Blair Braverman is an author and professional musher (aka sled dog racer), living and training in Alaska. Blair and her pups are making headlines thanks to a Twitter thread where she shares how having sled dogs has helped her develop a healthier body image. Shout out to that, blair!
sled dog
After 13 days, 19 hours, 17 Minutes and 2 seconds, The 30-year-old musher, Blair Braverman, completed her first ever Iditarod across Alaska with 14 sled dogs. All doggos were specially trained by her weeks before the race and all did a great job! She finished the race to a wave of support from her enthusiastic fanbase, who call themselves Ugly Dogs. While she was competing, the Ugly Dogs raised more than $70,000 for 9,000 students in schools along the competition trail. Here are some highlights from her journey.
Unfortunately, sled dogs in Canada are subjected to atrocious treatment and Fern Levitt, a dog activist who also makes films, is looking to put an end to their suffering. Via: Goodfullness
Via Doozie Dog
The Siberian Husky is directly descended from the original "sled dog." Recent DNA analysis confirms that it is one of the oldest breeds of dog in the world still around today.
Well if wishes were horses we wouldn't be pulling this damn sled!
See dis nose? World's coldest booper. Comin atcha.
With less than 120 miles to Nome and roughly 20 minutes separating first and second place sled dog teams, the battle for this year's Iditarod championship is coming right down to the wire.
Earlier this morning, Dallas Seavey blasted through Koyuk and pushed his team forward to Elim, the 18th checkpoint along the trail, situated along the coast of the Bering Sea and only 95 miles from Nome. Meanwhile, Aily Zirkle is nipping at Seavey's heels. Although Zirkle is trailing by 20 minutes, she is running a team of 12 dogs while Seavey is down to just 11, allowing her to gain ground and time on the leader with each passing mile.
Be sure to check in tomorrow for what is sure to be the final day of the 2012 Iditarod race! My money is on Zirkle to bring it all in, but I'll never count a Seavey out, so at this point it is anyone's guess! Who knows, maybe even last year's winner John Baker will pull some tricks out of his sleeve and jump from fourth to first down the home stretch!
Stick around for more updates right here, at I Has a Hot Dog!
Day seven of the Iditarod is well underway, and the race is turning into a duel between former Yukon Quest champions Aily Zirkle and Dallas Seavey. Both Zirkle and Seavey have already cleared Nulato and are making their way toward Kaltag, with the rest of the pack fading further and further behind.
Kaltag is the final checkpoint that follows the Yukon River, and is only 261 miles from the finish line at Nome. However, the final stretch will not be easy, as racers make their way to Unalakleet and the edge of the Bering Sea. High winds, low visibility and fatigue become prominent factors along the coast, where the elements amplify the physical stress of the race with the intense mental fatigue of strategy.
The final stretch from Unalakleet is where winners are made and spirits are broken; where strategy and counterattacks are critical; and when experienced dogs matter most.
The toughest race on Earth is about to get a whole lot tougher, so stay tuned for more updates right here at I Has a Hot Dog!
Big News! Big News! Aliy Zirkle has once again captured first place after blowing through the Ruby checkpoint this morning at 9a.m. AST, overtaking both Mitch and Dallas Seavey who opted to take their mandatory eight hour layover in Ruby, rather than push on to Galena.
Two more mushers have scratched since Silvia Furtwängler dropped out yesterday,with Ryan Redington and Wade Marrs pulling out of the competition due to fatigue and concern for their dogs' well being.
So far this year, warm weather and smooth trails have helped push teams further and faster than ever before. With day six well underway and Galena less than 400 miles to Nome, this year's Iditarod has the potential to be a year of lightning times and shattered records.
Stay tuned for more Iditarod 2012 updates, right here at I Has a Hot Dog!
Day five is underway, and teams are already making their way toward Cripple, the tenth checkpoint on this year's Iditarod trail.
Musher Aily Zirkle, the woman who has dominated this year's race so far, has slipped to fourth place, with Jim Lanier now in the lead. John Baker has also dropped from second to seventh place, as mushers Trent Herbst and Mitch Seavey battle it out for second place.
Surprisingly, only one musher has scratched so far, which is rare this late in the race. Rookie Silvia Furtwängler threw in the towel last night after arriving at the Nikolai checkpoint due to concerns about her health.
For more real-time updates and in-depth coverage, go to Iditarod.com!
