2001 Iditarod
Current Stories
Pre-Race Stories
Mushers
Standings
Discussions
Photos
Iditarod 28
Hall of Fame
Iditarod 25
1999 Race
1998 Race
Race History
Winning Times
Archives
| 28th
year of Alaska's great race
|
| 01/26/00 AKIAK'S TOUGH, CANTANKEROUS RED DOGS WIN MUSHERS' RESPECT By Susan Harrington The Tundra Drums BETHEL --No one is sure when the first dogs showed up in Akiak. But there are some dog mushers who say that all the best sled dogs come from this tiny village 25 miles east of Bethel. They are called red dogs, named so because of the color of their fur. Unlike the coloring found in most sled dogs, the Akiak dogs have hair almost strawberry blonde. When bred with a black dog, a glowing auburn coat results. It is believed the lineage of the red dog in Akiak originated at least a millennium ago, possibly more. Akiak musher Mike Williams, a veteran of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, said villagers have always taken pride in caring for their dogs. Those dogs are also known for pulling sled dog champions across finish lines. Prominent Iditarod racers such as Susan Butcher and Rick Swenson have dogs with the Akiak bloodlines, Williams said. ''That bloodline is there, and it proves that Akiak has the best dogs in the world,'' Williams said. ''George Attla, Susan Butcher, Rick Swenson and Myron Angstman have all been interbreeding (Akiak dogs) for an even better breed.'' Butcher has high praise for the red dogs of Akiak. She said she got one female, named Brownie, from the village and bred her. ''She was really a neat dog,'' Butcher said. ''The most amazing thing, she was 14 years old with her last litter.'' But, Butcher said, Brownie's best litter was her first. That's where Butcher got Sluggo. ''Sluggo, my main leader in my 1990 Iditarod victory, was a really good dog,'' Butcher said. ''A little inconsistent, (but) so tough though, absolutely incredible.'' Sluggo was bred extensively, and he's in all of the Butcher canine lineage. She also studded him out to other mushers. ''We loved him -- he was a pet,'' Butcher said. ''When he was 14 years old, he was worse than a 1-year-old, he was a bundle of energy all the time.'' Angstman said that over the years he has had a couple or three notable dogs that were red. He said he developed his breed using dogs from Akiak, Aniak and Swenson. ''They're a very strong breed and seem tireless,'' the Bethel lawyer and musher said. ''They're especially strong finishers, they have great long distance endurance. They've been very much a part of my team.'' With all their good, strong qualities, Akiak dogs are also noted for less admirable traits. ''They're cantankerous, difficult to train,'' Angstman said. ''They're a stubborn bunch. You can correct a Labrador, and they'll do what you want. The red dogs look at you like this might be what you want me to do, but it's not what I want to do and not what I'm going to do.'' |
©2000
Anchorage Daily News