-

-
|
- The
Topic:
- Sled
Dog Racing
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- Easier - People from
the polar regions have used dogs and sleds for a long
time. Working dogs were used in everyday life to
protect and in hunting. But most of all, dogs and
sleds were used to carry food, products, and other
things. The first sled dog races may have been among
native people as they dashed their dog teams across
the frozen ice fields. Sled dog racing was continued
by immigrant trappers, miners, freight haulers, and
settlers.
-
- Harder - Indigenous
people of the far North regions were dependent on sled
dogs for protection, companionship, hunting, trapping,
and transportation for thousands of years. In the more
recent European immigrations to North America,
newcomers quickly saw the value of working sled dogs.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police started running
dog-team patrols in the northern frontiers as early as
1873. Mail teams later delivered the news to outlying
communities. Inland settlements were dependent on sled
dog freight haulers. Explorers such as Byrd, Peary,
and Amundsen relied on sled dogs in their exploration
of frozen wastelands.
-
- The first record of a formal sled dog race dates
back to 1908. The running of the All Alaska
Sweepstakes began with established rules and a
racecourse of 408 miles from Nome to Candle and back.
The winning driver made the trip in 119 hours, 15
minutes, and 12 seconds. Enthusiasm for sled dog
racing was promoted by exhibition teams performing in
the northeast as early as 1909. In just a few years,
the number of musher entries to the All Alaska race
increased considerably as well as the speed of the
teams. The winner of the 1910 race completed the
course in 74 hours, 14 minutes, and 37 seconds, a
record that still remains unbroken. In 1917, the first
race in the "Lower 48" was held in Ashton, Idaho. A
diversion from often difficult living and working
conditions, sled dog racing spread rapidly throughout
Canada and the United States. However by the 1920's,
sled dog team use for daily transportation, freight
hauling, and mail delivery needs in the northern
regions began to be replaced by airplanes.
-
- Sled dog history was made in 1925. In January of
that year, an outbreak of diphtheria occurred in the
small icebound village of Nome, Alaska. The native
population there had little or no immunity and the
city's supply of antitoxin was inadequate to stave off
a near-certain fatal epidemic. Serum was available
from the Alaska Railroad Hospital in Anchorage;
however, it needed to be moved over 670 miles across
the rough ice and water of the Iditarod trail. The two
airplanes in Fairbanks were both open cockpit aircraft
and had already been dismantled and stored for the
winter. Even if they had been available, the risk of a
plane crash and the loss of the only available serum
seemed probable. A twenty-pound pack of diphtheria
serum wrapped in quilting, canvas, and then fur first
traveled by railroad from Anchorage to Nenana. From
there, a relay of 22 natives and mail carriers and
their sled dog teams was quickly recruited and
organized. The drive was a success, the serum was
delivered in less than five and a half days.
-
- Today, few of the inhabitants of the Far North are
dependent on dogs for basic survival. However, sled
dog racing continues in the United States, Canada,
Northern Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, and other
locations around the world.
-

- Cabela's
Iditarod Race Coverage
- http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/
- The site has includes race history, rules, photos,
and more.
- Related Website:
- 2) Dog Days in Alaska from Discovery
Online
- http://www.discovery.com/area/exploration/iditarod/iditarod.html
- 3) Iditarod (Links-site) from Working Dog
Web http://www.workingdogweb.com/Iditarod.htm
- 4) Iditarod from Anchorage Daily News
http://www.adn.com/iditarod/
- 5) Ititarod: Race Across America from
Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/iditarod/
- 6) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Alaska
Public Radio Network
- http://www.aprn.org/index.cfm?x=836
- 7) Your Guide to the Alaskan Iditarod from Pet
Place
- http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=2158
-
- International
Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA)
- http://www.isdra.org/
- ISDRAs historical objectives have been to
promote public interest in the sport, encourage
cooperation between race organizations, create and
maintain standardized race management procedures,
promote the highest standards of animal welfare for
canine athletes and aid in sponsor relations for ISDRA
members and ISDRA sanctioned events.
- Related Websites:
- 2) About Sled Dogs and Sled Dog Racing by S.R.
