Todd Palin Excited to Bring Iditarod to TV

Todd Palin Hosts Iditarod Unleashed

Palin-Cruz 2016: Iditarod Unleashed got Todd Palin to host: Sportsman Channel debuted its Iditarod Unleashed series on Tuesday March 25, 2014, getting a little help from none other than Iron Dog champ Todd Palin.  Todd, the husband of former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is hosting a one-hour special introducing the race to fans. The network, which is also set to begin a show with Sarah premiering in April, is using Todd to draw viewers in to its 12 hours of Iditarod coverage. Palin cites his connections with Iditarod mushers like Martin Buser and Rick Swenson as cred for hosting the show, as well as his experience as a champion snowmachine racer. The Sportsman coverage is set to begin Tuesday at 3 p.m. Alaska time Tuesday and airs throughout the rest of the week.

Breitbart.com:

Sarah Palin isn’t the only one in the family who will be in front of the camera on the Sportsman Channel. While the former Alaska governor gets set to host Amazing America with Sarah Palin next month, it’s her husband Todd who will be showcasing the beautiful state of Alaska first.

The Iditarod has not had a national television network partner since 2009. Until now, that is. In a groundbreaking agreement with Sportsman Channel, the event organizers will continue to produce the annual sled dog spectacle and provide extensive, in-depth coverage, video and updates through an online platform.

As the Official Network of The Iditarod, Sportsman Channel will exclusively showcase the stories of The Iditarod. In a multi-week stunt entitled Iditarod Unleashed, Sportsman Channel will air 12 hours of programming and specials – including the national television premiere of shows from The Iditarod library – timed around the 2014 event. That’s where Todd Palin comes in.

Iditarod Unleashed programming begins March 25 at 7 p.m. ET/PT with a one-hour special hosted by Palin.

Palin is usually a behind-the-scenes guy. The supportive spouse. But he felt compelled to get the word out about the Iditarod. “I’ll do whatever I can to promote this great race,” Palin told Breitbart Sports. “I know some of the mushers and I know how much work it is to take part in it.”

While not a camera hog by any stretch of the imagination, Palin enjoyed filming the special programming. “I don’t like to watch myself on TV,” said Palin. “But this was a lot of fun.”

The Palin family is no stranger to the iconic Iditarod. “They used to have the restart in Wasilla before they moved it to Willow for the more consistent snow,” Palin said. “We watched for many years with the kids on snowmachines. It’s a big event for all Alaskans.”

While Palin is not a musher, he is a champion Iron Dog racer. His success in Alaska’s other big race gives him a special appreciation for those who take part in the Iditarod. “Both are the ultimate,” Palin said. “In certain stretches, you can actually go faster than a snowmachine when mushing with a dog team. They’re so powerful, sometimes you’re just hanging on.”

The Iditarod is more sophisticated than ever. Palin had a chance to visit sled dog champion Martin Buser’s facilities recently and he was blown away by the latest technology. “The use of carbon fiber has made these dog sleds better than ever,” Palin said. “The sport has come so far. You think back to the old days and wonder how they did it.”

There are personal connections to the Iditarod for Palin as well. Buser teamed up with Palin during the 2008 campaign to help stump for the McCain-Palin ticket. Rick Swenson “King of the Iditarod” ran pro class when Palin started Ion Dog racing in 1993. Meantime, DeeDee Jonrowe serves as an inspiration to all. She beat cancer and got back to mushing. Palin speaks glowingly of John Baker and all he has done for the sport.

“The people involved in this are just like the Iron Dog family,” Palin said. “A tight knit group that will help anyone, anyway they can.”

Todd and Sarah Palin attended the Iditarod Mushers Banquet in Anchorage this year to show their support for the big race and all those who participate in it.

“I’m just thankful that Sportsman Channel was excited to show the Iditarod and to come up here to share these ultimate races with the rest of the nation,” said Palin.

The conclusion of the 2014 Iditarod Sled Dog Race was evidence that this event is like no other. Now, viewers across the country will have an opportunity to reconnect with the race on Sportsman Channel. Plus, viewers will be introduced to the special people who live the lifestyle of Iditarod musher.

