[ LyndaPlettner - 49 - 12:07:46 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] Have you ever won any money from your races?
Yes, I have won money. The largest amount was $2,500.

[ LyndaPlettner - 50 - 12:09:58 ]
RE: [ahhs] I have been dogsledding in Jackson Hole, WY and it was cold and pretty miserable. How in the world did you do it all by yourself? My friend, Natalie, wants to know if you have lost any dogs during the Iditerod?
With proper training, it is not difficult to bear the cold. I have never lost any dogs during a race. We do send them home (drop them) when they get tired or just lose interest.

[ LyndaPlettner - 51 - 12:12:50 ]
RE: [Delynda/RockyFordHighSchool] Good afternoon from Rocky Ford, CO. we are curious about the most frightening moment in an ididarod race.
The most frightening experiences during Iditarod are extreme wind and snow at night. Then you have a hard time finding the trail, and sometimes you just have to park for the night until you can see the markers. Dealing with trails that run close to the cliffs can be really scary. You need to keep from slipping off .

[ LyndaPlettner - 55 - 12:16:52 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What type of dogs do you breed?
Our kennel breeds only Alaska racing huskies. These are the fastest, most durable athletes in the racing dog world. They are a well bred mix of Siberian husky, and working herding and hunting dogs.

[ LyndaPlettner - 56 - 12:19:09 ]
RE: [Vanessa/MitreCorp] Hi I'm Vanessa I like to play piano. My class followed people in the Iditarod. Is it harder to train horses then it is to train dogs?
Horses are slower learners, and less personable. Dogs, on the other hand, learn quickly, and no matter how many you have, you are their best friend. With horses, when you add a second horse, you lose best friend status.

[ LyndaPlettner - 62 - 12:21:01 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What do you feed your dogs.
I feed my kennel a top quality commercial dog food. The racing portion of the kennel eats the best of the top quality dog foods, plus a variety of meat, fats, fish, and special highly digestible additives.

[ LyndaPlettner - 64 - 12:24:12 ]
RE: [Delynda/RockyFordHighSchool] What types of food do you take on an ididarod race?
On the Iditarod trail during the race, I take "dog food cookies". These are snacks pre-made with dog food and their favorite meat snacks. This mix is frozen into little quarter pound cookies. We also take frozen quarter pound pieces of beef, liver, chicken, lamb, turkey, horse, salmon, herring and flavored fat balls. While racing, and individual dog will burn up to 10,000 calories per day, and be fed one snack per hour. Water is, of course, the most important ingredient.

[ LyndaPlettner - 66 - 12:28:30 ]
RE: [Delynda/RockyFordHighSchool] What is the longest race (time duration) you have run? Do you carry dog food on the race? What special needs do the dogs have during a race?
A fifty mile race takes 3hrs and 45 min. A 200 mile race takes 24 hrs. A 300 mile race takes 48 hrs. The Iditarod, the longest race, takes 11 days or more. We carry 100 lbs of food for the dogs in our sleds, along with booties for their feet, little coats for extreme cold, first aid kit for musher and dogs. During the race we put ointment on their feet to keep them soft. We give them messages to help them rest. We put absorbine on their legs to ease the muscles in their legs and joints, and we pet them alot.

[ LyndaPlettner - 67 - 12:31:21 ]
RE: [ahhs] We are writing from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas and would like to ask if you are affectionate with any or all of your working dogs or it strictly a working relationship?
We raise friendly, affectionate dogs from the time they are puppies. We have them on our laps watching TV when they are little. When they are working, we praise them for good work, and pet them to reward them. In a typical 1 hr training run, we'll stop around four times just to give them pets. A good racing team is a part of the musher's family.

[ LyndaPlettner - 68 - 12:33:10 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What are some of your dogs names.
We like to name our dogs Alaskan things, and use themes for litters of puppies. Example: Kona, Latte, Expresso, etc. Koyuk, Elim, Denali, Rohn, Shaktoolik (Alaskan villages).

[ LyndaPlettner - 69 - 12:34:52 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Have you ever had to stop because one of your dogs got tired?
These dogs are trained in small increments of distance traveled. They really go a very long way when trained properly. However, occasionally a dog does work too hard and gets tired. We then load them in the sled and give them a ride.