Lee
- http://www.cloquet.k12.mn.us/WAS/Kim/newbear/Beargrease/About.sleddogs.html
- 3) Dogsledding by P. Ernerk http://www.arctic-travel.com/chapters/dogsledpage.html
- 4) From Trap Line to Finish Line http://www.sasknaturally.com/festival4.htm
- 5) Getting Started in Sled Dog Racing with
Samoyeds
- http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/7825/sledstart.html
- 6) Go, Dog, Go! by E. Dempsey from The Columbus
Dispatch
- http://www.dispatch.com/news/newsfea99/jan99/SLED.html
- 7) Introduction to Sled Dog Racing http://www.webheads.co.uk/sdcom/press/info/info1.htm
- 8) Physics of Mushing by H. Kwon http://helenx1oo4.tripod.com/physicsofmushing/index.html
- 9) Sled Dog Racing from Kids' Turn Central
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/topics/animals/sleddog1.htm
- 10) Sled Dogs Then and Now from American Humane
Association
- http://www.ahafilm.org/info.html#sleddogs
-
- Ititarod
Trail Sled Dog Race
- http://www.iditarod.com/
- This comprehensive site provides a wide array of
information and resources on the world's most famous
sled dog race.
- Not-To-Be-Missed Section:
- 2) Jr. Iditarod http://www.iditarod.com/jr__iditarod.html
- Related Website:
- 3) Ultimate Iditarod http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/
-
- Tilford
on the Iditarod Trail by J. Mitschelen
- http://www.vinton-shellsburg.k12.ia.us/tms/seventh/rdg7/iditarod/idit.html
- This classroom theme page for the Iditarod
contains links for information about the dogs, the
mushers, the trail, the race and lots, lots more.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Iditarod 411 by J. Wong http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod/
- 3) Iditarod Adventure by T.Opsteen-Van Dyke
http://home.centurytel.net/vanopst/Iditarod/index.htm
- 4) Mrs. Morgan's Iditarod Adventure http://www.chathamma.com/iditarod/
-

- After visiting several of the
websites, complete one or more of the
following projects.
-
- Write A Dog Sled Racing Poem.
You can find a few examples at Limericks,
and Musher Bio Poem. And if you would
like to learn more about poetry, visit
another eduScapes 42eXplore
project, Poetry
for Kids. Then write your own poem;
communicate what can feel and imagine. You
can narrow or focus your poem's topic to a
dog, dog sledding, dog sled racing, or the
snow sledding experience.
-
- Complete A Dog Sled Racing
WebQuest. Adapt or follow the
procedures provided at the following
webQuest sites.
- 1) Dream A Dream, Reach A Goal (Grades
5-6) by C.M. Frego http://www.geocities.com/goodapple_1999_2000/
- 2) Great Sled Dog Debate http://home.attbi.com/~mrs_messer/Projects/Iditarod/dogabuse.htm
- 3) I Did, I Did, I Did the Iditarod
Trail by M. Iandoli http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/webiditarodma.html
- 4) Iditarod WebQuest by T. Elkins, A.
Hooser, R. Madrid, and B. Ortiz
- http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/iditarod/
- 5) Running The Iditarod: The Last
Great Race on Earth by S. Seagraves
- http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/iditarod/iditarodunit.htm
-
- Read A Sled Dog Tale. There are
lots of good books about sled dogs
including Akiak
by Robert Blake, Dogsong
by Gary Paulson, Stone Fox by John
Reynolds Gardiner, and WoodSong also
written by Gary
Paulsen. Others may want to read the
classic Jack London tale about Buck, the
sled dog in the Klondike who joins a pack
of wolves. It can be found online at
The
Call of the Wild. You also might enjoy
another of his books, White
Fang.
-
- Build A Dog Sled. You can find
plans and ideas at (1) Build
Your Own Dog Sled, (2) Building
a Dog Sled, and (3) How
to Build Sleds. Younger learners will
need the assistance of adults and/or
experienced wood workers. However, the
content can also be used to build a scale
model of a dog sled. Beginners might want
to make a paper model of a dog sled; find
directions at Make
a Dog Sled Model!
-
- Decide If Dog Sled Racing Is An
Inhuman Event? Before you debate the
issue, visit several more website that
focus on the issue of the treatment of
racing dogs (Links follow below). Then
debate the issues and decide where you
stand.