Sportsman Channel will look back at Dallas Seavey’s record-breaking win, and showcase the incredible stories of this year’s historic race, along with stories from previous years.

Iditarod Unleashed will deliver dramatic stories of the dogs, mushers, volunteers, history, wildlife and rough terrain. The Iditarod is known as The Last Great Race on Earth. For Sportsman Channel viewers though the in-depth coverage of the race will be the first of it’s kind. “You don’t want to miss this,” Palin said. “It’s just incredible.”

Also, 2014 Akiak Dash winner: On Sunday evening, John George won the 2014 Akiak Dash, bringing home $3,400 as he pulled into Bethel with seven sled dogs. The Akiak Dash, one of the series of races held by the Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee, ran from the Southcentral community of Bethel to Akiak and back to Bethel. George finished with a time of 6 hours, 39 minutes and 51 seconds. Coming in second was George Manutoli with a time of 6 hours, 45 minutes and 46 seconds. Herman Phillip took third with a time of 6 hours, 51 minutes and 24 seconds. Total purse for the race was $12,100, split between the top 10 finishers.

Related:

Todd Palin Dedicates His 2015 Iron Dog Run to Chris Kyle

Live: Iditarod (Sled Dog Race) 2014 from Anchorage Alaska is Underway

The Iditarod on 12,000 calories a day

Iron Dog: Palin Iron Dog Team heads back to Big Lake for repairs

Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters, Palin and Alaskan Tourism

Amazing America With Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin plans Rogue TV

Poll: Sarah Palin Has Highest Favorability Rating Among GOP Primary Voters

Todd Palin, Inside Edition ~> Wife could win POTUS hands down!

Sarah Palin and Senator Mile Lee Take Time to Visit Service Dog Trainers While in Iowa

Technorati Tags: Iditarod,Palin,Todd Palin,Dogs,Dog Races,Sportsman Channel,JOMP,Just One More Pet,Alaska

Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters, Palin and Alaskan Tourism

Knik Goose Bay Road starts out perpendicular to the Parks Highway, but swings right until it is 45 degrees to this principal artery.  This road takes you past the Iditarod Headquarters into Lake Lucille Park, which is owned and operated by the City of Wasilla. Walking out to the water’s edge, you see what for many in the Palinista Community is True North and a good place to begin the Sarah Palin History Tour.

The Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters

Video: Iditarod Race Trail HQ – August 28, 2013

Todd Palin is an Iditarod champion snowmobile racer, having won the Tesoro Iron Dog, the world’s longest snowmachine race, four times. He and his race partner Eric Quam entered the 2,000-mile race, starting in Big Lake with a halfway stop in Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, with a new snowmachine in 2012.

The Palins also run a mix of lead and team dogs for the Iditarod, touted as the Last Great Race on Earth.

Did you know that Gov. Palin Generates $189 Million Yearly in Alaskan Tourism wholly related to her? She motivates 44% of tourist travel to the state and her favorable number is 21 points higher among Alaska tourists than the general public.

Sarah Palin History Tour

A special series that provides a photographic journey into the life and times of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, specifically the buildings and spaces that were and remain an integral part of her life.

Sarah Palin History Tour: Rise to the Governor’s Office

Featuring: Captain Cook Hotel, Atwood Building, Alaska History Walk, Alaska State Fair, Gubernatorial Campaign Ads, Gubernatorial Era videos and State Fair Aerial Video

Sarah Palin History Tour: Forging a Leader

Featuring: Wasilla City Hall, Hall of Awards, Mayor’s Vehicle, Library, Menard Center, Leadership Slide Show narrated by Kevin Scholla.

Sarah Palin History Tour: Charting Her Course

Featuring: True North to Sarah Palin’s Birthplace, Mocha Moose, Wasilla High School where Sarah (Heath) Palin, known as the Barracuda, was the captain of the champion Wasilla Warriors women’s basketball team, Pioneer and Veterans Home, former Palmer Courthouses, former and current residences, Mat-Su Regional Birthing center, Veterans Wall of Honor.

