Dog sledding—it's an exciting sport, but lots of hard work!
That's Kerry's team over there.
They are ready to start the race.
Haze is the leader of the pack.
He is an Alaskan husky.
Any type of dog can be a sled dog.
Okay, almost any type; some are too small!
Some popular sled dogs are Alaskan malamutes, Siberian huskies, and Eskimo dogs.
Sled dogs must be very strong.
For example, look at Carmen.
She can pull over 350 kilograms by herself!
"Okay, guys! Are you ready to run?"
That's Kerry. He's the musher.
The musher is the driver of the sled.
It's very important for the musher and the pack to trust each other.
Mushers usually don't have trouble getting the dogs to pull the sled.
Most of the time, it's hard to get the dogs to stop pulling!
Before a competition, the dogs train for months.
Kerry trains his team by having them pull his car!
"Come on, team! Faster, Haze!"
Since sled dogs train so hard, they need lots of food.
A normal dog usually eats about 1,500 calories a day, or less.
But sled dogs eat about ten thousand calories a day!
That's a lot of food!
Although sled dogs are tough, they have sensitive feet.
Kerry, the musher, ties booties on their feet.
These booties protect the paws and keep them warm.
Each dog-sled competition is different.
Some teams have 16 dogs, while bigger ones have more than 200 dogs!
Some races are short, while others are long.
Some races last for days.
Sled dogs like cold, snowy days.
They run faster and longer when there is snow.
The snow is soft on their feet.
And the cold weather keeps the dogs from getting too hot!
The mushers, like Kerry, must be strong leaders.
If the musher gets tired or uncertain, the dogs sense it.
Then the dogs begin to distrust the musher.
That could be very dangerous.
Winning a dog-sled competition is very exciting.
But it's not all about winning.
It's about teamwork.
It's about trust.
Dog sledding is about friendship.
The best kind of friendship there is.