4Elementary School News

Mush! Sled dogs visit Fonda-Fultonville

What travels across snow, mud, or dirt at speeds of up to 30 mile per hour for 20 miles — oh yes, and it barks! Ask Fonda-Fultonville Elementary School students and they will tell you the answer is sled dogs!

Gar Morey and Ray Jennings of Go Kennels in Fonda visited each of the grades on Wednesday, Mar. 17 to share the experience of racing dog sleds. The visit was part of this year's reading program, "Paws to Read."

Mr. Morey grew up racing with his father. In turn, he has passed on his love for the dogs and the sport to his 14-year-old daughter Amber, a student at Fonda-Fultonville High School. With a broad smile on his face, he explained what it takes to be a dogsled racer. It was a day of fun and surprises.

The first surprise came in the dogs themselves. When people think of sled dogs, they tend to think of Siberian Huskies and Malamutes. Although those are popular dogs for cold-weather races like the Iditarod, more and more racers uses crossbreed called Euro Hounds—a cross of English and German Pointers, Huskies, and Greyhounds. The result is a powerful, short-haired dog capable of running long distances.

Mr. Morey explained that each breed has certain advantages. The Husky and Husky crosses have longer hair to keep them warm. They even have hair on their pads to prevent the snow from balling up and hurting the dogs' feet as they run. The Euro Hounds are strong and fast, but their short hair makes it hard for them to run without a dog coat and dog booties. A big advantage is that Euro Hounds unlike Huskies, are very loyal and seldom stray far from their owners.

The 28-pound sleds are made of aluminum and plastic mounted on the equivalent of skis. A single rope or gangline attaches to the front of the sled. As many as 8 pairs of short tuglines attach the sled dogs to the the gangline. The musher or driver stands on the sled giving the dogs commands and applying one three brakes to slow the team for corners or on hills. An average race is about 10 miles, a distance the dogs cover in under 30 minutes.

When the weather is too warm, the racers put their sleds away and drive dog carts. Looking like modified cross-country bikes, the carts let dogs race without snow. The speeds are so fast that officials have banned three-wheeled carts in favor of more stable four-wheeled carts.

The dogs travel by truck to races in the eastern United States and fly to races in Alaska or Europe. While at the race, they bunk two dogs per insulated box in the bag of a specially designed truck. No worry that they are cold, their body heat keeps their boxes warm on even the coldest nights.

In Fonda, they live in a kennel with plenty of space to run and play. Each day they eat a carefully balanced mix of dry dog food, vitamins, and raw meat. Every other day they train, working together pulling sleds or carts on the old railway bed that is now the bike trail. Pups begin their race training by following their mothers on the trails. Soon they're in harnesses learning to a part of team. They are ready to race when they are about two years old.

Mr. Morey and Mr. Jennings introduced the students to several of their dogs including Riot, Gwen, Hershey, Choco, JJ, and Onyx. Mr. Morey explained that the dogs were energetic, but well-behaved. Each dog happily kissed its owners and became even more excited and ready to play when two dogs out at the same time.

As the presentation drew to a close, Mr. Morey answered questions and showed a brief video of race dogs in action. Thank you for sharing the wonderful world of dog sled racing!

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