Marcelle Fressineau and Team Ready at Vet Check

Most often it’s students who are afforded the experience of Going on a Field Trip but today the Field Trip was for teachers!  Teachers attending the Winter Iditarod Teacher’s Conference attended Team Veterinarian Check and visited Matthew Failor’s 17th Dog Kennel.

Mushers bring teams to vet check for pre-race physicals.  Veterinarians perform hands on examinations of each dog that’s micro-chipped and race eligible. The physical includes checking heart, hydration, attitude, appetite, weight, legs, lungs, eye, ears and temperature. Previously the canine athletes have had blood drawn for analysis and EKG’s done for heart function.  It’s only the healthiest of the healthy dogs that race in Iditarod.

Veterinarian Assessing Joint Mobility

Mushers sign up for vet check times and teams of vets circulate amongst the teams checking the animals, talking with the mushers and going over paper work.  Teachers were fortunate to observe checks on a large number of teams – Martin Buser, Anna & Kristi Berington, Jason Campeau, Matt Hall, Jeff Deeter, Marcelle Fressineau, Blair Braverman, Cindy Gallea, Cindy Abbott , Kristin Bacon, Sebastien Dos Santos Borges, Ryan Redington and Jessie Royer. While the vets were working, they shared information with the teachers about the physical examinations.

The field trip continued north from Iditarod Headquarters for the afternoon.  The destination was Matthew Failor’s 17th Dog Kennel. Matthew houses 52 Alaskan Huskies in his kennel.  Failor’s Kennel will be fielding two teams for Iditarod XLVII.  Failor himself will run the veteran race team.  Michael Baker will run the two-year-old dogs. 

Matthew ran his rookie Iditarod in 2012 and has returned to the race every year since then.  His best finish was in 2018 at 13th place. His best time however was in 2014 at 15th place with a time of 9 days 16 hours and 42 minutes. 

Michael Baker completed his rookie Iditarod in 2017 on the weather altered northern route out of Fairbanks.  He enjoyed traveling through the villages of Nenana, Manley, Tanana, Huslia and Koyukuk which are not a part of the Northern or Southern routes.  Baker is thrilled to be back in Alaska and running the traditional Southern route.   Baker completed his rookie run in 11 days 20 hours and 16 minutes. 

Matthew and Michael introduced the teachers to the dogs and the kennel arrangement.  After some loving time with the very social dogs, teachers learned about mandatory gear and other mushing clothing and equipment including a dry land cart.

Matthew brought five 10-day-old puppies into the learning center.  The teachers helped Matthew with a very important part of raising sled dog puppies, socialization.  The teachers were all too glad to help out and the tiny pups with their eyes just open were all too glad to soak up the gentle love.

Teachers on Field Trip

Teachers will use their vet check experience and kennel visit today for the basis of developing Iditarod based lessons for all grades and subjects.  The real life applications Iditarod provides captivates and motivates students in schools around the world.  To make the field trip even more special for the lower 48 folks attending the conference, Denali was out and in view while traveling to Failor’s 17th Dog Kennel.