NRA 2010 Sybil Ludington Award Nomination

US for Palin publisher Ron Devito was one of three nominators nationwide for Governor Palin to be conferred the NRA’s Sybil Ludington Women’s Freedom Award.

2010 Sybil Ludington Award Nomination Packet

Related:

Todd Palin Dedicates His 2015 Iron Dog Run to Chris Kyle

Todd Palin Excited to Bring Iditarod to TV

Technorati Tags: Iditarod,Palin,Dog Races,Tesoro Iron Dog,Wasilla,Events,Sarah Palin,Todd Palin,Alaska,Sarah Heath,JOMP,Just One More Pet,Sports

Sarah Palin Book Signing – "Touched By An Angel"

Sent to me by a dear friend… Freckles: 

Barracuda Brigade -  By Elizabeth Hawkes – Originally Posted 11/19/13

THE VILLAGES, FL – My husband, Gregory and I attended former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s book signing, where she showcased her newest book, “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas (Kindle),” on Monday, November 18th at Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Old Camp Road.

Gov. Palin is no stranger to The Villages. On September 21, 2008 at Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, Gov. Palin held her first public rally as John McCain’s newly appointed running mate and attracted thousands from around the state and nation.

On this special day, the book store had opened hours earlier from their normal hours of operation correctly anticipating a large crowd to meet Sarah Palin. 
Gov. Palin  is not only the former governor of Alaska but the first woman Republican vice-presidential candidate in American history.

She has written best sellers Going Rogue: An American Life (Kindle) and America by Heart : Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag (Kindle). She is in Time Magazine’s 2010 “100 Most Influential People,” the star of Sarah Palin’s Alaska television series, and a Fox News contributor.

As soon as we arrived at 7:30 a.m., after a harried parking job and mad anticipatory dash to the entrance of the book store, we each purchased a copy of Gov. Palin’s new book and obtained color-coded wristbands.

Barnes & Noble began distributing wristbands, thirty minutes before our arrival. and by early afternoon, 750 were given out. Both the wristbands and a Barnes & Noble receipt were a requirement to get in line for the book signing.

To my heartbroken dismay, our puppy, Freckles, was not welcomed in the store. She had accompanied us on the long three-hour drive to the book signing from our home in Port Saint Lucie, FL.

We were informed, by a very nice store manager, that it would be necessary for us to take turns standing in line and watching over her.

Freckles was understandably disappointed that she would not be able to meet Sarah Palin as she had done at a former book signing with Gov. Palin’s father and brother.

So, we decided that I would stand in line first while Gregory sat outside at a table with Freckles. The weather was lovely and the book signing patrons friendly offering Freckles a hand shake and a gentle fur stroking. My husband informed me by cell phone, that despite all the favorable attention and kisses, Freckles continued to whimper and cry for her mommy.

Gregory P. Hawkes with Freckles

A year earlier, at the same Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Freckles proudly strolled into the store and met Chuck Heath, Sr. and Jr. during a book signing for their wonderfully gripping newly released book, Our Sarah: Made in Alaska (Kindle).

If you haven’t purchased this book yet, please do so immediately. It is filled with photos and anecdotes of adventures from the Alaskan wilderness to the center stage of a 2008 presidential election.

We had a lovely long visit with the handsome and engaging Heath men, discussing the Mainstream Media’s misrepresentation of Sarah, the beauty of Alaska, and the exciting sport of hunting.

I fondly remember Chuck Sr. asking, while holding and petting Freckles, “what is this breed good for?”.  My husband replied, “you’re looking at it,” and we broke out in raucous laughter.