- 1) Activist: Iditarod Sled-dogs Abused
(Page 1 of 2) from Environmental News
Network
- http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/03/03092001/ap_dogs_42432.asp
- 2) Dog Owner's Guide: The Iditarod
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/iditarod.html
- 3) Iditarod: Fact, Not Fiction by J.
Price http://www.geocities.com/sunhusky/
- 4) Is Racing Okay for Dogs? http://beyond.landsend.com/iditarod/prologue/trail/id_life_vet.html
- 5) Mushing: Life as a Sled Dog
Doc
- http://archive.sportserver.com/newsroom/sports/oth/1995/oth/mor/feat/archive/020996/mor69
- 707.html
- 6) Sled Dog Action Coalition http://www.helpsleddogs.org/
- 7) Sled Dog Action Coalition from
Animals in Print
- http://www.all-creatures.org/aip/nl-26mar2002-sled.html
- 8) Sled Dogs and Mushers by J.
Schiller & R. Schiller from Crooked
Creek Observer http://www.emily.net/~schiller/mushing.html
- 9) Veterinary Educational Team (V. E.
T.) http://www.drsonny.com/
-
- Create An Iditarod Journal.
Follow the Iditarod and collect
information and photographs that lead up
to and focus on this year's competition.
You can include web resources and
newspaper and magazine articles. However,
evaluate the material and only include the
best articles in your journal. Also
include your own writings that feature
your observations, opinions, feelings and
reactions to the events. Add entries to
your journal at least 3 or 4 times each
week during the Iditarod season. Insert
your related articles and illustrations
for each entry. Continue your journal to
include a followup or summary section
after the race ends.
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- Websites By Kids For Kids
- Iditarod
Resource (Grade 4) from McLean School,
Potomac, Maryland
- http://www.mcleanschool.org/iditarodgr4.html
- Learn about the race and its history, wolves, sled
dogs, Alaska, and more.
- Related Website:
- 2) Alaska & The Iditarod (Grade 5) from
Nannie Berry Elementary, Alaska
- http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/sumnercs/nberry/iditarod.htm
-
- More Websites
- AlaskaCam
- http://camera.touchngo.com/
- Scroll down the webpage. This site features
photographs of the Iditarod and a few other dog sled
races.
-
- Anatomy
of a Dog Sled
- http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/Dogsled.htm
- Sled dogs have been pulling sleds and carrying
supplies and people for thousands of years. The
traditional materials for sled construction included
wood, bone, sinew, and rawhide. Steel bolts came
later, and were followed by plastics, aluminum, and
today, materials like Kevlar and carbon fiber.
Regardless of the materials, all modern dog sleds have
certain common characteristics.
- Related Website:
- 2) Basic Dog Sledding Equipment http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/7825/sledequip.html
- 3) Dog Sled Basics http://www.expeditionsamoyeds.org/sledbasics.html
-
- Balto
by Jean Craighead George, Incredible Animal
Adventures from Harper Collins
Publishers
- http://www.harperchildrens.com/books/fchap/f99/0064421066_ex.htm
- Read chapter 1 of the story of this sled dog that
helped save a town.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Balto from PBS's Nature http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sleddogs/balto.html
- 3) Balto, the Wonder Dog from Roadside
America http://www.roadsideamerica.com/pet/balto.html
- 4) If Sculptures Could Talk . . . Balto http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PROGRAMS/SOS/4KIDS/arthist/balto.htm
- 5) Real Balto http://fluke.theicecave.org/RealBalto.html
- 6) Story of Balto from USA Network
http://www.usanetwork.com/sports/iditarod/balto.html
- 7) Was Balto a "Hero Dog?" from The Cleveland
Museum of Natural History
- http://www.cmnh.org/fun/balto.html
-
- British
Musher's Association
- http://www.webheads.co.uk/sleddog/
- The goal of this UK organization is to promote
sleddog racing and to educate both mushers and the
public about our sport.
-
- Dog
Sled.com
- http://www.dogsled.com/
- All the adventure, none of the frostbite. Here you
find news and stories of dog sled racing.
-
- English
Musher Max Hall
- http://www.maxhall.com/
- Learn about this English Iditarod musher's race
history and dog team.
