Day 1!

Day 1 with working the dogs and their mushers is in the books!! Today was a day full of learning, fun and wet kisses. The morning started early as we headed to the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska. There is a trailer outside the headquarters where the veterinary technicians do the pre-race tests. These tests are essential to ensure that each dog is healthy enough to endure this 1,000+mile race through the Alaskan wilderness. 
 

Notice all the snow Alaska DOESN'T have?! Pray for snow, the dogs need snow!

 

Iditarod Headquarters-run by volunteers only!

The two tests we do in the trailer are a blood work panel and an ECG. We also will microchip any dog that has not previously been microchipped. That way if for some reason a dog needs to be dropped of the race, the microchip will identify which team he belongs to. The technicians draw blood from the jugular vein and send it off to a lab to be processed. A simple blood draw can tell us what is going on metabolically inside the dogs; liver and kidney values and even tell us if a dog is fighting a possible infection. Today I did about 50+ jugular blood draws, as a newer technician that makes me pretty excited as it's looking like I' ll be a champ by the time I leave Alaska! 

An ECG is also performed on each dog, this is a test specifically for the heart! The dogs are hooked up to a machine with electrical leads that can tell us the rate and rhythm of the heartbeats along with giving us an idea of how large/small the heart is. The results are printed off and given to a veterinary cardiologist to review. I thought it was interesting reading an ECG of a veteran sled dog to a newbie, the size of the heart is much larger and stronger with a more athletic dog. 

Technicians performing the ECG. Notice the musher at the head of her dog; even though this is a painless procedure we get a better reading when the dog is not stressed or nervous. Sometimes when the mushers can't be present this is our job...lots of kisses :)

Each musher is allowed to bring 24 dogs to get tested. The results of these tests will essentially help the musher pick his or her final team for the Iditarod. Obviously, those that are the healthiest will be first picked. That brings me to the topic of Alaskan Huskies. When most people think of sled dogs they think of the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute, usually.

Siberian Husky

 

Alaskan Malamute

The next pictures posted will be pictures of some dogs I met today. About 90% of the dogs I saw today looked a lot like the dogs below. Of course with different markings, colors, height, body structure and hair length. The dogs below are referred to as an Alaskan Husky...AKA a mutt :) 

The majority of the dogs trained to run the Iditarod are just your average mutts and rescue dogs (athletic and built to handle cold weather, of course!) Having just recently adopted a mix myself I have learned that these are probably the best dogs you will ever have in your life and today completely proved that to me. These dogs were sensitve, yet tolerable and beyond loving. Getting these kind of cuddles makes missing my fur babies at home a lot easier. 

Another common question I get is transportation...how do these mushers get 24 dogs to one location in one trip. Two words. Dog Boxes. They aren't fancy by any means but the dogs suprisingly enjoy being in them. Why? Because it means its time to run! Unless they are coming to vet like today, they didn't seem too thrilled when they realized they didn't arrive on the trail! But seriously, how cute are their little faces hanging out the boxes???

To end the blog I thought I'd mention a few things I have learned about sled dogs. First and foremost...they are not your average house dog. These dogs are built for the outdoors, and are some of the most aththetically fit dogs I have ever seen. Since most of the dogs never spend a day inside the house, I have learned that they are absolutely terrified of stairs. Most of the mushers end up carrying their dogs up the steps to our trailer. Lastly, these dogs do not like me touching their feet. And this isn't like your dog not liking their feet touched because of the first time you tried to cut their nails and you made them bleed...for these dogs, feet touching mean BOOTIES. You know, the little slipper things they wear when running to product their paws? You would think these dogs would like putting them on because it means time to run, but boy oh boy, I have yet to find one that would let me touch their feet! If you need any proof of this just Youtube: Dogs in booties! 

I'm loving Alaska so far and I'm loving meeting all these dogs and the mushers. By the end of my time in Alaska I will have seen about 2,000 sled dogs. I'm still learning more and more about this amazing race and I can't wait to share it with everyone!