File photo: Our Sarah: Made in Alaska (Kindle) book signing with Gov. Palin’s father and brother, Chuck Heath, Sr. and Jr., the authors, Elizabeth and Gregory, and Freckles. 10/01/2012

Our book signing adventure with Gov. Palin was just as exciting as with the Heaths and will always be one of the most memorable highlights of our lives.
As I was standing in line anticipating a long 90-minute wait before Gov. Palin was scheduled to arrive, we were informed, by the Barnes & Noble staff, that Sarah Palin would be arriving a half hour early. Since it was still only 8:30 a.m. when we were given the news that Gov. Palin would be arriving at 9:30 a.m. instead of 10:00 a.m., the crowd became noticeably more excited and jubilant.

Barnes and Noble further accommodated us with trays of coffee and cookies. Life was good. I was texting, surfing the ‘Net with free WiFi, making new conservative friends and Gov. Palin was only an hour away!

A professional photographer, Shealah Craighead, was there to take photos of Gov. Palin and those attending the book signing. Copies of the photos will soon be available for purchase on-line.

The time flew by quickly chatting with newly made friends.

Then Gov. Palin arrived and the line starting moving forward faster then anticipated.

We reached a point where it was necessary, for security reasons, to store our bags, cameras and phones with the bookstore staff.
The line moved forward again. I saw a tall security guard standing before me as the line curved sharply to the left.

Now, 10 people stood between me and Gov. Palin who was seated at a long table with her beautiful daughter, Piper, and attending staff.

My breathing quickened and my eyes filled with tears of joy as I watched Gov. Palin interact with fans and supporters.

Only four individuals now left between me and the Governor and it would soon be my turn.

***

“If I’m for Christmas, it’s only because I’m for Christ…”, Gov. Palin wrote in her book, “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas (Kindle)”, which can be purchased by going on-line here.

***

As a side note, The Villages Tea Party had set-up shop prior to Gov. Palin’s arrival in the parking lot in front of Barnes & Noble Booksellers. How very fitting.

This story of the connection people feel to Sarah Palin is an example of why Palin is here to stay. She connects with middle America, average Americans, real people with real problems and concerns… because she is one of them; a hard working mother of five… including one with special needs and one who served honorably in the military, married to a blue color worker and union member that takes part in and has won the Iditarod competition, who got tired of the bad politics in Alaska and decided to get involved and make a difference… which she did and still does make a difference every day.  If you don’t know her story, you really should checkout: DVD: Sarah Palin: The Undefeated and Sarah Palin – The Undefeated with Going Rogue: An American Life mp3 Audiobook

Iditarod Dog Found 7-Days After Disappearing From Team

Anchorage Daily News/MCT Photo 

ABC News: The 53-year-old winner of the 41st Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race made history this week as the oldest winner of the grueling endurance race, but an Iditarod dog lost for seven days may have had the most amazing journey at this year’s race.

May, a strawberry blond female, got loose last Thursday from the team of Newton Marshall, the Jamaican musher leading her sled in the 1,000-mile race across Alaska.

When Marshall stopped mid-race Thursday to help a fellow musher repair her sled, the lines of the two sleds became entangled, and May was separated from the team, according to a post on Marshall’s fan Facebook page.

As the search for May, a veteran Iditarod dog, got under way, it also played out on social media, with the team behind her owner, veteran Iditarod musher Jim Lanier, who also competed in this year’s race but did not race with May, posting sightings and frequent updates to his own Facebook page.

Lanier’s wife, Anna Bondarenko, flew to Alaska to “be the familiar face to call May in from the cold,” according to a post on Facebook. She relied on help from local residents to search for May, borrowing snow machines and crisscrossing the state by plane as new sightings of May came in.

May was seen running along the Iditarod trail numerous times but was always missed by those who spotted her, and by Anna who was “always a day behind her, due to weather issues flying between checkpoints,” read a Facebook post.

On Thursday, with hope running slim, the couple got the good news that May had been found by three snowmachiners on a trail.

“We had just pulled over on the side of the trail … and about 100 yards away a dog was trotting down the trail,” one of the snowmachiners, Kaitlin Koch, 22, told the Anchorage Daily News. “It was coming at a pretty slow pace, and we were waiting to see if someone on a four-wheeler or snowmachine was with her.”