- Few Other Musher Sites:
- 2) About DeeDee (DeeDee Jonrowe) http://www.eddiebauer.com/deedee/about.asp
- 3) Jeff King from Husky Homestead http://huskyhomestead.com/
- 4) Joe Runyon on Mushing http://beyond.landsend.com/iditarod/prologue/runyon/index.html
- 5) Libby Riddles (First woman to win) http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/frontiers/riddles.html
- 6) Iditarod Champions - Happy Trails Kennel
(Martin Buser) http://www.buserdog.com/
- 7) Stephen Lee http://www.ooowoo.com
- 8) Susan Butcher from Women in Alaska's
History http://www.corgibuddy.com/sb.html
-
- Equipment
(Dog mushing) from Salty Dog Kennel
- http://www.alaska.net/~andywoof/equip.html
- Dog Mushing is a equipment demanding sport. Needs
include things from dogsleds, food dishes, kennels,
doghouses, lines, harnesses, dog trucks, and much
more.
-
- How
the Iditarod Got Started
- http://alaska.alaskan.com/docs/started.html
- This brief online article summarizes the history
of the race.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Epidemic http://www.slip.net/~cwburch/epidemic.htm
- 3) Great Race of Mercy (Slide presentation) by M.
Frazel http://www.midgefrazel.net/mercy1.html
- 4) History of 1925 Serum Run http://serumrun.org/history.asp
- 5) History of Sled Dog Racing http://www.webheads.co.uk/sdcom/press/info/003history.html
- 6) Iditarod History http://www.alaskanet.com/Tourism/Activities/iditarod/history.html
- 7) Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/iditarod.html
-
- Iditarod
National Historic Trail from Bureau of Land
Management, Alaska
- http://www.anchorage.ak.blm.gov/inhtmaps.html
- This site contains maps of the trail and
information on its history and management.
- Related Websites:
- Iditarod National Historic Trail from GORP
http://gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_trail/iditarod.htm
- Iditarod Race Trail Map http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/mapFD.htm
-
- John
Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon from Duluth,
MN
- http://www.beargrease.com/
- Visit the site of the longest sled dog race in the
lower 48 states.
- Related Website:
- 2) John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon by K. Peddle
http://www.cloquet.k12.mn.us/WAS/Kim/newbear/bear1.html
- Other Dog Sled Races:
- 3) North American Open Sprint Dog Races http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/na/na.html
- 4) Yukonquest http://www.yukonquest.org/
-
- Mushing
- http://www.mushing.com/
- This is the magazine of dog-powered sports.
-
- Sled
Dogs: An Alaskan Epic from PBS's
Nature
- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/sleddogs/
- Learn what it takes to pull a sled, read the story
of the brave husky Balto, or try your hand at a
dogsledding game.
- Related Website For Sled Dogs:
- 2) Alaskan Malamute from American Kennel
Club http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/alasmal.cfm
- 3) Chinooks Worldwide http://www.chinook-dogs.org/
- 4) Colors of the Siberian Husky http://www.huskycolors.com/
- 5) Everything Husky! http://www.everythinghusky.com/index.html
- 6) Samoyeds http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/samoyeds.html
- 7) Siberian Husky http://www.siberescue.com/Breed_Info/breed_infoindex.htm
-
- Sled
Dog Care Guidelines from Mush With
PRIDE
- http://www.ptialaska.net/~pride1/mwpgdtoc.htm
- This document represents the collected experience
of over 200 mushers. Recognizing that there are many
ways to care well for sled dogs, this organizzation
shares their desired practices of good sled dog
care.
- Related Website:
- Art Stoller's 20 Tips for Successful Sled Dog
Racing from Sled Dog Central
- http://www.sleddogcentral.com/interviews/stollertips.htm
-
- Sled
Dog Central
- http://www.sleddogcentral.com/
- This website's purpose is to provide access to
sled dog products and information for all levels of
mushing experience, across the spectrum of of mushing
activities.
-
- Working
Dog Web
- http://www.workingdogweb.com/default.htm
- This comprehensive site includes guides to dog
breeds, information about training and sports, and
resources on the Iditarod and other dog sled
races.
- Related Website:
- 2) Working Dogs by C.T. Moore http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/working.html
-
- Websites For Teachers
- Alaskan
Iditarod Sled Dog Race, An Interactive Unit
Study by S. Smith
- http://www.oregontrail.net/%7Ethesmiths/iditarod.html
- This teacher's website has tons of ideas for
activities and also links for information and
resources for incoporating the Iditarod into learning.
