Hello friends,

The Iditarod Trail International Sled Dog Race™ is less than 40 days away. In dog days that means it’s coming soon! There are 43 teams signed up this year – men, women, rookies, past champions, local Alaskans, lower 48 states, and other countries are all represented in this year’s field of competitors. Find the full musher list here and read their interesting stories.

Each year I have a human print off the rules for me and I like to read about the changes. This year the number of dogs that can be harnessed to start the race on each team was raised to 16. This is really not historically new, but the past few years the number had been changed to 14. I like the change because it gives more of my K9 friends the chance to run the race. The minimum number to start is 12. There must be at least 5 dogs on the towline crossing under the Burled Arch in Nome. Want to read the rules and find out what other changes were made? Click here.

As always, the action here at Iditarod Headquarters is gaining speed as we get closer to the race. Check back each week and I’ll try to keep you alerted to what’s happening and any changes.

Tail wags,

Zuma