It’s a beautiful day in Alaska with temps hovering at minus 5 degrees. Three of the top five mushers have completed their 24-hour rest periods, plus made up their starting differentials. Now it’s all out to Nome!
Continue reading 2012 Iditarod Standings as of 6:55 AM on 3/8/12
Scott Janssen on the revival of Marshal from Kyle [email protected] on Vimeo.
Every year during the Iditarod, animal rights groups berate the race organizers and participants for putting these “poor” dogs in harm’s way by asking them to compete. There’s no doubt the race is grueling, but have you looked at any pictures of the dogs? They look out of their minds in happiness that they are finally doing what they were bred and trained to do.
And the mushers know the dogs are (a) very expensive and (b) vital to their success in racing. So most of them are meticulous in the way they care for their dogs. Check out the lengths to which a musher will go to maintain a good dog.
As Scott Janssen (who calls himself The Mushing Mortician) was running his team down a steep section of the Dalzell Gorge, 9-year old Husky Marshall collapsed. Janssen picked up the dog and gave him CPR. Once the dog was revived, he got to ride on the sled into the next checkpoint, where he was treated by a vet, then airlifted home.
Here’s the full story from The Sled Blog in the Anchorage Daily News.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Thought some of you might be interested in how the mushers check in when they come to a checkpoint.
Continue reading Pete Kaiser Video – Check in at Finger Lake
It’s 10 degrees above zero in Alaska, with light snow. The top five mushers are as follows:
All have made it to Takotna, where they appear to be taking their 24-hour rest periods. At the end of their rest, they will make up their start differential (i.e. at the end of the 24 hours, the person who was last musher from the starting line gets to leave immediately, while the person who was the first to start from Willow has to wait a little over 2 extra hours before leaving.) So, once they get on the road again, we’ll be able to truly tell who’s leading.
Keep in mind, the mushers have to sign IN to each checkpoint, but the only one they have to sign OUT of is the one where they take their 24-hour rest period. Sometimes they like to sneak out, just to add to the mind-game factor of the race.
The bottom five: Silvia Furtwangler, Matt Failor, Jan Steves, Bob Chlupach, and Dan Seavey, have all left Rohn.
Check back tomorrow at about this time for another update, or check out the official Iditarod website for up-to-the-minute results.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Peter Kaier’s re-start at Willow on Sunday.
Look how excited these dogs are!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
It’s much warmer in Alaska today! Up to 12 whole degrees above zero! The front five mushers, Aliy Zirkle, Kelley Griffin, Jeff King, Mitch Seavey, and Cim Smyth, all left the Rohn checkpoint between 7:26 and 9:00 pm last night. Continue reading 2012 Iditarod Standings as of 7:36 AM on 3/6/12
The Celtic Club of Ohio has a tradition that is in its 8th year this month: sponsoring a pet food drive during the month of March, under the moniker of St. Pets Day.
It’s -8 degrees and fair in Alaska this morning, and the top three racers have left the Finger Lake checkpoint within the past hour. Leader Lance Mackey, followed Jim Lanier and Aliy Zirkle are heading for Rainy Pass.
Continue reading 2012 Iditarod Standings as of 7:53 AM on 3/5/12
The American Pet Products Association reports that Americans spent $50.96 billion (yes, that’s a “b”) on their pets in 2011, the first time that number has broken $50 billion. What did we spend it on? About 65% goes to the essentials: food and veterinary care. The biggest growth category? Services, including boarding, grooming, day care, and pet sitting, rose from $3.5 billion in 2010 to nearly $3.8 billion last year. I guess that might be one indicator that the economy is improving!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
As was revealed in January, Kate and Will have found the perfect addition to their family while Will is deployed to the Falkland Islands with his Royal Air Force unit. Continue reading Have you seen the new royal puppy yet?