Sled Dog Racing News

RUDOLPH -- The snow couldn't have come at a better time, setting the scene for the eighth annual Rudolph Country Christmas.

Here's an upside to the economic downturn: The Iditarod a 'the famous dogsled race for which dogs are tormented and killed every yeara 'has reported a $1 million loss in funding , which will result in a $100,000 cut in prize money for the 2010 race.

Lost sponsorships have the Iditarod Trail Committee slashing pay and benefits of permanent staffers and slicing another $100,000 from the purse.

Andrew Lowell stands in front of small three year-old tree at this family's small operation on South Whitefield Road, Whitefield.

The Iditarod Trail Committee on Monday announced a funding shortfall of nearly $1 million that's accumulated over the last 12 months, forcing the race to once again slice the purse paid to top mushers.

Some winter athletes performed for a good cause Saturday, despite the lack of snow.

Posted 2009-12-07 The Sheep Mountain 150, the season's first sled-dog race of significance, was canceled Sunday evening due to a lack of snow.

A highly anticipated dog sled race in West Yellowstone hit a road bump when the founder and organizer passed away days before it was scheduled to begin, after the sudden death of Charlotte Mooney's kennel partner, Rodeo Vincent on November 30.

Visit http://www.fox11online.com for the full story.

No snow means no go for the first major sled-dog race of the season. The Sheep Mountain 150 scheduled for this weekend has been canceled because of insufficient snow in the higher elevations of the Talkeetna Mountains, race director Zack Steer said Sunday.

The Iditarod plans to test mushers for drugs and alcohol in March, a change many mushers have no problem with -- but one that three-time champion Lance Mackey scoffs at.

Lance Mackey, the three-time defending Iditarod champion and winner of all four of his Yukon Quest races, is one of four athletes who have been added to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.

The Iditarod plans to test mushers for drugs and alcohol in March, a change that many mushers don't have a problem with - unless one asks three-time champion Lance Mackey.

Jamaica and Iditarod are not two things you normally hear together. But Newton Marshall of the Jamaican dogsled team aims to change that.

Sadly, shallow snow on the Grand Mesa means there will not be any sled dog races any time soon.

Link: Peninsula Clarion A retired sled dog in the kennel of Soldotna musher Jane Faulkner survived with minor injury the crushing jaws of a conibear trap set less than 10 feet off a trail near town.

For many mushers, having a dog caught in a snare or trap is a constant concern. For mushers Jane Faulkner and Mindee Morning, this fear became a reality late last month while running a dog team in the Gaswell Road area, not far from Faulkner's home.

Anthony Shewfelt has about a month's worth of food remaining for his 22 sled dogs, which gives him more time than some of his fellow Fort Yukon mushers.

Many people dream of 'dog sled mushing' through a pristine white wilderness in a dog sled.

Mike Schwandt has his eyes on the sky, hoping the flakes fall and the rain and sun stay away.