News Flash:  Three dogs destined for the Inaugural Parade were stolen from the Maryland Farm where they were staying.  Joe Redington Sr.’s lead dog Feets and his faithful Candy who made it to Nome 7 times and carried Redington to the top of Mt. MKinley are two of the missing.  Norman Vaughan’s leader was also stolen.  The theft occurred around midnight on January 18.

As reported in the Iditarod Runner, January, 1981

This past weekend I had the chance to see some Iditarod dogs in DC…. Not your everyday occurrence!  I went to the Capitol Hills Arts Workshop to see Wes Schaefer’s exhibit of photographs he took while following Lance Mackey’s 2013 Iditarod preparations and race.  Wes lived and worked at Mackey’s Comeback Kennel off and on from October to April to document every aspect of his life. The photographs are an extraordinary look at the relationship between dog and musher and what it takes to take part in the race.  If you get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it.  The exhibit will continue through October 12^th.

Being in DC and thinking about sled dogs, made me think of the story quoted above from Ronald Regan’s 1981 Inaugural Parade.  I first stumbled across the story this summer during the Summer Camp for Teachers when we had the chance to explore a handful of materials that are going to be included on an online Iditarod Museum.

Attached is a creative writing lesson where the students will tell the story that only the missing dogs could ever tell!  If you do the lesson with you kids… please be sure to share their stories with me!  I’d love to publish some on the Tales from the Trail Student section!

Case of the Hot Dogs Lesson