IPSSSDR 2011

the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race is one of our favorite things about living here! the race brings a whole crowd of dogs and mushers through town every year. this year they even did a "meet and greet" down on Main Street, about two blocks from our house. all the trailers were parked on the street, traffic was closed down, and the public got to meet the mushers and the dogs and even try out a sled! the girls really enjoyed this and we really hope they do it again next year.

this morning we headed up to South Pass, where this leg of the race begins. it is soooo exciting getting to see the teams off-- the dogs are going nuts and can't contain themselves and there is a big crowd to cheer them on. we learned a few things about the race this year. for one, the dogs are so amped up as the race begins that the mushers have to "ride the brake" for a while to keep them under control and keep them from burning up all of their energy too fast. we were also told that most of the sled dogs these days are "sprinter" hounds, rather than the classic huskies and malamutes. apparently a racer from europe started introducing the hounds to the sport and everyone else followed suit. the team that started it all was racing there this year and we are told that probably all of the other dogs racing shared genes with his original team of hounds.

so there you have it, the IPSSSDR 2011. the girls absolutely loved the weekend of events and we can't wait for next year!