Seavey's Iditarod Experience-last day in Seward

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This evening we went on a tour of the Seavey Dog Sled kennels in Seward. The Seavey family has been racing sled dogs in the annual Iditarod Sled race for 3 generations. They currently have 85 dogs they train during the summer. They have a facility just outside Seward where they keep their dogs and do demonstration "sled" rides on a gravel trail through the forest. They use specially designed 4 wheel carts for the rides. The dogs were very anxious to get going once the musher Meredith hitched all 16 of them up. We took off down the trail and after a while she asked them to stop and take a rest. The funniest thing was when they stopped, they all ran over to the side of the trail and peed! Mostly males of course...but they do use female dogs too.

We learned a lot about preparing for the Iditarod and all the gear and challenges the race can bring. Our guide Meredith was probably only about 19 but she said she has been racing since she was 6 and hopes to race the Iditarod in 2016.

It was a lot of fun to experience the sled ride but Dylin's favorite part was getting to see their newest puppies! There was a litter of pups that were 7 weeks old and a litter that was 4 weeks old. They were absolutely precious and Dylin experienced "puppy breath" for the first time!

This was our last day in Seward since our ship is arriving here tomorrow morning! We are excited to board the Radiance of the Seas! We may not be able to post anymore but we will try....

Remember there are more pictures below.

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