Sled Dog Truck Kennels Iditarod Anchorage Alaska

Each sled dog pokes its head out of the kennels on the back of a truck in Anchorage, Alaska as they wait to be freed to start the Iditarod.

Truck kennels are the safest place for the sled dogs as they wait for the Iditarod race to start in Anchorage, Alaska in the USA. Each sled dog needs to be well rested, fed and tended to carefully before they start this race over frozen rivers, barren tundra and steep mountains.

Each sled dog team is made up of between 12 to 16 dogs with Alaskan malamutes being the original types of dogs used during the first Iditarods. Most of the sled dogs used today are mixed breeds of huskies which are bred for speed, toughness, endurance, positive attitudes and the will to run. Usually weighing between 45 - 55 pounds, these dogs are a northern species which can handle temperatures well below freezing.

Training for these sled dogs starts in late summer or early fall and becomes more demanding as they near the start of the Iditarod race, running about 2,000 miles throughout training. Every March, the Iditarod goes from Anchorage to Nome, approximately 1,150 miles, taking about 10 days to complete possibly through some blizzards which bring with them bone chilling temperatures and whiteouts.

Truck kennels are the easiest way to transport the entire sled dog team, keeping them close together before the start of the race.

USA, Alaska, Anchorage, Dog rests in window of NWEL truck parked along 4th Avenue before start of 2005 Iditarod sled dog race

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Photo Title: Sled Dog Truck Kennels Iditarod Anchorage Alaska

Each sled dog pokes its head out of the kennels on the back of a truck in Anchorage, Alaska as they wait to be freed to start the Iditarod.