Describing the dog as alone, skinny and with blood on her paws, Koch said she got off her sled and approached May, who welcomed the help.

“She came right up to me,” Koch said. “She sat in my lap the entire trip back to Big Lake.”

The trio had doubts that the missing Iditarod dog they had heard about could be this one, so far away from the race’s end, but they called Iditarod headquarters to report her found, just in case. One hour later, one of Lanier’s friends arrived to take the dog home, reports the Daily News.

“It’s an incredible journey,” said the friend, Stan Smith, to the Daily News, also noting the dog had eaten canned salmon and kibble stew as part of her recovery.

A Facebook post from Lanier, who could not be reached today by ABCNews.com, estimates that May traveled over 150 miles before being found while Smith, himself an Iditarod veteran, told the Daily News he thought May likely traveled 300 to 400 miles.

Based on the sightings of May reported along the course, Smith, who also could not be reached today, believes the dog was trying to find her way back to the start of the race but missed a crucial turn along the way.

“She was absolutely running home,” he told the Daily News. “She traveled several times from Rohn to Nikolai, all the way up the Dalzell Gorge, up the Alaska Range to the other side, through Rainy Pass, across Shell Lake; she was spotted multiple times in Skwentna. So many reports of seeing her. They were all heading south.”

While May’s musher, Newton Marshall, the improbable dog sled racer from Jamaica, was forced to drop out of the race in Nikolai after May became lost, her owner went on to finish the race.

Lanier crossed the finish line of his 16^th Iditarod on Thursday — the same day May was found — in 35^th place. The race took him 10 days, 10 hours, 21 minutes and eight seconds to complete, according to his Facebook page.

Related:

Iditarod dog dies after being buried in snow

Iditarod Dog Saved With Mouth-To-Snout CPR

Musher to Dog Mouth to Mouth… Uh Snout

Iron Dog – Updated

Musher to Dog Mouth to Mouth… Uh Snout

  Scott Janssen and his team at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (Image Credit: Marc Lester/The Anchorage Daily News/AP Photo)

ABC News – Originally Posted: Mar 8, 2012 7:03pmBy Dana E. Sherne:

When Marshall collapsed on the Iditarod trail, Scott Janssen did what any good friend would do: He stopped his sled and gave mouth-to-mouth CPR.

Or mouth-to-snout, as the case may be. Marshall is a veteran sled dog, and a personal pet of Janssen and his wife Debbie Janssen.

On Monday night, about 5 miles from the next checkpoint at Rohn, Alaska, the husky suddenly fell.

“Marshall was running really tight on the line, no problems at all, and all of a sudden, he collapsed,” said Debbie Janssen.

When Scott Janssen stopped the sled and grabbed Marshall, the dog wasn’t breathing, so he closed the dog’s mouth and began breathing into Marshall’s nose, all the while compressing the animal’s chest.

Scott Janssen had to administer mouth-to-snout twice, because after the first time attempt, Marshall woke up but then quickly fell unconscious again.

The second time, Debbie Janssen said, her husband could see in his dog’s eyes that he was coming to.

“He looked at Marshall and said, ‘Come on! Come back to me!’” Debbie Janssen said. “And Marshall did. He came back. He started breathing.”

At 9 years old, Marshall is one of the oldest dogs on Scott’s team. He has competed in about six Iditarod races, and given his age, this was to be his final attempt.

After Marshall was resuscitated successfully, Scott Janssen tucked the pooch into his sled bag and then approached the front of the sled to reassure each dog with a quiet voice or a gentle hug.

“They were all freaking out,” Debbie Janssen said. “They’ve been a team and could tell something was wrong.”

The team then continued on to Rohn, where Marshall showed no signs of stress, according to Iditarod spokesperson Erin McLarnon. Leaving Marshall with the Iditarod vet, Scott and his team of 14 dogs continued on toward the finish line in Nome.

Marshall is being flown back to Anchorage, where the Janssens own a funeral home.

Scott Janssen, who calls himself the “Mushing Mortician,” is competing in his second Iditarod. He trained with experienced musher Paul Gebhardt for four years. And it was Gebhardt who taught him how to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation.

