnic at the beach and a dip in the refreshing ocean sound tempting?  We are always on vacation in Florida!

This is our first year tracking the Iditarod.  We have all picked a musher and are tracking them using a bar graph and line graph.  Each day we log on to see where our mushers are and what’s happening in the race.  We are excited about tracking our mushers and seeing what place we are in.  We can’t imagine how it must feel to be in cold weather and wear all those clothes.  We are wearing T-shirts and shorts today.  We have a few questions and if you have time we would like to hear from you.

Do you have any friends that are lead dogs and how do they feel about being in that position?

Have you ever been sick and how did your human take care of you?

Do you have a favorite game to play with your family?

Do you have a favorite musher and why?

Have you ever worn booties and if so, do they really keep your paws warm and safe?

We looked at pictures of our mushers and we want to know why Sebastian Schnuelle’s hair looked so funny?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Mrs. Weese’s Third Grade Class

Hello Boys and Girls,

Thanks for writing!

Yes, I have many fur-friends who are lead dogs.  They are very proud to lead a team, but they also recognize that being a leader means that most of all, you are a team player.  When you lead, you are not always out front.  Sometimes you are running in other positions on the team.

When I get sick, my human takes me to the veterinarian.  I enjoy the visits with my vet and I try to follow the rules I’m given, like eating healthy dog-meals and staying away from human meals!  Seeing my vet is important!

My favorite games involve chasing or staying active kinds of games because my human gets as much exercise as I do.  I really like to go for long walks or slow jogs.

I really try to not have a favorite musher, you know, because I am a journalist but mostly because I enjoy meeting all of the mushers and all of their dogs!

I have worn booties.  Booties are not to keep dog’s feet warm, though.  They are to protect the pads from getting cuts or scrapes.  

Really?  You think Sebastian’s hair looks funny?  I never thought of it as funny, I just thought of it as Sebastian.  Like K-9’s, everyone has their own color and style.  Some of us have short hair, some of us long.  We wear our winter coat all the time.  Unlike humans, the K-9 don’t get to make personal choices about this.  I think, the choices humans make about their hair help us to be able to tell who is who! 

Thanks for your questions,

Lots of Tail Wags, 

Zuma

Hello Students!

A big shout out to you and your classmates!  

The northern lights are so beautiful.  I love to stand outside and watch them dance across the sky.  Sometimes you can almost hear them dance as their greens, yellows, reds, and blues mix and move across the sky.

Northern lights are hard to explain because they are very ’scientific’.  It has to do with pieces of charged particles of the earth’s magnetosphere crashing into to atoms and molecules of the earth’s upper atmosphere.  These particles become a trapped magnetic field of the solar wind.  Oxygen and nitrogen in the air determine if the particles are seen as green, red, blue, or violet.  The different gas in the atmosphere and the solar wind create the colors.  It is all so ’scientific’ but it results in a beautiful display of colors.  I hope you all get to see what I say is better than fireworks someday.

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

Hi Boys and Girls,

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.  The most common reason a musher scratches is for the best interest of the team.  This means a lot of things.  Sometimes, a musher is hurt or ill and they feel they cannot take care of their team properly. The team may be ill or not performing to the level needed to finish the race and the musher scratches.  The sled may have been damaged to the point that it is not useable and an extra sled is not available.  There’s just so many reasons a musher may have for not continuing the race. 

Withdrawn means the decision was made for the musher.  The decision is made by a 3 judge panel.  At least 2 of the judges must agree to the withdrawal.  This decision does not mean that the musher did anything wrong.  This year Rob Loveman was withdrawn from the race due to his team no longer being competitive.  He was in last place and far enough behind the others that he would not be able to catch up to them. 

There is one more way that a team would leave the trail and that is by disqualification.  This is more serious and rarely happens.  All 3 judges must agree that a musher should be disqualified. The chief Veterinarian may be consulted also if  cruel or inhumane treatment of the dogs is suspected.  Mushers can be disqualified for deliberately breaking the rules, cheating, or abuse of the dogs.  The musher is given the chance to present his case to the judges before a decision is made. 

Hope that helps.  Thanks for the great questions you have been asking this year.  We will be answering  the questions we are asked the most on the blog.  So keep reading and writing.

