Jan. 31, 2015 - In West Yellowstone, Montana, sled dog mushers of all ages gather to compete in the Rodeo Run, a two-day race. These sled dogs aren't just the typical Siberian husky—some have been crossed with other breeds to go farther and faster.



Read more about sled dogs here: - In West Yellowstone, Montana, sled dog mushers of all ages gather to compete in the Rodeo Run, a two-day race. These sled dogs aren't just the typical Siberian husky—some have been crossed with other breeds to go farther and faster.Read more about sled dogs here: "What Makes a Good Sled Dog?"

Shaina Hammond



Sled Dog Racer









[00:08] - When you're on the sled and you're going, and it's just quiet and you can just hear the dogs running and like the little clatter of the buckles and the clicks, I think that's the most peaceful thing for me. My name is Shaina Hammond, I'm 14, I've probably been racing for about two years.









Charlotte Mooney



Owner



Klondike Dreams Sled Dog Rides









[00:30] - I like to run the dogs because it's my escape from the world. It gives me my two, three, four hours at a time where I can literally forget all of it, everything. I don't take a cellphone, I don't check email, it doesn't matter what's going on anywhere else. Generally I like the dogs more than I like most people.









The Rodeo Run is two-day dog sled race. Each team will race two days in a row on the same trail, we'll take time each day and add those times together, and the total time will determine the winner. Fastest time wins.









Betty Carlson



Sled Dog Racer









[01:10] - It's an awesome thing, the dogs are doing what they've been bred to do. They love to run. And people that say "Oh, that's not nice you let your dogs pull and run," all you have to do is show them a harness and they go nuts. They're so excited to run, they love it.









Howard Thompson



Sled Dog Racer









[01:30] - They have to have this great desire to travel, they have to have great appetites, they have to have tough feet.









Charlotte Mooney









[01:45] - When most people think of sled dogs, they think of the pretty fluffy ones with the blue eyes and the pointed ears, we actually run what they call Alaskan huskies, they have been bred with Greyhounds and Salukis and German short-haired pointers and Irish setters, anything you can think of to make that Husky just a little bit faster.









Thad McCracken



Sled Dog Racer









[02:10] - We kind of like doing short, fast races, finishing with the dogs in a warm truck, even in the house. Our dogs all sleep in the house with us, all 15 of them. And I just kind of like that, nothing against Iditarod or the distance races, but these short races, I just really love them.









Charlotte Mooney









[02:30] - Huskies are mischievous, they're trouble-makers, they're high-energy, they're smart. I've met some that are people in dog's clothes. Huskies just have something about them, they have a brain and you can talk to them. They're not just pets. They're working dogs, and any dog that gets to do what it's been bred to do, it's a pleasure to watch.









[03:14] - No, they know. That's part of what it is with us, it's normal for them to howl after dinner. It's normal for them to howl first thing in the morning or right before they go to bed, but as to why they chose that moment you go ask them.

