FREQUENTLY SOUGHT ANSWERS:

THE FOUNDATION STARTED 3 years ago at Plettner Kennels and has been a mostly "out of pocket" enterprise since then. During that time, and in the years before its formal inception, the Foundation at the kennel has taken in over 200 retired racing dogs. As the idea progressed, it gathered a following of people from all over the world, who would stop by and visit the dogs during the kennel's tour operation. As awareness spread of what the kennel was doing for retired dogs, so did the out pouring of positive interest in a more permanent program to care for and hallmark these former world-class athletes. The formal creation of the Alaska Iditarod Sled Dog Retirement Foundation, a non-profit organization, was in response to that call. The Foundation is unique in that it is not an animal shelter, but a retirement program set up specifically for the champions of the canine world, Iditarod Sled Dog Race veterans. There is no other animal in the world like them; and, based on that fact alone, they deserve to continue to receive the best care possible long after their competitive days are over.

THE FOUNDATION IS located on a 20-acre, year-round professional sled dog kennel near Big Lake, Alaska. The kennel is owned and operated by veteran Iditarod musher and Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award winner, Lynda Plettner. The location was picked based on the kennel's racing focus, and being connected to a vast network of trails. Also, the kennel is one half of a mile off of the highway, thus being ideal for tourists and publicity ventures.

THE FOUNDATION DIRECTORS ARE involved in dog mushing; and therefore, possess direct knowledge of and experience in all phases of dog care.

Lynda Plettner is a professional kennel operator with over 20 years experience. Originally from California, she trained race horses until she and her family moved to Alaska in 1980. Besides running her own races, she specializes in training other people to run the Iditarod. To date, seven other mushers have trained and hit the trails direct from Plettner Kennels. Lynda also operates dog boarding facilities on the premises, rents cabins, and provides for a host of animals that come her way, from ducks to rescued horses. She serves as the President of the Foundation's Board.

Dolores Waffen is a 25-year veteran of the teaching profession, who spent summers cooking in remote Alaskan vacation camps. She says "In 1989 when my husband Tony and I took our first dog sled trip, I could not wait to move and live in Alaska to run my own dog team. As luck would have it, we met Lynda Plettner and immediately signed up for her 'Learn to Mush' program". She has served as a volunteer communications person during the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in several remote Native village checkpoints. Today, she cares for and trains a team of retired racing dogs and uses them to give winter tour rides. "Being part of the Alaskan Retired Sled Dog Foundation is just another phase of continued interest and love of the sled dog and the sport of mushing."

Tony Waffen, another two-decade veteran of the Educational Effort, finally decided that another career was in order, and dogs was it. "Today I spend my days giving winter tours, training dogs for long distance races, and instructing first time mushers in the 'Learn to Mush' program". Tony also volunteers for the Iditarod as a remote communications operator. During the summer, he works for Royal Celebrity Tours in its railcar division. "This gives me a chance to share my Alaskan experiences with tourists of all ages. Alaska Retired Sled Dog Foundation is just an extension of my love for the Alaskan Husky."

Ellen Halverson is a psychiatrist. She started mushing in Minnesota, and maintains her own team two miles by trail from the kennel. Ellen enjoys the Foundation work as a means to advocate for the continued care of these exemplary animals, which she respects as sentient beings, deserving of dignity and respect long after their competitive edge is gone.

Sue Allen, another Teacher, started her own kennel with retired dogs in 1997. She serves as the secretary of the local Aurora Dog Musher's Association. As a team building, beginning competitive racer, she has a personal stake in the fate of retired dogs. When she started out, they had much to teach her. Soon, they will be too slow for her ambitions, yet she owes her successful start on the learning curve to them. She says that "There is such an important place for retired sled dogs in perpetuating the sport of mushing, that to ignore this population of sled dogs would be absurd. An organization through which these dogs can be passed on to new mushers is extremely important to this sport. This Foundation could make drastic steps forward towards sharing with the public the mushers' love and care for their dogs."

Andrea AufderHeyde was the pioneer of a program called Teacher On The Trail, back in the early days of a nation wide cooperative education effort joining the Iditarod Trail Committee with our nation's Educators. She wrote a curriculum about the Iditarod. She is the newest member of the AISDRF Board.

THE DOGS CONTINUE THEIR VOCATION as long as they are physically capable, or are adopted as house pets. Most of the dogs served by the Foundation were adopted out to various recreational mushers. The program is simple: As long as responsible care of the animals was demonstrated, a musher could have the dog free for the first two years, with an option to buy it from the Foundation after that. If at any time quality care became impractical, the dog could be returned to the kennel. The same program applies to pet dogs adopted out of the kennel with the exception that they are free for life. Many of the Foundation's dogs stay at the kennel, happily pulling around folks who come out to learn to mush. Dogs at the kennel receive the same top-notch care as the kennel's active racing teams. When they become unable to happily run due to age or infirmity, they are moved over to a special "Geriatric" pen and allowed to lay around soaking up the Alaskan sun and the kennel tourists' love.

THE CARTOONIST IS: CHAD CARPENTER
Award winning and syndicated cartoonist Chad Carpenter designed and licensed the retired sled dog logo to the Foundation. Chad's popular cartoon "TUNDRA" can be seen in the Anchorage Daily News. Visit tundracomics.com for more information.