Meet Buddy, one of our house pets! Well, we may have a lot of sled dogs but there's always room for another furry friend. Buddy, believe it or not, actually found us. He wandered up to our house one day and has been a part of the family ever since. Buddy is an Alaskan Malamute. This breed was used historically here in Alaska to haul freight into the interior of the state. Due to their … Read More
A dog team can cover 200 miles in 24 hours, but for long races like the Iditarod, we usually run about 6 hours, then rest for 6 hours, so we cover about 100-120 miles a day. … Read More
Meet Nomad. This boy absolutely loves to run and is happiest when he's running next to his brother Lurch or Gnarly. This up-and-coming young dog is incredibly talented in harness and extremely affectionate when at his house. We expect big things from Nomad this year! … Read More
Each ditarod dog burns 10-14,000 calories a day on the trail. That’s like a 50 pound kid eating 24 Big Macs with all the toppings. … Read More
Talon loves to run, whether out on the trail or at his dog house this dog can move. Devoted and loving, Talon works hard regardless of where you put him in the team. Talon's hard work, voracious appetite, and great attitude earned him a spot on Mitch's 2011 Iditarod team and you better believe he'll be back again this year. An incredibly vocal dog, Talon will often call out for attention when … Read More
Most of the wild dogs in the world, from a dingo to a wolf to an African wild dog, end up being about 50lbs and non-descript brown. … Read More
FROM DANNY SEAVEY: "At the cripple checkpoint a couple of years ago it was -53 f. All you could see of my dog team was a sleeping bag with a cloud of steam coming out around the edges. One of the vets put a thermometer under there, and it was fifty degrees above zero…" Talk about heat generation! … Read More
Do you teach the Iditarod in your classroom? If you do, the Iditarod Trail Committee would love to hear your feedback. Please take the time to fill out this short survey so that the Iditarod can better serve your classroom needs in the future. From The Iditarod Insider: We’re designing ‘new’ projects and updating our website! We’d appreciate your help! Please help us gather … Read More
Roscoe is quite the character. Instead of jumping to go like most of our dogs, Roscoe shows his excitement by standing in the team dancing and howling. He wiggles his butt from side to side until Mitch takes off down the trail and then this boy really hits his stride. Roscoe is a stand-out dog, not only for his bright orange color but also for his sheer athleticism. We love having Roscoe for his … Read More
To stay warm on the trail, most mushers use a combination of synthetic gear and fur. Wolverine is typically the fur of choice for mushers along the trail as it does an excellent job of wicking away moisture and locking the cold air out. Having a fur ruff is an extremely important part of any musher's parka. In 2009, a particularly bad weather year, musher Hugh Neff lost his fur ruff in fierce … Read More
