Click here to view the pictures from presentation.

On Friday, February 8th, the second grades at Burbank School had a special treat. To kick off their unit on Alaska and the Iditarod, they were visited by Michael Cook, a Massachusetts musher. This had been arranged by Pam Saidnawey, a Burbank parent, and Fran McClintock, a second grade teacher. Fran had gone to the Iditarod last year with the help of a $3500 grant funded by the Belmont Foundation for Education.

Mr. Cook brought five of his huskies and lots of his equipment. The children gathered outside on the school playground to meet the dogs and to learn all about them and their care. Mr. Cook explained their roles on the team, their training and the equipment needed for them.

The children put together a list of questions before Mr. Cook's arrival, but most of them were answered during his demonstration. He explained that the dogs were about 55 pounds, and there were two to six in a litter. They are bred to be long, thin and fast. They are strong, have great endurance and are non-aggressive. They run about 10 miles an hour. They start training when they are about 4 months old, becoming knowledgeable at about 10 months. They actually start racing at about a year and can race right up to age 15.

His team has 8 dogs. First up front are the two lead dogs, followed by the swing dogs. Next are the team dogs, and closest to the sled are the wheel dogs. He brought two sleds - a toboggan sled and a basket sled.
They are made from wood and plastic, so as to be flexible. There is a brake on the back, but when stopping for a while an anchor with a snowhook is dropped.

There are sled bags to keep the equipment dry. Some of the necessary things to have are a sleeping bag, a knife, an ax, a first aid kit and food. Special meals that are ready to eat in bags are brought for the dogs, along with a cooker ( a special pot to warm the meals). These dogs don't eat much food, except when they are racing.

Unlike people, evaporating through their skin, the huskies do so through their tongue and the pads of their feet. In snow, the dogs wear booties to protect their feet. These dogs do not do much running in the warm weather, as 55 degrees is about as warm as they can take.

Mr. Cook chose not to be paid for his visit. Instead he suggested that a donation be made to the Patriot Siberian Husky Rescue, a volunteer organization in Tewksbury, MA. They aid Siberian Huskies through public education, referral and adoption services and rescue and foster care.

All the children wrote Mr. Cook letters of appreciation. Here are some of their comments:

• I learned that a litter can be six puppies.
• It is hard to be a musher.
• Some dogs are shy.
• One thing you need on the trail is a knife.
• I never knew that people could light a fire in snow.
• There is more than one kind of sled.
• You can wear plastic gloves under other hand gear.
• Huskies can cost $500 or more.
• An Alaskan moose attacked huskies in the Iditarod.
• The dogs' positions have names.
• It takes time to get ready for a race!
• You could be pulled by dogs while on skis.
• Huskies wear booties on their paws for protection.
• The dogs get very excited when you bring them out of the truck.
• This wonderful presentation got everyone all excited about studying Alaska and the Iditarod

Two of the dogs at the demo, Nog and Sunny, ran on Michael team on February 16-17 at the Sandwich Notch 30 mile race.