[ LyndaPlettner - 71 - 12:37:29 ]
RE: [ahhs] Have you ever read Gary Paulsen's book, "Wood Song"? It is about his experience running in the Iditarod. Did you ever have the chance to meet him? Has your experiences been similar to his?
No, I have not met Gary Paulsen, and I haven't read his book. However, I have heard a great deal about it from people who have. All the things that happened to him do happen in mushing. I never heard of them all happening to the same person, though. A few of them have happened to me. I hope I can say I learn quickly, because most of them have NOT happened to me or my mushing students.

[ LyndaPlettner - 72 - 12:39:22 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Have any of your dogs have died during a race?
I have never had a dog die during a race or during a training run. I have run dogs over 60,000 miles in my career. We have dogs at the kennel 15 and 16 yrs old. This appears to be the maximum age of a sled dog.

[ LyndaPlettner - 76 - 12:42:48 ]
RE: [Vanessa/MitreCorp] Is it true some people use Wolf breeds as sled dogs?
Yes, some mushers use wolf breeds as sled dogs. Two wolf/dog crosses were in my 1998 Iditarod team. One was Fisher King, and the other Ballistic. Ballistic just finished his fourth Iditarod. His log book has over 20,000 miles in it. He is six yrs. old. Our kennel supports around one dozen Arctic wolf dogs. We race them, sell them, and have them on display at the kennel for tourists.

[ LyndaPlettner - 81 - 12:44:33 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Why did you want to be a dog musher?
When I came to Alaska, I was a horse trainer. The only thing they do with horses here is pack game out of the mountains. Then I found sled dogs. This was just too way cool! So, I got a dozen, and now I have 100 plus in my kennel.

[ LyndaPlettner - 82 - 12:46:03 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] How much do you pay for an ididarod racing dog?
We sell Alaska racing huskies starting at $100 and going all the way to $5,000. To run the Iditarod, you will need dogs that will cost between $500 and $2,000. For this, you will finish, but you won't win!

[ LyndaPlettner - 85 - 12:48:27 ]
RE: [ahhs] What do you do if any of your dogs were to get "frostbite"?
At 55 degrees below 0, a few of my dogs did get frostbite during a race. A few days later, the area becomes red and blistered. Then it forms a scab which becomes a scar, and the hair does not usually grow back. Most of these animals will not race again without protection over the frostbitten area. The stomach area where hair is thin is a common frost bite place.

[ Tish/NASAChatHost - 86 - 12:49:29 ]
We are getting close to closing now and will give Lynda a chance to answer those questions already posted. This chat will remain here and then be archived tomorrow and linked from Lynda's profile.

[ LyndaPlettner - 87 - 12:50:00 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] do ever sell your dogs
Yes, we sell dogs. (See the question I answered previously about prices for dogs). It is very hard to sell the dogs. They are part of the family, so I do not sell them to just anybody.

[ LyndaPlettner - 88 - 12:51:42 ]
RE: [Delynda/RockyFordHighSchool] During an overnight race, do you have a tent? Or do you sleep with the dogs?
On an overnight race, sometimes at the checkpoints, there is housing for the mushers. This could be a tent, cabin, or a Bed and Breakfast. If it is warm, ZERO or above, I just lay down in the straw with the dogs.

[ LyndaPlettner - 89 - 12:52:58 ]
RE: [Vanessa/MitreCorp] Are you going to enter the race next year?
Yes, I will enter the Iditarod for 1999, and so will my new husband, Dan. He will be happy camping to Nome with our yearling team.

[ LyndaPlettner - 90 - 12:53:56 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] If you have a husband does he like dogs.
Yes, my husband Dan loves dogs. He is in charge of puppies. That is why he is going to happy camp the young ones to Nome!~

[ LyndaPlettner - 91 - 12:56:17 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] How much does it cost on average to feed and take care of your dogs per year?
It costs approximately $1.00 a day to care for a dog. We have so many dogs, that we have our own feed store. We do alot of our own vet work. We build all our own houses, sleds and equipment, so that we can keep the cost low.

[ LyndaPlettner - 92 - 12:59:19 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] Are you married and if so does he like you racing.
Yes, I am married and my husband loves dogs and racing, too. We were married in Nome after the 1998 Iditarod ended.

[ LyndaPlettner - 93 - 13:04:10 ]
This was an awesome experience to be able to communicate my interest in dogs with so many people all over the country. Thank you for letting me be part of your day! Lynda