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Zuma's Paw Prints
Hi Guys and Girls! It’s Gypsy, and I’m back as a canine reporter! So many exciting things are happening for us sled dogs and our mushers; I want to tell you about one of them. For two days in December, all the rookie mushers had a mandatory meeting. Mandatory means they HAVE TO attend the …
Hello Friends, It’s the middle of November and snow is falling here in Alaska. Awoooooooo! That means hitting the trail for my K9 friends and their human mushers. It also means that The Last Great Race is only months away. Are you ready teachers? On October 19 a group of teachers met in Chicago to …
Hello Friends, It’s finally fall and my canine friends are gearing up for winter running. We love it when the leaves turn and frost is in the air. Our 2 layers of dog hair (that we seem to shed ALL the time!) keep us nice and toasty as we wait for the first snowfall. This …
Hello friends, The 2019 Iditarod officially ended at 11:08 AM Alaska time when Victoria Hardwick of Bethel, AK crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome. She was all smiles as a small crowd cheered her to the finish line. Good for you, Victoria, for sticking with it. The Finisher’s Banquet was last night, but the …
Hello friends, We’re nearing the end of the 2019 Iditarod as the Red Lantern will cross under the Burled Arch within the next 24 hours. It has been an exciting race with lots of stories from the trail. Inquiring minds from Mrs. Herbert’s second graders want to know if the canine racers ever wear goggles …
Hello friends, Right now there are 19 teams in Nome and 22 are still on the trail. It continues to be an exciting race with a few more close finishes. Canines crossing under the burled arch come in with bright eyes and tail wags. Mrs. Mayo’s 2nd graders would like to know how they all …
Hello friends, What a race . . . what a winner! Pete Kiser and 8 of his canines crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome at 3:40 AM Alaska time to a large crowd of race fans, family, and friends. Pete’s good friend and last year’s champion, Joar Leifseth Ulsom followed him to the finish …
Hello friends – Why do they scratch? I have to admit, that term confused me when I was a pup. A scratch for a musher doesn’t mean taking care of an itch – it means they don’t think they can go on with the race. Teams scratch for different reasons. The standard line for the …
Hello friends, So far this race has been a real claw-biter with the lead changing several times and teams within miles of each other. As of this writing, the lead teams are pulling into Unalakleet while others are stretched as far back as Shageluk. The run/race schedule is different for each team and it’s fun …
Hello friends, When a musher stops in a checkpoint or along the trail, the first thing he or she does is take care of the dogs. Straw down, booties off, massage paws, and start the cooker (mandatory item) to melt some snow to prepare dog meals. Once the dogs are taken care of, the humans have …