It is updated yearly.
-
- Build
a Dog Sled by M. Larscheid from Wells
Fargo's Teacher's Tool Box
- http://66.231.15.106/halter/TeachersToolbox/Sled.cfm
- Students are allowed two class periods of 48
minutes to build their sleds. Sled sizes may vary from
life-size to two inches.
-
- Education
Expedition (Grades 4-6) by T. Burton from
Cabela's Iditarod
- http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/2002/education.html
- The activities include a compilation of five
web-based lessons and a fun quiz.
- Related Curriculum Site:
- 2) Iditarod http://rims.k12.ca.us/iditarod/
-
- Iditarod
(Grade 6) by J. Olson from Wilder Elementary
School, Grand Forks, ND
- http://www2.grand-forks.k12.nd.us/iditarod/iditarod.html
- This classroom website contains themed activities
and project ideas plus lots of links for the
Iditarod.
- Related Site:
- 2) Sanhusky's Iditarod Den by J. Price http://www.geocities.com/sunhusky/iditaden.html
-
- Iditarod
from PBS TeacherSource's Mathline
- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/mathline/concepts/iditarod.shtm
- Prepare for your classroom lessons with an array
of supporting materialtime charts, checkpoint
guides and a map as well as a history and background
of the Iditarod.
- Related Website:
- 2) Iditarod: The 1000 Mile Dog Race http://www.niti.org/users/tushka/iditarod/iditarod.html
-
- Iditarod
by P. Riesland
- http://ttl2k.bhsu.edu/ttlinfo/The%20MDU/teams%20pages/P.%20Ries.MDU-
- Great%20Expectations.htm
- This curriculum unit plan integrates reading,
social studies and math with learning about the
Iditarod.
-
- Iditarod
in the Classroom
- http://www.rims.k12.ca.us/iditarod/class/index.html
- Here you can find ways to integrate the race into
your curriculum, and then share your own innovative
ideas with other teachers.
- Related Website:
- 2) Iditarod Resources for Teachers http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~amkenned/index.html
-
- Iditarod:
The Last Great Race from Education
World
- http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson103.shtml
- Have you considered using the Iditarod as a
teaching tool? Alaska's annual Iditarod Dogsled Race
is a perfectly "teachable moment." Wise teachers use
the race and the many Web sites connected with it to
teach geography, math, reading, and language
arts.
-
- Iditarod
Literature Ideas by J. Wong from Iditarod
411
- http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod/lit.htm
- This site houses links to lesson plans and
activities involving literature and the Iditarod.
(Note: It appears that this site will soon be moved to
a new location)
- Other Teacher Sites from Iditarod 411:
- 2) Activities http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod/iditact.htm
- 3) Are You Just Starting to Teach an Iditarod
Unit? http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod/newbies.htm
-
- Iditarod
Dog Sled Race by J. Bernard
- http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/projects/resources/ilw/classroom/iditarod.html
- The overall intent of this unit is to help the
students learn about the current Iditarod Dog Sled
Race and it's history through a variety of
activities.
-
- Teacher
on the Trail
- http://www.iditarod.com/teacher_on_the_trail.html
- Join online a classroom teacher selected yearly,
as they log entries to the site containing curriculum
ideas and activities.
-

dogsled
|
sled dog
|
starting point
|
cold
|
speed
|
Nome
|
endurance
|
pull load
|
mutt
|
dog
|
Alaskan Malamutes
|
tug line
|
husky
|
musher
|
strength
|
mixed breed
|
polar
regions
|
gait
|
booties
|
physical obstacle
|
Eskimo dog
|
runner
|
load
|
red lantern
|
sled team
|
fur
|
trail
|
psychological obstacle
|
paw
|
weather
|
Alaska
|
team
|
Balto
|
frostbite
|
kennel
|
Samoyed
|
lead dog
|
Siberian huskies
|
checkpoint
|
moose
|
winner
|
double lead
|
point dog
|
"gee"
|
vet
|
snow
|
"haw"
|
humane treatment
|
rigging
|
swing dog
|
northern route
|
southern route
|
wheeler
|
icehook
|
Anchorage
|
pedaling
|
hike!
|
training
|
gangline
|
Iditarod
|
-
-

-
- Created by
Annette
Lamb and
Larry
Johnson,
2/03.
|