Hi Boys and Girls,

Today I’m going to answer questions from the Section B 5^th graders from Walker, Louisiana. This class has asked some very well thought out questions. I hope no one minds that I’m answering these instead of Zuma. Zuma is taking a much needed break after returning from reporting out on the trail. I’m sure we’ll hear from her in a few days.
Carly: Do you have sled dog friends? What was their opinion about the 2008 Iditarod? We meet up with other teams on the trail. All my sled dog friends enjoy hearing about the Iditarod. Several of us had relatives running in this years race so that made it very exciting for us.

TeWayne: What kind of toys do you play with? Why are they fun? I love to play with Kongs and sturdy plastic bones. I like anything I can chew on. I like stuffed toys but I don’t get too many of them because my humans says I rip them up too fast and she’s afraid I’ll eat something I shouldn’t.

Jordan: What experience have you had with racing in the Iditarod? None of us have ever raced in the Iditarod.

Molly: What kind of things do you type about after the Iditarod is over? All of us will continue posting. I will work on goal oriented articles, and general interest stories. Zuma will write about more Iditarod type activities. Look for articles about the Musher picnic in late June.

Kathryn: Have you ever eaten table food? If so, what is your favorite? I have had a liitle bit of table food. I have to say you humans eat pretty good. My favorite has to be any kind of fish or seafood. My human will mix any leftovers into my kibble for a special treat.

Victoria: What do you and your owner do after the Iditarod? My human and I still play outside and take walks. We talk about the stories I’m going to write. Life is pretty much the same but we spend more time on other fun things.

Tyler: (owner of a half wolf/half Siberian Husky named Si) Do you know how it feels to lead a dog sled team? What do the other lead dogs tell you about what it takes to be a sled dog? I’m hoping to find out next year what it’s like to be a lead dog because that’s my goal. The lead dogs at my house tell me that it’s lots of hard work because they know they are responsible for the team. They have to make some quick decisions on what the team should do. They said it’s hard sometimes to listen to our human tell them to go a direction they don’t want to go in. That doesn’t happen often.
Gretchen: What is your favorite part of the Iditarod? That’s a hard question to answer. I love the ceremonial start because you can see all the teams before things get serious. I love all the stories and pictures that come from the trail. Then the finish in Nome is pretty special. I watch until the red lantern winner comes in.

Anna: Why is your name Zuma? I don’t know the answer to this so we’ll have to wait for Zuma to return and answer.

Nikala: What is the best thing about the Iditarod? I like how the mushers will help each other on the trail. They occasionally share their supplies with each other and will help during a crisis. That just doesn’t happen in most sports.

EMily: How do your paws feel when you are on the ice, when you run on the snow,and how do the booties help? Sometimes I slip on ice and have to be careful just like you humans have to be. Booties help by protecting our paws from snow and ice pushing up in between the toes. When ice gets up there it can actually cut our feet.

Garrett: What was it like when you were a puppy? I just turned a year old so I’m still a puppy. I’m not sure what being an adult dog is like. My human says I’m a teenager now. I’m not always sure that’s a good thing.

Kaitlyn: What is your opinion about the other dogs who are helping to write “Paw Prints”? I’m sure this is a better question for Zuma to answer. My opinion is that we all try very hard to write articles that are interesting and that teach something. We’re all friends.

Payton: How did you learn to type? I think we all have taken typing classes.

Joshua: What do you do in your spare time during the Iditarod race? What spare time during the Iditarod J. I went to school and had my kennel work to complete. I kept up with the race and wrote articles and answered comments that came into the blog. I guess spare time was spent sleeping.

Cody: When did you first learn about the Iditarod? As a small puppy last year, I listened to my human tell me about the Iditarod. She told me that my daddy Skor ran in 2 Iditarods with Karen Ramsteads team. From that point, I tried to learn everything I could about the race. My daddy Skor has some great stories about his time on the trail and I learned a lot from him.

I hope I was able to answer most of your questions. I will be answering section C’s questions either tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned.

Till our trails meet again,

Gypsy