PEOPLE Pets reports:

Forget the Iditarod. Earlier this week, residents of Anchorage, Alaska, were all about the Snausages Man Sled Race, a crazy event in which people pulled pups!

Four teams of humans dragged sleds — with dogs as the mushers — and raced across a frozen pond to win money for their pet charity of choice.

In a photo provided by Del Monte Foods, Malmute musher Buddy rides the sled as it is pulled by dog sled racing veterans Danny Seavey, left, and Dallas Seavey, center, and teammate Mari Troshynski during practice Tuesday, March 2, 2010 in Anchorage, Alaska, before the first-ever Snausages Man Sled Race. The race benefited local pet-related charities. Buddy's team won the race. (AP Photo/Al Grillo/Del Monte Foods)

PEOPLE Pets is reporting that celebrity couple, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo have adopted a husky from a rescue organization.

The 1-year-old Siberian husky, named Kona, was on display at a roadside adoption event in Los Angeles. “I was driving down Ventura and we saw rescue dogs on the side of the road,” he explained. “Vanessa was with me — I don’t make those kind of decisions alone anymore — but since I grew up with a husky, I couldn’t resist.”

To read more, click here.

The Mid-Atlantic Region has been dumped with record-breaking amount of snow this year.  While the foolish humans are stocking up on essentials and digging out cars, the Huskies are celebrating.  Maggie (Pet Harbor alum formerly named Cheyenne) is a five-year-old couch potato with arthritis, but she runs and bounds through the Baltimore snow like a puppy.  Enjoy it while it lasts Huskies!

The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized working dog.  Part of the Spitz family, they are quick and light on their feet.

This is the speed demon of the sled dog world. This working animal of the Chukchi people of northeast Siberia caused a sensation when it was introduced to Alaska for the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1909. They revolutionized racing, as nothing finished even close to them. Today the racing sled dogs of Alaska owe much to their Siberian Husky blood. Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1903. Very popular as a companion animal.

To watch video about the history of this breed, and to get breed-related information, click here.

Acting on a tip, animal control went to a sled-dog breeding facility in Colorado.  There they found approximately 100 starving huskies and husky-mixes.  Eight were already dead. 

Mary Steinbeiser, regional shelter manager, said that on a weight scale of zero to 10 with zero being dead and 10 being obese, these dogs were probably about a one.

“It looked like no one had been there to feed and water them for quite some time,” Steinbeiser said. “The conditions were horrible. They found empty dog food bags with bodies in them.”

The worst part is that this was not the first time animal control had been called to this facility.

Animal control officers said they had been called to the property before and records show that the owners were issued “notices of warning” by the state on cruelty to animal violations in 2004 and 2006.

To read the entire article, click here.

Michigan is adding 3 new sled-dog races to its 2010 schedule:  The Seney 400 is scheduled for Jan. 3-8 in the Upper Peninsula community of Seney, the Thunder Bay Classic is Feb. 13-14 in the Alpena area and the Copper Dog 150 is March 12-14 in Calumet.

Submitted by Sarah V.

Breeder Sheri Thompson has been charged with two felony counts of cruel treatment to animals and five misdemeanor counts of violation of owner’s duties and operating a kennel without a license.  On Oct 16, two adult dogs, a Labrador Retriever and a pregnant Siberian Husky, and four Lab puppies – one deceased – were discovered at Thompson’s 10-acre property without adequate food, water or shelter.

According to the forfeiture petition by Lee County prosecutors:

“Two puppies were found in a wire metal cage that was propped off the ground by cement blocks.  There was not any food or water in the cage.  The third [living] puppy was found in a pull-trailer with two small holes on the door.  There was not any food or water in the trailer.  The Husky was in a metal fenced kennel and was pregnant.  The kennel did not have a clean water supply nor appropriate bedding.  The cage had feces throughout.  The Husky gave birth to [seven] Husky puppies on October 31, 2009.  The animals were seized by members of the Lee County Animal Control and the Lee County Sheriff’s Department.”

The dogs and puppies are all doing well in the care of the Lee County Animal Shelter.

It’s no surprise the article also mentions that Thomson previously pled guilty to two counts of animal cruelty and operating a kennel without a license in 2006 and was given a year’s probation. 

“Several months later, the American Kennel Club suspended Thompson’s privileges for 10 years and imposed a $2,000 fine.

Nearly a decade before that, the AKC banned Thompson from breeding cocker spaniels and collies for 10 years after she refused to allow an inspection of her records and practices.”

Submitted by Paulette J.

Two friends and I decided to go dog sledding in the Fair Hill area of Maryland, which features almost 6,000 acres of woods with wonderful trails.  After our three sled teams had traveled several miles, I decided to turn back.  My friends’ teams not only had more dogs, but theirs were conditioned for more miles than my Siberians.  They continued on while I headed back for our trucks. 

My team had three dogs:  my two Maryland-bred Sibes and Slick Willie was running lead.  I had adopted Willie from Iditarod musher Wayne Curtis, who is a member of Team Stormwatch.  While Willie had never been trained as a lead dog, he has champion bloodlines and had run 1,500 with Team Stormwatch in Alaska.  This certainly qualified him for leading my small team.

While backtracking to the trucks, we came to the first “Y” in the trail.  Willie wanted to turn left, but I shouted “NO-GEE” which means “turn right” to a trained sled dog.  Willie followed my command and turned right.  I soon realized that we were headed in the wrong direction and was forced to turn around to the other trail.  Not long after, we came to a second “Y” and Willie wanted to turn right.  This time I shouted, “NO-HAW” which means “turn left.”  Again, Willie obeyed my command and took the left trail.  And, you guessed it… it was the wrong way!  I turned my team around for a second time and took them down the correct trail.  Finally, we came to a third “Y.”  Before I could give any direction, Willie STOPPED.  He turned around to look at me, like “well, dummy… which wrong turn do you want me to make this time?”

I laughed, threw my hands in the air and just said, “go ahead!”  He hit the harness and easily lead my team right back to the trucks, which were just over the next small hill!  I immediately made the long-distance call to Alaska so I could tell Wayne Curtis the story and we both laughed about me un-training his sled dog.

Does anyone else have a funny animal related story to share?