Sled Dog Sagas

ALL ABOUT MIRRA
By Adam
       Mirra. Mirra is the greatest Alaskan husky dog.  She is very lovable. Whenever I bend my head, she licks my face. We won the race thee times because she is so strong.
       I take her out every day. When I do she run’s around like a wild person. I feed her one can of food a day. She is the best dog I ever had.  I don’t think any dog will replace her.
       After a moose kicked her she was never able to run the Iditarod again. She is my retired racing dog. When I am not training the other dog’s she keeps me company.
      Tug-o-war is our favorite game.  After Mirra and I are all tired out, she walks slowly, breathing heavy to her doghouse and we take our naps.

 Sled Dogs
by Amanda
 The adrenalin is pumping
From head to toe.
The gun is shot.
Here we go!
The race has begun
From Anchorage to Nome!
Stopping here or there
To drop a couple pairs of underwear!
The dogs get mad when we have to stop!
And the sound of icicles
Go drip, drop, drip, drop!
But we have to get going,
The race is still on!
The musher yells out
Mush, mush, mush go on!
We are almost to Nome!
Just one mile or two.
Then the musher yells out
“Come on Lulu!”
15 yards from the finish line!
When an old white rabbit jumps out.
I tell the dogs to go
And not to chase that nasty old foe
The dogs move on and here we go
Over the finish line,
Yah, fifth place!
That’s the end of the Iditarod race!

Shorty
By: Angelina J. Beers
Shorty is a dog that loves to run in the fog.
She’s blind, because she lost her way to bib number nine
And tripped over a log.
Shorty is a sweet dog that can be a hog.
She is a Siberian husky that can be very jumpy.
When she is starving, she always does some begging.
None of the above bothers me once you get to know Shorty.
She is a good dog in all ways!

Iditarod
By Austin
            Out of Wasila! Barking as we left, the excitement of my team was extreme. Ten minutes later, cut my paw on a sharp rock sticking out of the snow. A painful whine came from my throat. Limping as fast as I could, I tried to keep up the pace. Finally I gave up. Garth came up to me and rubbed some stinky ointment on my paw, then put my booties on.
            This wouldn’t have happened if I would have been a swing dog. Those big tough swing dogs get to turn us. I want to be a swing dog, not a lead dog. If I could talk, I would tell Garth that I want to be a swing dog or nothing.
            Garth always was watching me yelling as I ran, encouraging words trying to make me feel better, but it doesn’t work. Suddenly Garth figured out that I wanted to be a swing dog. Finally he unhooked me harness and walked me over to a swing dog line. After that, Garth unhooked the swing dog and walked him over to the lead dog position. As soon as he hooked everyone to their new position, we took off like lightning!

The Journey
By: Ben
Along the trail we burst.
The whiteouts are the worst.
We dogs battle through the freezing snow,
And the moon has a bright glow.
My fellow dogs and I come to some ominous pits,
Where our musher uses his wits.
We’re on the trail seeking Nome.
That’s when we can go home.
Zoom, we fly to Rohn.
And when I get hurt I moan and groan.
The bright sun dances in the blue sky,
It is so very high.
Many days have past,
We’re the complete opposite from last.
We won!  We won!
Now, of course, the race is done!

My Team and I
By Cody Ashline
          This is so great!  I’m practicing for the Iditarod.  Being a rookie is extreme.  I have to face veterans like Doug Swingley and Linwood Fielder.  Let me talk to you about my lead dog.  Steam is as fast as a corvette speeding down the highway.  He’s strong but not as strong as the wheel dogs.
          Now I only have 3 weeks to train, so I better get going.  The 3 weeks have now winded down to the day!  My team and Steam are so ready for the race.  I approach Steam and the team and ask, “Are you all ready?”  They bark!  With butterflies in my stomach, we reach for the Iditarod championship!

Those Iditarod Nights
By Colleen

When Chester was released from the starting line, he was the wildest sled dog alive! Hurrying along the soft frigid snow, Chester gazed above and saw the most wonderful, delicious sight! Marshmallow shaped clouds reminded him of the good old fun-loving puppy days. Crunch, crunch, crunch! All you Could hear was the snow crunching beneath his feet. Once the team got to Eagle River, they wouldn’t stop running!  Why won’t they stop, thought Mike Williams the musher!
“Please stop!” “Please stop!” He shouted one more time!
Finally, he remembered the word for halt.  “Whoa!” He yelled.
The dogs’ eyes were blood-shot!  They were running so long without sleep.  Finally they stopped.  The team settled down and rested for another day of running. 
Mike fed them and put out some straw for the dogs to lie on, and then he climbed into the sled and dozed off.

