One of the few outdoor winter events I enjoy viewing is the sled dog races held at the local Arboretum every January. There is nothing more incredible than hearing 45 dogs all howling together in the cold winter air, as they wait to be hitched up to their sleds. It is amazing to see how excited these dogs get when its their turn to run.
Today there are many distinct breeds of dogs used in racing. Some of the more well known pure breeds are: the Alaskan Husky, Alaskan Malamute,and the Siberian Husky.
A sled dog team consists of the leader dogs, then the point dogs, the swing dogs, and finally the wheel dogs. And obviously the lead dogs are the fastest, but the wheel dogs at the end are just as important, they are the dogs that are powerful enough to pull the sled out of heavy snow. It is in the blood of these distinct breeds to run for miles,to love the cold frigid air, and to pull a fairly large amount of weight(up to 85 lbs.). Dogs have been used for work since the 10th century; most notably during the Gold Rush Era.
The Alaskan Iditarod race is probably the most famous sled dog race, and has been around since 1973 and begins on the first Saturday of March. The race covers over 1100 miles in 9 to 15 days. To train for this race some sled teams will run up to 2,000 miles in the months leading up to the big race. The race itself has 26 checkpoints where veterinarians stand by to check the health and safety of each dog. Each dog has to go through a health inspection prior to the race as well. At certain checkpoints the teams camp out overnight to rest the dogs.
The record time for the winner in this race was this past March; just 51 seconds short of 9 days.
The sled dog races have grown in popularity in the Midwest the past few years and I can see why.
These dogs are very special and unique. They are one of God's great creation.
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