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Dogs are supposedly “man’s best friend,” right? Well, can you imagine depending on old Rover to carry a crucial shipment of vaccine to a remote snowbound village in Alaska? This actually happened, during an event which later became known as “The Great Race of Mercy to Nome,” in 1925. People in the town of Nome, Alaska were suffering from an outbreak of diphtheria, and they needed serum to fight the disease fast. Driving there was impossible, because of the frozen terrain. Likewise, flying a plane was out of the question, because the -40 degree temperatures could have paralyzed the machinery, which would send the plane crashing down– and the serum would have been lost for good. So, people gathered together 20 drivers, and 100 dogs, and the dog sleds set out from Nenana to Nome, covering 674 miles in a mere 5 1/2 days’ time. Believe it or not, the serum arrived intact, and the people to Nome were saved from a looming epidemic. From that time onward, the trail has been used to host one of the grandest dog sled races going, called the Iditarod.

Dog sleds have been helping people of the Arctic region long before racing became a past time. The Mahlemiut tribe of Eskimo people thrived with the help of a breed of large dogs capable of pulling very heavy loads. We know these dogs as Malamutes. They helped bring food back to the villages, and were imperative to daily life in Alaska. Likewise, people who inhabited the other side of the Bering Strait bred a smaller, quicker dog which we now call the Siberian Husky. The Chuckchi tribe of northeastern Siberia used these dogs for herding reindeer and hauling goods. Huskies were brought to Alaska during the 1896 gold rush to aid the miners in transport and travel. Once Europeans began to settle in Alaska, sled racing began to gain popularity, and the first All-Alaska Sweepstakes race premiered in 1908.

But what’s up with this word “mushing?” Well, mushing is a word that is used along with the phrase “dog sled racing” to describe the sport. The word mush is derived from the word “marche,” which is a conjugated form of the French verb “marcher,” which means to walk. Though lots of people think that saying “mush” is an order issued to get the dogs moving, it is actually considered too soft of a sound for such a command. The actual command when instructing a team of dogs to move is “hike!” If you want them to turn right, you say, “gee!” Yelling “haw” instructs the team to turn left.

There are two types of sleds used in mushing. One is called a basket sled, and it is lighter and higher off of the ground. The other is a toboggan sled, which allows for greater stability and greater loads, but is a bit slower than the basket. The basket sled is better on packed snow, whereas the toboggan works well on fresh snow. Both sleds have a brake which consists of a pedal which lowers a metal hook into the snow. An emergency brake should also be carried on the sled. This pretty much consists of a hook-shaped anchor that will hold the sled in place should the musher need to get off of the sled, expect that it remains where she or he left it!

Sled racing dogs are rigged to a system of rope, called a gang line, that runs from the sled to their harnesses. The harness is a key component to a proper pull, for if the harness is improperly placed, the dog can suffer harm. And we don’t want that! Dogs are best trained to pull at a young age. Believe it or not, most dogs like to pull, which makes it easier when training them. A musher must not overwork the dogs or lose his or her temper with the creatures– remember whose doing the favors here.

Don’t think that mushers just stand around on the sled letting the wind ruffle through their hair. No, the musher must learn to push the sled forward with one foot, while keeping the other foot on board of the sled– this is called peddling. Also, the musher may get off the sled and run alongside the dogs when they are tired. So a musher must be in very good physical shape. It is imperative also that the musher be mentally on top of things. Dogs require a leader, or alpha, who will take charge at all times. If the musher begins to lose confidence, the dogs may pick up on this and become confused.

A well loved and properly trained team of dogs can take a person a long way. Mushing combines the elements of speed, survival, endurance and friendship among humans and canines. Maybe you’ll look at Rover in a new light.