The husky breeds used by the Inuit include Canadian Eskimo, Greenland, Siberian Husky, and Alaskan Malamute. The dogs protect the village by barking at bears or strangers. They act as pack animals, assist with hunting, and pull sleds up to one and a half times their weight. When pups are born, the Inuit perform rituals over the dogs to enhance the most favorable qualities such as pulling the legs to make them longer or poking the nose to make it more sensitive to smell. Dogs used in the Iditarod, typically Alaskan Huskies, are similar to those used by the Inuit. The dogs are tall, covered with double thick coats, have larger hearts, and have a half dog/half wolf appearance. They generally weigh between 40-45 pounds and run like a thoroughbred.
Around 70 mushers with teams of 12-16 dogs each means that there will be more than 900 dogs on the Iditarod trail. They’ll cover about 125 miles each day of the race. Veterinarian checkpoints require the dogs to be examined for injury and illness. Mushers can drop fatigued dogs at drop points where they are flown to Nome. About one-third of the 1,500 dogs that start the race are flown out because of illness or injury. Between one and three dogs die in each Iditarod race; this may disqualify a musher.
The Humane Society and other animal rights groups have attempted to halt the race. But the Iditarod Trail Committee and the individual mushers refocused attention on the welfare of the dogs and the efforts made to keep them healthy and safe. The race is a true test of partnership between a musher and his or her dogs, of the strength of a musher's breeding and training programs, and of musher and companion against the harsh Alaska wilderness.
If you're a dog lover, follow Zuma, the official canine reporter of the Iditarod at http://iditarodblogs.com/zuma/.
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