(Image Credit: Serena Marshall/ABC News)

“He loves all these dogs,” Debbie Marshall said. “He told me he couldn’t imagine Marshall dying in front of him.”

ABC News interviewed Scott Janssen before the race. At the time, he said that the scariest part of the event is knowing harm could come to his dogs.

“I don’t want anything to happen to my dogs,” he said, naming moose as a major concern. “I would do anything, even to the point of sacrificing myself, to make sure that moose don’t get to my dogs.”

Technorati Tags: Iditarod,Iditarod races,Iditarod dogs,husky,dogs,CPR for dog,dog mouth to snout,Alaska,for the love of a pet,JOMP,Just One More Pet

Pet Detectives Capture Iditarod Dog on the Lam in East King Co. for 6 Weeks

Enchiladas, roast beef aid in capture of runaway sled dog

By KYLE HOPKINS – Anchorage Daily News

Published: February 14th, 2012 08:37 AM  -  Last Modified: February 14th, 2012 08:38 AM

Iditarod rookie Silvia Furtwangler walked the Chester Creek Trail greenbelt Saturday, waving her iPhone in the air. The tinny speakers blared a recording of the German musher’s dog team howling and barking.

Still, Whistler didn’t come. The runaway sled dog, one of Furtwangler’s young leaders, had escaped her dog truck early Thursday morning in Anchorage. Spotted in the following days, trotting among the snowy trees bordering downtown, he had shown little interest in climbing back into a kennel.

Maybe it was the sled dog’s marathon car ride from Norway to Frankfurt, followed by the marathon flight from Frankfurt to Seattle to Anchorage, mused Furtwangler, whose English is still a work in progress.

"It’s a long, long way. And definitely, I’m sure he was a little bit (upset) to go again in the dog boxes," she said.

Whistler didn’t come when Gwen Truax of Anchorage, a Facebook friend of the musher, shouted into the woods with her best German accent. "Kommen sie, Whistler! Kommen sie!"

He didn’t come when other volunteers tried to bait him with moose steaks and bacon south of Fairview, where Whistler was spotted over the weekend. Furtwangler began to wonder if she’d have to race with 15 dogs. "Some people say, ‘It’s just a dog,’ " she said. "But it’s my babies, you know."

A 2003 Yukon Quest competitor who finished that 1,000-mile race with a team of shelter dogs, Furtwangler, a German, lives in Norway. She didn’t learn of Whistler’s disappearance until the end of the long drive to Willow, where she is training for the race.

Whistler must have pushed through a screen on the dog box of a borrowed truck, she said.

PLEA FOR HELP ON FACEBOOK

Furtwangler drove back to Anchorage while another of her Alaska Facebook friends, Tracey Mendenhall of Delta Junction, created a Facebook page dedicated to finding the distinctive, spotted dog. Within 24 hours, it bubbled with news of tips and sightings.

Kevin Degler, who lives in the area where Whistler was eventually captured, first saw the dog wandering near the Ship Creek boat ramp. "He was on a mission. He was looking south, he was wanting to get across those railroad trucks." A day later, Degler spotted Whistler near his Orca Place home. "That’s the dog from Facebook," his girlfriend said.

"I got within 30 feet of him with some bacon," Degler said. "He wanted that bacon, but he didn’t trust me."

For two days, Furtwangler searched the greenbelt, hoping the iPhone serenade of Whistler’s litter-mates and teammates’ barking would convince the dog to stay put.

"I think that was the only chance … so that he hear, ‘OK, the pack is here,’ " she said.

On Monday, the musher’s luck changed. Danny Parish, director of supported employment for the Arc of Anchorage, had seen Whistler in the non-profit’s parking lot west of Bragaw. The dog looked cold and hungry, he thought. Probably a stray.

About 6:45 a.m., he offered Whistler his lunch. Leftover chicken enchiladas. Whistler ate, but kept his distance, Parish said.

