Iditarod fever begins!

I almost forgot that today was the official start of the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska. (Talk about getting sidetracked!) Being a wanna be musher myself, yet without the actual drive to get off the couch into the cold and participate in sledding, I love tunning in every year. I even got to interview a musher from Maine that did the race with a team of all siberian huskies a few years ago. (Shawn Sidelinger-Back when I hosted a local cable access show called Reigning Cats and Dogs.) Most teams are a mix of sledding breeds with alaskan huskies being the most popular.

I think part of why I love to watch the race, is that I love watching dogs do what they love, and that comes natural to them. I also think huskies are beautiful dogs. We had a beautiful and sweet siberian when I was a kid. I'm sure that is where my love of northern breeds started.

Here is the official website for anyone else interested: http://www.iditarod.com/

For a great inside look at the training it takes, and the love for the sport and dogs you need to run the race, the book "Winterdance" by Gary Paulsen is fabulous. Well worth reading for any fan of sled dogs too.

For a great movie about a sled dog race, "Iron Will" gets my vote. A touching movie that showcases some truely beautiful dogs. Even the "bad guys" dogs are beautiful in the sledding scenes. (malamute and samoyed teams are used too)

I hope everyone, men, women and dogs, stay safe in this years race. Godspeed!