SPK Dog Log

Yesterday Dr Tamara Rose from TRose Veternarian Services visited the kennel and undertook thorough vet checks on 35 dogs; Aliy and Allen have narrowed their teams down from the 43 that were tested last week. The check sheet (below left) is completed for all dogs and is viewed in conjunction with the results from the ECG and blood tests from last week.

All 35 are ready to race!! Unfortunately only 32 can go so the final teams won’t be decided until Saturday evening before the re-start in Willow. We will post the rosters Sunday morning so watch this space.

L-R: The vet check sheet; Felix tried his hand at being a lap dog.

L-R: Sandy helps TRose and Moira with her paperwork; Sandy undergoes her vet check.

Congratulations to SANDI ZIEGLER who has won our first Iditarod themed Dog Fan Club Draw. Sandi is a fan of SANDY and was one of our very first fan club members, joining back in October. Sandi wins a Iditarod drop bag (right) along with some other goodies.

See below a short video so you can get to know Sandy a little better!

The next fan club draw is NEXT WEEK! We will do a bonus draw on Sunday, March 2nd – the day of the Iditarod re-start and the winner of that draw will win a copy of the 2013 Iditarod race documentary DVD. The names of everyone who hasn’t already won and all new members will be in the draw.

Remember too that everyone who is a fan club member by 1 March will receive a collectors postcard sent from Nome!

Click the button below for instructions on how to join:

Click this button below to take you directly to the Dog Fan Page.

Before running the Iditarod, every dog must undergo thorough veterinarian checks, blood testing and have an electrocardiograph (ECG) to ensure they are fit and healthy to run 1,000 miles.

These are compulsory checks for all dogs that compete and the results of these tests are scrutinised by Iditarod vets; any dog that doesn’t meet strict requirements will not run the race. If you are interested in more information about this please check out the Iditarod website rules section.

On Wednesday we took 43 “possibles” to town for their blood draw and ECGs. Thanks to volunteer vet techs Sara, Sophie, Jenna and Jan for the care they took with our friends!

L-R: Nelson gets some reassurance from Sara as Sophie takes a blood sample; Ranger has his ECG from Jenna and Jan while Meghan gives him some love.

A thorough veterinarian check will take place for all of these dogs next week!

While everything else has been going on we also had Iditarod drop bags to get ready! It was a challenge for Aliy and Allen to have their heads in two races at a time, preparing for the Yukon Quest race and the Iditarod drop bags in the same week.

These bags will be transported out to all the checkpoints along the trail and include dog food and snacks, human food and snacks, dog jackets and booties, vet supplies, spare harnesses, sled equipment, human clothing and supplies and various other bits and pieces critical to running the race. It takes a lot of planning to ensure they have the right things in the right places to fit their various race plans and contingencies.

While we were all over in Canada, Kaz finished off the bags and laced them all up ready to go. Thank you Kaz, we love you. Thanks also to Wes and Tom for their help getting them to town for pick-up by the Iditarod Trail Committee volunteers on February 10th.

L-R: Meghan and Aliy sort the meat snacks; all the bags packed and ready for shipping.

As we wrap up our Yukon Quest coverage and look ahead to the Iditarod, take a look back over Allen and the Black Team’s journey through the 2014 Yukon Quest 1000.

Music: “Tour Bus” – Apple Inc

Here are some snippets of video from the Yukon Quest Prizegiving and Banquet.

Saturday evening in Whitehorse the finishers banquet and prizegiving was held at the convention centre. Hundreds of people turned up to hear the mushers tell some trail stories and to have an opportunity to thank and applaud the vets, Rangers, officials, photographers and volunteers. It was a fun night!

For winning, Allen received a special handcrafted Yukon Quest knife from Alaska Rod’s, with a 2014 Champion engraved on it. Also received a hand-made beaver fur hat from the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation in Dawson and a $1,000 cheque from NorthwesTel to donate to the charity of his choice. He chose the Yukon Special Olympics.

The banquet room

L-R: Matt Hall (who won not only 3rd place but Rookie of the Year, Veterinarians’ Choice and “Challenge of the North”) and Allen with two of the Canadian Rangers; the Rangers receive thanks.

L-R: John Schandlemeier (5th); Ken Anderson (4th); the Dawson Gold

L-R: Aliy with Brian Wilmshurst (10th and Sportsmanship Award); Allen with his winner’s trophy, a beautiful handcrafted and engraved knife from Alaska Rod’s.

I have some video to go through so will post that later today (all going according to plan).

Aliy took her video camera with her on the YQ300 and captured some spectacular scenery! Take the journey with her…