Call Of The North

It’s good to see that the useful arts and sciences of Northern California are having an positive impact on the most northerly of states, Alaska. First, a story in the Davis Enterprise tells how a Davis veterinarian, Celia Valverde, recently volunteered at the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska, helping to examine the dogs as they came through the checkpoints. She worked for two weeks, travelling from checkpoint to checkpoint by bush plane, and returning in a plane with two pilots, three vets, and 38 dogs.

Second, the news site MacSlash links to a story in the Anchorage Daily News about the mushers in the Iditarod listening to iPods and other music players on the trail to lighten their spirits and boost their energy. As for the question what track do the dogs prefer, one MacSlash commentator says it’s obviously “Who Let The Dogs Out?”

At left we see Tassy, who belongs to Pica’s brother and his wife. Despite living in Juneau, Alaska, she has no interest in competing in the Iditarod.