The Sled Dog
By: Derek

When I spotted that sled dog he
Was speeding like a bullet!
It seemed like he had a mullet.
When I met him I had a hunch
He was the ripest banana in the bunch!
When we raced in the Iditarod
I could not believe our pace!
We actually finished in 2^nd place.
When I got the money, that dog did something cruel!
He snatched the money
And road away on a mule!

Jim Lanier’s Story
By Dylon 
One blurry fall day as I was eating breakfast at my home in
Alaska, I decided to run the Iditarod. My dogs trained hard for
A year and a half and finally are able to participate.
Now it is the big day! I start at number 17, and making my first stop
To rest at McGrath. When I leave I run into a moose! Hiding behind a tree
He attacks 3 of my dogs, killing them. Now I have 13.Fear came to me as I pass the Farewell Burn. Lots of people have been
Attacked by buffalo. But I had luck on my side. I was not attacked by any buffalo.
Now, at Elim, I heard Martin Buser has won. I’m disappointed. We thought
We could win but, hey, there’s always 2003. I keep on going hoping to make it in the
Top ten. As I cross the finish line, I’m in 27^th place. The race is over for me.
Everyone thinks next time I can do better.

Wheels First Iditarod
By Eddie

            I am the best wheel dog of this team.  My name is Wheel.  Well, I’m not really in a team yet, but I might be.  I am wondering what kind of dog I am.  The person who is training me for the Iditarod tells everyone I’m mostly wolf.  Don’t know why the other dogs call me a wheel dog.  Don’t even know what a wheel is, oh well.
            They also call me a rookie.  Not knowing why, because I have been in a race before, so I ask them.  They say I’m a rookie because I never been in the Iditarod, that’s why.
            Soon I find out my musher’s name.  His name is Mike Flop.  He says I’m taking another dog’s place.
            Tomorrow is the Iditarod, the real thing.  Finally my musher puts a weird small thing on my paw.  It feels warm as that yellow thing in the sky.
            We all go to the start off.  We start running.  A while later we pass a checkpoint called, I think, Tuna.  I see a huge animal with horns.  Mike kills him.  As Mike guts the animal, it makes me hungry.  Hope we stop for dinner soon.

         Man's Best Friend     
By: Faith 

As a dog walks amongst the cold frosty ground, he stands tall, proud, and sly.
He’ll be there to keep you company when you cry.
Training won’t be easy, you might even get bit!
Time flies by when with your dog,
Time you’ll always cherish. Once you have a friendship, don’t ever let it perish.
Yes dogs are like growing children
And you’re the mother and the father.
Just remember, they’ll guard you like you’re their little brother.
Their love is overflowing,
So keep that candle glowing.
Treat them like champions,
Because that is what they are.
Even though they may not show it,
They’ll miss you when you’re far.

SPIRIT
By Emily 

Spirit’s breath is like eggs that are rotten. Yet
her fur is as soft as cotton. Her strength is so powerful 
that when we halt she pulls and howls!
Spirit’s fur is the color of glue, and her eyes are
An ocean blue!
She’s so fast that when she passes,
I don’t know what went by!
When Spirit howls at the moon at night,
She wakes me up and then tells me ‘Good night!’ Then she goes in her pen and sleeps,
 And now, this is the end.

Wheel’s First Iditarod
By Eddie

       I am the best wheel dog of this team.  My name is Wheel.  Well, I’m not really in a team yet, but I might be.  I am wondering what kind of dog I am.  The person who is training me for the Iditarod tells everyone I’m mostly wolf.  Don’t know why the other dogs call me a wheel dog.  Don’t even know what a wheel is, oh well.
            They also call me a rookie.  Not knowing why, because I have been in a race before, so I ask them.  They say I’m a rookie because I never been in the Iditarod, that’s why.
            Soon I find out my musher’s name.  His name is Mike Flop.  He says I’m taking another dog’s place.      
           Tomorrow is the Iditarod, the real thing.  Finally my musher puts a weird small thing on my paw.  It feels warm as that yellow thing in the sky.
            We all go to the start off.  We start running.  A while later we pass a checkpoint called, I think, Tuna.  I see a huge animal with horns.  Mike kills him.  As Mike guts the animal, it makes me hungry.  Hope we stop for dinner soon.

