Posts tagged "SledDogs"

Alaska has played host to plenty of races involving dogs, snow, and sleds, but in the first ever Snausages Man Sled Race in Girdwood, Alaska at the Alyeska Resort, men and their dogs switch roles!

Earlier this week, canines called the shots as four teams of men pulled sleds across 75 yards of frozen Alaskan terrain seeking victory, glory and, most importantly, a sizable donation to their pet charity of choice. The Red team won the big prize, $5,000 for the Second Chance League -- an organization that works to find permanent homes for sled dogs. They were followed by the Yellow, Green and Blue teams, each of which still received $1,000 for their charities.

Paw Nation had a chance to ask one of the winners, Danny Seavey -- who is competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race this weekend -- a few questions about this human competition:

How did you get involved with the man sled race?
This was something my brothers and I had talked about for a long time. We'd even done similar races up and down the driveway as kids, so when Snausages contacted us about doing it for a good cause, I was very excited to be involved.

What kind of training was involved in preparing for the event?
We spent two hours a day for over a week teaching my dog Chinook to stay in the sled. She would climb in and sit down okay, but as soon as the sled started moving, she would jump out and try to pull it. She really sympathized with us athletes, and I think she felt bad about making us pull her. Once she finally figured out we really wanted to pull her, she decided she liked it. She would make us pull her past all the other female dogs, and she'd ride past looking like a queen.

If you're a runner and an animal lover, chances are good that you've taken your dog running with you. And that's great. In fact, recent studies suggest that dog owners get up to eight times as much exercise as a regular gym-goer. But in order to keep your dog safe and healthy, you need to be informed.

Some breeds are natural runners and obvious choices for running partners. Greyhounds, for example, are particularly fast, while many hunting dogs have amazing endurance. Mid-sized mutts can make fantastic jogging buddies, too, because they aren't prone to some of the purebred hereditary disorders.

Even if your dog is a great runner, don't assume you can just start in with long, hard runs. To learn more about running with dogs, we spoke to Dr. Sarah Marzke of Topaz Veterinary Clinic in Arizona, who is an avid runner and loves nothing more than heading out for a long run with her five-year-old black Lab, Storm.