Or Have the Dogs Come to CCS?

Mrs. Audet's RTI Adventure
By Dagan

I was reading the book Dogsong in RTI and a friend and I came up with an idea that maybe we could have a team of sled dogs come to our school. We wrote letters to several dog kennels around NH and VT asking for information on sled dogs and inquiring about having them visit our school on March 18, 2014. We decided to invite the entire 5th grade plus a couple of 8th graders. We talked inside for an hour and then we went outside for an hour. The crazy dogs ran into my legs! Then we ate lunch with them. After lunch we had RTI with them. I would like to thank Matt Kornher and Dylan Berger for making one of my dreams come true by bringing sled dogs to my school. I really appreciate what they did for me and my fellow classmates. For a wonderful day and the best day through all my grade school I thank you Matt and Dylan.

NOTE:  During the assembly, students asked questions of our Presenters. Below you will find these great questions and the answers so you, too, can learn about Sled Dogs!

Sled Dog Questions

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Student	Question	Answer
Dagan	What are the names of the dogs that are here?	Blue,Ford, Jack, Judy,and Scooby
Jack	How long does it take to train the dogs?	One week or a year depending on the dog
Timmy	How many dogs does it take to pull a sled?	From 5 Dogs to 16, which is how many run in the Iditarod
Ricky	What Types of dogs do you have?	Alaskan Husky,Alaskan Malamute,and a Siberian Husky
Corey	How often do the sled dogs pull the sled?	During winter almost every day
Owen	Have you ever raced in the Iditarod?	Yes
Katie	How far can the dogs run until they have to stop?	up to 120 miles
Macayla	What is the gender of the two dogs that came in for the presentation?	Blue-girl Ford-Boy
Alex	What is the usual number of dogs in one group?	from five dogs to sixteen
Amelia	How old does a sled dog have to be to race?	range 3-6 years old
Leah	How old are they until they can't race?	While they can live to about 15 years old they stop racing at the age of 6.
Helen	What does the sled driver do when racing the dogs?	They control the sled and also the dogs. They use commands like: “Gee” for go right, “haw” for left, and “Ho” for stop.
Grace	What special gear do you have to put on the dogs?	Booties to protect their paws from freezing and an X Back harness to clip onto the sled line