My Sled Dogs
By Gerard

          Jerry Ross is my name.  I come from New Hampshire.  My dad, a 3-time winner, got me into racing before he died. 
          Some of my dogs’ names are Puffy, Kaley, and Gill.  Those are my favorite dogs.  They are my leaders because they have good eyes and they run fast. 
          I have been racing for three years.  I won in 1994.  I had to scratch in 1995 because I only had 3 dogs.  Because of a back injury, I had to retire in 1997.
        Puffy is still living and some of my other dogs are too.  After getting in a fight with a moose, Kaley is living, but I have to give her some medicine to keep her alive.  If you touch her sore nose, she’ll get frustrated, growl and show her teeth.  She has never bitten anyone, but she might.
     All my dogs have been in a race before.  At the end, I check the dogs because one died in Nome in 1995.  His name was Checkers because he was black and white.  He was a fast dog.  He was 9 when he died.
      I had 5 sled dogs, but now I have 3.  They just sit in my yard all the time.

Zoro, My Greatest Dog
By Javier

Training for the Iditarod
By Joey

“Trooper”
By: Karina

Here we are, riding to Cripple. I’m the lead sled dog. I think I’m so courageous. Late yesterday evening I stood up to a moose! He even smelled like rotten eggs. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you what kind of dog I am. I’m an Alaskan Husky. I train 10 hours a day, every week. My other teammates do the same accept they run 8 hrs. a day, just a little bit less than I do. And now, for all that hard work , we’re in Cripple .
After checking in, we’re off. However, Lynda Plettner forgot to untie the snub line from the tree, Shorty, the other lead dog got tangled and fainted. I gave him a big lick and came alive again. Lynda Plettner exclaimed that I’m a hero because I saved Sorty the other lead dog! After Lynda gives me a big hug and a treat. Now off to Ruby and hoping we get to Nome safely.

“Racing Through The Night”
 By Kristie

     As the midnight sky turned into a light blue, my gray and black Siberian Huskies awoke to start their journey again. With morning growing ice cold, breathing hard, team raced on..
   We stopped for a moment to see a rabbit.
 The team sprang from the trail to head for the forest where the moon white rabbit
 was sure to head for. Seeing a wolf, they knew to back off. Intensely the dogs rushed back to the trail. They didn’t want to mess with the treacherous beast.
     25miles from Cripple, we ran into a moose. Luckily enough, the moose ran into the dark, ominous woods. Soon, the dogs headed down the trail, racing to Ruby.
  When we got to Ruby, the dogs layed down for a few minutes.  After a while, my most devoted team set off again for Nome!

Iditarod Racers
By: Maggie

They are athletes and champions,
But run just because it’s fun.
Devoted, fair, fast ready,
Are all characteristics they possess.

They may have names like Hunny, Mitty Milkey Way and
Peanut butter, but they don’t mean any thing.
That’s just what I call them.
Although some are larger then others their build doesn’t’ t matter.

With eyes as soft as clouds on a quiet December morning, they gaze as I speak.

They know what’s right and wrong.
They teach me so many things.
They are… 

They are an always will be….

Huskies!

The Beginning of the Race
By Martin

      The race is about to begin. Our team has won the race 6 times in a row. I’m Jamie the lead dog. I like to please my master. He is the best! He lets all the dogs sleep in his house. When we want to win he knows because we scratch or feet against the snow. We want to win. We give it our all. If we mess up we fix it because we are a team and nothing could never break us up.
             The race is about to begin. As we’re running I can feel the wind in my face.  When I race, I feel like I’m getting all my pressure  and worries off.  My team is the best. They help me if I get hurt.    They would never leave me be hind. We’re running but I have worries about the trail? What will be waiting for us? Will we get hit by a moose or a buffalo? We take risks we would never give up because and we do it for the love of the game and our master. 