See you on the trail,

Gypsy  \\

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 August.  Then we’ll have to see if I have The Right Stuff to be a CCI Graduate Dog!

I don’t think it’s as difficult as being a sled dog, or maybe it’s just difficult in a different way. At any rate, I’m sure I don’t have The Right Stuff to be a sled dog because I hate being cold. My puppy raiser even takes a small rug when we go to the movies because I hate lying on the cold floor and have a hard time settling down for a nap. She tells me I’m a little high maintenance and will have to get over that before I go to College.  Huh.

In the meantime I go to work with my puppy raiser at a TV station every day. I have my own DogBlog on our website (www.thedenverchannel.com/family).  Zuma, I would love to interview you for my DogBlog, if you’re not too busy. If that works out, I’ll send you some questions to answer.

Thanks!
Chow for now!

Ross
CCI ADIT

Hello Ross!  I’m so happy to meet you!  Send me your picture and I’ll post it here!  It will be fun to be interviewed by you!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

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? Do you think any more people will scratch? How did Nancy Yoshida scratch?  Have you ever been at the start or finish line or have you been on the trail? How many dogs do you need to finish the race?

We hope you get your career started soon!

Please answer soon.

Love,

Miss Evans

Thank you so much for writing to me.  I am a VERY good reporter, haven’t you noticed?  Lead dogs can be males or females, but I think females make the best leaders.  I think so because I am a female and I know I am a great leader.  Besides, females are just sweet looking, don’t you agree?

It is always sad to see a musher scratch, but mushers make that decision for good reasons.  Nancy made that decision because Nigel ran off and he did not come back.  A musher can’t continue if they are missing a dog.  Silly Nigel!  (Did you see that cute coat he sometimes wears?  I think he is SO cute!  Howl!!!)

I have been to the start, to the restart, and a few places on the trail.  Traveling helps me learn and be able to write stories.  Thanks for your questions.  You’ve helped me… 

Spin some ‘de tales’.  Libby

Dear Libby,

We are sorry you did not make it as a show dog but we are sure you are going to be a great reporter.  Keep us updated on special things that are happening.  Your friends at Chapin Schoo.

Thanks students!  Even though I didn’t make it as a show dog, I am happy with my very important job.  Thanks for cheering me on!

Just spinning some ‘de-tales’,

Libby

Dear Boys and Girls,

I am not a racing dog, I am a K-9 Reporter.  If I were in training to pull a sled, I’d have no time to write any articles!

What exciting projects you are doing!  Keep up the good work!  I know you have learned a lot this year!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

Dear Zuma and Libby, We like to read your reports. We have a few questions for you. Do the mushers ever put headlights on the lead dogs? How do the mushers know where the trail is? How do they find the trail if they miss it? When do mushers decide the dogs need booties? THanks, Mrs. Nye and Ms. Tyl’s classes

Hello Boys and Girls,

Thanks for sending the questions.  Mushers don’t put headlights on the the lead dogs.  The mushers know where the trail is because there are trail markers all along the trail.  In the night, the headlight or headlamp shines on the markers and there is a reflection.  When a musher can’t find trail markers, the musher knows the that they might be off the trail.  Mushers put booties on a dog’s feet when the trail conditions might cause foot problems for the dogs.  Many mushers have booties on a good amount of the time during the race.  

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

This is Mrs. Van Egmond’s 3^rd 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 human friends where ever I go.  I have many, many friends!

Do you have a new boyfriend?  I keep my paws to the key board and my mind on the race.  I don’t have a boy friend.

Have you talked to any dropped dogs?  I try to howl around with all the dogs that come in from the trial. 

Do other dogs read your letters? Oh, yes.  I hope you read the articles at Zuma’s Paw Prints so you meet my friends.

Do you ever want to race?  Oh, no.  I am a K-9 Reporter.  Not a racing dog.

Do you like reporting about the Iditarod?  I do like reporting on the race.

Thanks for answering our questions!

Thanks for writing.  I hope that you take time to learn more about me by reading the articles at Zuma’s Paw Prints.  We’ve many stories to share with you.  

Sincerely,

The 3^rd graders

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma