SPK Dog Log

Every dog that is being considered to run the Iditarod, either in the Ceremonial start or the race proper, undergoes an extensive range of medical testing before they are deemed fit and eligible to start by Head Veterinarian Dr Stu Nelson and his team.

The first stage of that testing occurred today for us when we took 24 dogs to see the team of volunteer vet techs who take a blood sample and perform an ECG on each dog. This is also the first time in the race that the microchip number is recorded. This will be tested several times before and during the race to match medical records and to ensure the dog is who we say it is!

A full blood panel is done for the dogs that includes blood count indicators such as hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells), and a platelet count, plus full blood chemistry including sodium, potassium, glucose etc. The tests are run by specialists at the Providence Alaska Medical Centre in Anchorage and there is a specific set of measures the results are compared against to determine if the dog is healthy for racing.

The second part of this testing is an ECG – exactly the same as a human would get – to measure electrical function and heart rhythms and can alert the doctors to any anomalies that might rule the dog out of racing.

All the old hands took the blood draw and being asked to lay still on the exam table all in their stride. Some of the newbies needed extra reassurance, then there was Jefe who needed “quiet time” where all hands were on deck to calm him from his regular excitable state.

Sincere thanks to Tabitha and her team Sabrina, Katie, Christina and Rachel who travelled to Fairbanks so all the local mushers didn’t have to venture down to Anchorage for testing. Your care and love for the dogs is evident and is much appreciated.

The incredible YQ Visual Content team outdid themselves once again on this race with glorious shots of every team. They were up at all hours of the day and night, in remote locations, up mountains and on cold rivers. We appreciate their efforts to bring us great shots!

Here’s some pictures of the Black Team by Whitney, Julien and Seth throughout the race.

I sat down with Allen and he talked about his superstar team of Commando, Dutch, Nomex, Chipper, Spark, Amber, Clyde, Junior, Rodney, Champ, Bruno, Felix, Violet and Iron.

Illustrated by the wonderful pics by the photographers of the YQ Visual Content Team – Julien, Whitney, Seth and Meghan.

Spark – Spark finished in lead because he was always wanting to go the whole race. I am always looking for dogs who want to go when it gets hard and at the end of the race it definitely gets harder. He was peppy and willing to go and he did fantastic!

Nomex /”Big-headed dog” – If I were to have won the race he would have been a Golden Harness dog. We were going slow for quite a while until I saw how hard he was pulling. I put him in lead and we sped up significantly with him in the lead. He’s one of the toughest-headed dogs (and biggest-headed) in the yard so when things get tough we will definitely have him in lead.

Commando – Golden Harness winner last year. He’s one of our top dogs in the yard. He’s a cheerleader and a go-getter. I always like him being up there because he can normally set a faster pace. He’s probably one of my favourite dogs.

Dutch – Dutch and Commando are very similar. He is also a Golden Harness winner from last year. I had him in lead for 75% of the race but finally ended up changing him out because they get a little tired of making decisions all the time. Dutch is one of our elite, one of the best dogs in the yard and any dog team would be proud to have him.

Junior – Junior is like a bottle-rocket sometimes in that she goes out way too hard to start and set the fastest pace – she puts a lot into it early. Thats the good news. The bad news is she can’t sustain that all race so doesn’t pull as hard towards the end. She was still always pulling, just not as fast so I just moved her back a little.

Amber – Amber was the little surprise for me even though I knew she was a good dog. She was always jumping and ready to go. She was one of the most steady for the whole race, she puts her head low to the ground and is always pulling and going. Unlike others who go too hard early, she was consistently there throughout the whole race.

Chipper – “the biggest little dog you will ever see”. She thinks she’s the biggest dog in the Quest so I had her in lead often because she has such a big ego. She seems to never get injured so it’s great to have her up close to the front because she is the cheerleader of the team.

Clyde – one of our older dogs at seven years old. He’s been a mainstay for many many years, winning the Quest last year. He has been at the top of his game for eyars and is starting to slow down just a little bit. His advantage is his eating – he can still eat faster than anyone. Because he eats so well is one reason he performs so well. If we could have all dogs eat as well as he we would be a better team.

Iron / Ironman. He was a last minute selection and he did fantastic. He is a great cheerleader! After about  450 miles he started getting soreness on his left rear leg. He made it to Dawson and we chose not to take a risk on the next 150 miles in case I had to carry him. It turns out he would have probably been fine but that’s racing – a gamble of who to and who not to take.

Bruno – Bruno the youngster of the whole bunch at three years old. Bruno definitely surprised me. He too eats better than anyone and was always steady – he’s the future and has a lot of positive points about him. He also has one big negative – he can’t take a poop on the run without disrupting the team. He’ll hit the line so hard he does a flip. But, we all have pluses and minuses.

Champ – I didn’t put Champ in until 300 miles into the race. He was a little skinny in the lead up and had a little soreness on the wrist so he got a couple extra days to get ready. Turns out he was the hardest pulling dog throughout the whole race, even at the end he was always pulling. He didn’t eat as well as others but definitely the strongest pulling dog in the team.

Rodney – the craziest dog in the team. You’ve always gotta laugh at Rodney as he’s always doing something stupid. He’s a big dopey dog who likes to eat like his papa Clyde – that helps him being able to finish. He will always keep you smiling with all the funny stuff he does.

Violet – was wheel dog for the whole race. She is another champ from last year. I run her in wheel because she is good at moving under the line, which they have to with our harness and line system or else they get tangled. She is also really steady and small but super excited to go. She is no trouble, a no nonsense dog.

Felix – Once he joined the team he was in wheel for the rest of the race. He is also starting to get a little older but he did well. More than likely, this was probably his last 1000 mile race at seven years old. He does not quite as much perk as he used to, just like all of us. But he is always doing his half-loping and can keep the team a little faster because of that. Good job Felix.