       Doug Swingley's Race
By Mirella

        Doug Swingley and his dogs raced all the way to Skwentna. At the checkpoint, he fed them then ate some food, too. At the McGrath checkpoint, they rested. Later he woke up to find his dog climbing all over him, wanting to sleep with him. Before the sled dog was asleep, Doug looked at his eyes and saw they were sparkling as the night stars.
When it was morning, they went on the trail and raced. As he was racing, Doug looked at his dogs and said my dogs are strong. They work hard and practice hard.
Later that evening Doug and his sled dogs again got lost. A man appeared from nowhere and showed him the right way to get back to the trail. When Doug Swingley   was going to say thank you he just vanished without saying a word.
The next day when they got lost again in the wilderness, and the man appeared again. He helped Doug find his way back then he disappeared.
On the last day of the Iditarod just before Nome the man appeared, and said to Doug, “You are going to win. Don’t stop until you get there.”
When he passed the finish line he found out he was in first place. He heard a whisper in his ear. “ I am the Eskimo man and I helped you in the race. That dog in the front that you have is a special dog he will win many races.” 

Koyuk
By Olivia

   Finally, Koyuk. Sleep is all that I have on my mind right now. My owner, Dee Dee Jonrow is in the Vet’s room. I was just in the Vet’s room. Now Lara is
Jennifer are in there because a moose had charged at us but I didn’t get hurt as bad as they did. The Vet’s room is like the pound but there are kinder people in the Vet’s and they don’t have leaky ceilings. But the Vet’s room does have sort of nippy floors and those sharp shiny things that they sometimes use to kill animals.
 OH. I’m terribly sorry! I did not introduce myself. My name is Bonkers and I’m an Alaskan Husky. I’m the leader of Dee Jonrow’s sled. In a race called the Iditarod, I run with 15 other sled dogs. Lara and Jennifer are called swing dogs.
Do you want to hear what happened with the moose? I bet you do. Well, it was late evening , we were on our way to Koyuk when out of nowhere jumped a bulky moose. When Lara and Jennifer saw the moose they started to wine. Then I told them, “Don’t let fear get in the way.” So they stood up tall. The moose charged and hit them both. It was entirely my fault. Now there in the Vet’s room. Wait. I think that’s them. Yes, it is them and they look like brand new sled dogs. Yeah! Now we could go on to Elim. I’ll talk to you when we get to Elim.
       Bonker’s signing off!

A Tribute to:
The Heart of the Iditarod
By: Rachel

Sled dogs.
Determined to run.
With their feet slapping on the ground they rush to the
next checkpoint.
Each dog has its own sound to their musher
A cry, a song, a shout
A Cry when a fellow teammate has to be left behind .
A song to sing to their musher when feeling down.
A shout to warn the other dogs about dangers.
Don’t fool with them they have a mind of their own.
13,14, days into the Alaskan? 
It’s astonishing how long they can run
30-50 degrees below zero temperatures, and they will not rest.
Could we run that long without stopping or breaking down?
Of course not.
 These dogs are the heart of the Iditarod.

Champions
BY Shawna

I now that my team will finish. If we just keep up our hopes and dreams we will be sure to finish. All we need is sleep, courage and respect. I just have to keep the dogs joyful and they will keep me jolly. As long as I do what I’m supposed to do my dogs and I will finish.
        When something treacherous comes, I will just say, “Be brave, Everything will be all right. In the winter chill my dogs lay down and doze off. Refreshed for the next day. They will jog faster then a twister. My champions are crossing the finish line. What do you know… we are the winners of the 2002 Iditarod!

Sled Dogs
By: Shayna

This is a poem about sled dogs.
They fly on wings when they jump over logs.

Cute, lovable, sweet, and kind.
They'll run the trail even if blind.

Of course they are very, very smart.
Don't worry, they'll love you with all their heart.

Dogs will always be ready.
Will they be quick, fast, and steady?

Huskies are extremely marvelous.
No, they won't make you feel ominous!

Oh my!  They are very sly.
I don't like it when the dogs cry.

As you realize dogs make excellent friends.
Sorry to tell you, but this is the end.

Who Am I?
         By Stephen

      Fur, black as the starry sky on an October night, covers my back. I have some white fur too White as a bed of snow on a cold December day.
      I sneak around on four legs like an ominous fox.
      I am in the wolf family. Sometimes my species have one blue eye like a spruce in the spring and one brown eye like a moose’s hair. I have paws like a cat. I am the wind when I run. When some one yells "Gee!" I turn right. When some one yells "Haw!" I turn left. My tail is a fluffy feather duster bobbing up and down. When I cut my paw a bootie covers it. I am an athlete in the IDITAROD!
Who am I?
I am a Sled Dog