LURED BY SNACKS

Meantime, Charlene Oliver, who manages an espresso stand at the agency, had heard about the runaway sled dog on the news. Small, sly-eyed and mottled, Whistler is unmistakable.

"When I saw his eyes, I knew instantly that’s what it was (Whistler)," Oliver said.

She gave the dog a bit of brownie, then lured him into the garage with a co-worker’s roast beef. By the time Furtwangler arrived, Whistler was waiting in the back of Oliver’s Suburban.

Furtwangler studied the dog’s legs and patted his shoulder as Whistler’s eyes darted from person to person in the expanding crowd. He looked scared, the musher said. Whistler is a country dog.

"We live really outside, in the wilderness. We have no roads, nothing, and then we traveled all the way from Norway to here," she said. "I think it was a little bit, kind of (a) shock for the dogs."

Iditarod dogs bolt from their mushers seemingly every year — often during the race, but sometimes before, when teams arrive in Anchorage and skittish huskies, unfamiliar with the city, disappear into neighborhoods. Lance Mackey temporarily lost a leader named Girlfriend in Spenard in 2010, the year of his fourth-straight Iditarod championship.

Furtwangler likely has more modest plans. She placed 16th out of 18 mushers in her sole Yukon Quest. This is her first attempt at the Iditarod, though some of her dogs come from familiar stock.

Named for the ski town in British Columbia, Whistler is the son of an Anchorage shelter dog named Sharkey. Furtwangler acquired Sharkey from Paxson musher John Schandelmeier, she said, and the pair are both on her 16-dog Iditarod lineup.

She plans to return Whistler to the team as early as today, with the race’s ceremonial start less than three weeks away in Anchorage.

"You’ll see him on the starting line," Furtwangler said.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/02/13/2315959/enchiladas-roast-beef-aid-in-sled.html#storylink=cpy

Iditarod Dog Saved With Mouth-To-Snout CPR

Sled Dog Rescued By ‘Mushing Mortician’

An Iditarod sled dog, who collapsed navigating a steep section of Alaska’s Dalzell Gorge, was saved by his racer-owner thanks to some mouth-to-snout CPR.

Scott “Mushing Mortician” Janssen, 51, told the Anchorage Daily News that the 9-year-old husky, named Marshall, was pulling hard at the sled and then fell to the ground.

“I know what death looks like, and he was gone. Nobody home,” the Anchorage funeral home owner told the newspaper.

According to the publication, Janssen saw that the husky stopped breathing, so he started CPR by putting his mouth over the dog’s snout, breathing air into his lungs and compressing his chest.

“I’m like ‘C’mon dude, please come back.’ And he did,” Janssen said.

Janssen told the newspaper that Marshall was carried in the sled for the next 32 miles until the team reached the Rohn checkpoint. He was treated by a veterinarian, given an IV and was prepped to be flown back to Anchorage.

“He’s doing just fine. He’s still at the checkpoint, and they’re flying him back home today,” Janssen said.

According to the Anchorage Daily, Janssen is running in only his second Iditarod after placing 42 out of 47 finishers in 2011.

Janssen said Marshall is likely one of his oldest sled dogs and has finished about six Iditarods — mainly with another musher.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

POSTED: 9:31 am CST March 8, 2012  –  UPDATED: 10:00 am CST March 8, 2012  –  Source: KETV.com

The Iditarod is the granddaddy of American animal races.

There are two separate major races/events on the Iditarod trial; is the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.  The other is the Iron Dog Snow Mobile race on the Iditarod Trail.  There is also a Junior Iditarod.  Iditarod | Last Great Race on Earth® – The Official Site of the …

Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd Palin, is an Iditarod champion. He first competed in The Iron Dog race, a race along the Iditarod Trail from Big Lake to Nome and then back to Fairbanks in 1993 and has been a champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times. His racing co-pilot is Scott Davis. Todd Palin is competing again in the 2012 race at the end end of February.  This year the Iron Dog was won by the McKenna and VanMeter team.

The Palins do, however, run a mix of lead and team dogs.

Related:

10 Great and Funny American Animal Races