In this Pet World Radio Segment we sit down with our good friend, and story teller extraordinaire, Kate Kelly. She shares some very fascinating stories about the pet world that any pet lover would be entertained by. Today she focuses on the Iditarod.
Enjoy this Pet World Radio Segment in case a station near you does not currently carry Pet World Radio on the EMB network!
From the Kate kelly Website: AmericaComesAlive
As the 2013 Iditarod gets underway in Alaska starting March 2, many eyes will be paying attention to the dogs and teams and how they run in a year when Alaska has had less-than-ideal snow conditions for the race. Even with milder overall temperatures, these admirable four-legged athletes are still likely to encounter arctic temperatures and winds that are sometimes strong enough to blow over a sled and team.
The event is held annually to commemorate what has become known as a “race of mercy.” In 1925 the children of Nome began falling ill from diphtheria. The only known antidote was an antitoxin serum, and the nearest location of the medicine was in Anchorage. The “race of mercy” was a daring and difficult trip to deliver the medicine, undertaken by mushers with teams of dogs–the only means of conveyance that could get through to Nome at that time.
There are two largely unknown or forgotten facts about the Iditarod, however.
1. In many ways the race symbolizes something even more meaningful than “the race of mercy.”
2. When it comes to delivery of the serum delivery, popular lore has anointed the wrong hero….
Read more at her wonderful website: AmericaComesAlive
