“Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.”
Sophocles

And that is why we are taking every opportunity and all the time we need to decide who will eventually be on the race team I travel to Nome with this year.

Recently my friend Flat Jacob joined Madeline and I on a training run with the race dogs. He has really enjoyed checking out the beautiful scenery of the White Mountainous where we train, but he is also looking forward to joining me on the Iditarod trail this year.  And like me, he is impressed with how good all of the dogs we have trained this year are looking.  Which is not making our final decision any easier.

Luckily I do not have to decide till race day, as we are allowed to screen and vet check up to 20 dogs before the race. And actually the pre-race EKG’s, blood work, and vet check are valuable assessment tools I can use to make the best informed decision I can. (read more here) I want to take a minute and thank all the excellent volunteer vet techs and vets who assist us with this. Also Providence Hospital in Anchorage, who does the blood work and reads the EKG’s.  Also a  very special thank you to Kate Van Duine, at VCA Alaska Pet Care Animal Hospital, who has taken time and special care to examine our dogs before races, making sure that they are in top health.

So while I consider the difficult decision ahead of me, let me share with you some photos from the training run for you to enjoy~