Zuma’s K9 Journalists

Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.


Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..


Collection of all things Iditarod.

  • It’s Almost Here!

    It’s Almost Here!   Hi. It’s me, Leaping Libby. Everyone at our kennel is so excited!  Only a week left to go! All the doggie-feelings have been on a roller coaster here at the kennel.  All winter, the racing dogs have been sharing stories about Iditarod 2019. It was the time of their lives, and ...

    


 

Latest Zuma’s K9 Journalists Posts

Broken Things

Dear Friends, Some things on this race have broken or been hurt:   sleds of Ryan Redington and Katti Jo Deeter finger of Jennifer LeBar (it was dislocated and bent at an unnatural angle) ribs of Aaron Peck when he wiped out on a steep turn/hill in the Happy River Steps What do mushers do …

Borrowed Dogs

Dear Friends, The dog teams in the 2023 Iditarod have blasted onto the trail!  Most of us picture a musher raising puppies, training them into sled dogs, feeding, scooping poop, and making them into a team.  But, what if a person wants to race with dogs, yet cannot keep a full dog kennel of their …

Why Should Your Teacher Win?

Dear Friends, It is an exciting week in Alaska!  The mushers and their sled dogs are getting ready for the big start of the race on Saturday and Sunday.  Last minute packing and planning is going on in the kennels. Meanwhile, in Anchorage, a teachers’ conference is going on with three teachers who are super …

Eating on the Trail

Dear Friends, Gypsy, canine reporter, here!  Right now, mushers are beginning fall training runs with me and my sled dog friends.  We need to keep in shape!  Another task to begin is planning dog food and musher food for the Iditarod.  Dog food is expensive, but easier to gather.  We dogs need high performance, dry …

Memories

Greetings, Teachers! Spring is in the air and temperatures are rising. While basking in the sun and taking an afternoon nap the other day on the front porch, my buddy, Topaz, and I overheard sweet music coming from the house. Capturing our attention and echoing dreamily in our ears was a set of lyrics from …

A Great Ending!

Dear Friends, The race is done for this year!  What an exciting time it was for everyone!  Many of the mushers and us dogs are already thinking about next year…”What can we do better?”  “Will the weather be better or worse?” Two things happen at the end of the race.  The Widow’s Lamp that has …

Emergency Beacon

Dear Friends, It’s been tough for those still on the trail. Some of you may have wondered what was taking so long  to go 77 miles from White Mountain to Nome. Three mushers have scratched due to a severe ground storm with high winds past White Mountain.  That region has wind tunnels which have affected …

White Mountain

Dear Friends, Some of you may ask, “Why do teams stop for so long in the White Mountain checkpoint?”  The rules of the Iditarod race require all teams to stop for an 8- hour rest.  This slows everyone down before the final 77 miles to Nome. What happens there?  A hole in the river ice …

The White Mountain Layover

Hello friends, Usually I get mail from students or classrooms, but today in my doghouse I had a question from Pastor Rob. He wrote “I realize the racers have to sleep. But the fact that they seem to stop and sleep at the same place at the same time is confusing to me. This would …

Family in the Iditarod

Dear Friends, We dogs have family in the Iditarod as do the mushers.  For example, some of Dan Kaduce’s dogs are litter mates. You can tell by the theme of their names:  Wonton, Fried Rice, Kimchi.  Can you figure out the theme?  Litters of sled dog pups are typically named to fit with a theme. …