# Sled dogs on "Dirty Jobs"



## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

Last night while I was slaving away over dinner, my husband was watching "Dirty Jobs". I started to listen in when I found out that Mike had gone to Alaska and was working on a sled dog farm.

I almost peed myself when they showed the tiny puppies. They were SOOO cute!! Then they removed the dew claws. I had never seen this done before, but I always imagined that it was a painful, horrible experience. Turns out it's not as bad as I though! I learned that when you snip them early enough, it only hurts the puppies a very little bit. Apparently, the nerves that go to the dew claw aren't fully developed until some time after they are born.

Anyhoo, when it got to the dogs' feeding time, I tore myself away from making my salad dressing and perked right up. The farm worker said that in the winter, the dogs can burn up to 10,000 calories a day!! So I was super curious what they fed them. I was disappointed to find that they feed "commercial diets" for two out of the three meals in winter. Unfortunately, he didn't elaborate on which commercial diet he fed. BUt he did have an Eagle Pack badge on his coat...

The third winter meal was a meat soup. They pulled out a block of frozen hamburger and sliced it with a band saw. Then they put the slices in hot water to thaw it out and fed it to the dogs. They said it was a good way for the dogs to get their fluids in the winter, since their water bowls freeze over really fast.

Here's the really weird part for me: The hamburger they fed was old meat that could not legally be sold for human consumption. So the USDA required it to be mixed with charcoal in order to make it unappealing to humans. Wha...??

I know that people who ingest poison are often given charcoal because it soaks up the poison. So I assume it's not very harmful.

But has anyone heard of eating charcoal on a regular basis? I feel like it can't be THAT good for anyone.

What do you think?


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I know that people will take activated charcoal on a regular basis to "cleanse" because the charcoal binds to harmful substances and toxins. We also use it here at work for animals that have ingested antifreeze and other terrible chemicals. I don't think it would cause long term damage though if it were ingested all the time....


----------



## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I saw that episode too. I watch Dirty Jobs all the time....LOL. My 4 year old loves it.

Anywho....yeah, I was kinda wondering about the charcoal in the food too. Glad to hear it isn't all that bad.

And how did you like the frozen pee all over the dog houses? LOL! And how they'd have to go and chip it off.....ewwww! :tongue:


----------



## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I missed the pee scraping. I could kind of hear it from the kitchen, though. 

When they were scooping the mountains of poo, I had to wonder if a raw fed dog's poo would disappear quicker even in sub zero temperatures. I bet it would just shatter into dust! Hahaha!

I need a kitchen TV. Or a remodel...


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

One thing I never knew was that the dogs crap as they are running. So the person driving gets poo all over them, or so thats what my mate Mike said anyway. When I thought about it though, it stands to reason, you'd never get anywhere if you had to stop everytime one of 8 or 10 dogs needed a crap. 



> I watch Dirty Jobs all the time....LOL. My 4 year old loves it.


And, this bloke Mike is mine, ok?? I saw him first! :biggrin:


----------



## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

UGH! :frown:I watch dirty jobs with Mike Rowe all the time! Man oh Man I missed this one! UGH!:frown: Now I am going to have to find it on hulu or somewhere and watch it haha! Or I am going to check out the tv and tivo it if I can! Sounds like a great one and I am sad I missed it!!!!!!!!!!!! your guys comments are making me laugh while I am on the computer haha!:biggrin:


----------



## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> One thing I never knew was that the dogs crap as they are running. So the person driving gets poo all over them, or so thats what my mate Mike said anyway. When I thought about it though, it stands to reason, you'd never get anywhere if you had to stop everytime one of 8 or 10 dogs needed a crap.


What? Jack London never mentioned THAT in any of his novels!


----------



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Yeah, I've always seen documentaries or movies and the sled dogs are almost always fed a "super performance" kibble and other stuff.

I watch Dirty Jobs too, just missed this episode.


----------



## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

We saw that episode before, but managed to catch some of it again. Most mushers feed a premium dog food, and meat to fuel the dogs during training, conditioning and racing. The dogs require a lot of useable calories to handle the distance, the temps and the stress of racing. I've never been a fan of the extreme long distance races such as Iditarod or Yukon Quest. We always preferred mid-distances and preferably 5-10 mile jaunts into the woods to camp out overnight and then return the next day. We always had premium kibble, ground meat, and satin balls for them to feast on when we did the camping trips. Water too of course.

I do totally respect the care and dedication it takes to provide well for 25-50/60 dogs to the level Martin Buser, Lance Mackey and others do. Their dogs always look good during races. Martin is sponsored by Eagle Pack as are many other mushers but there are tons of foods in sled dog circles that I never see mentioned here. A number of them do contain corn which always bothered me. All you have to do is look at foods on sleddogcentral.com and you can see the types of kibbles they feed. Like I said though most supplement with raw and also extra fat depending on training/race conditions. More mushers are getting into raw now though.

We had indoor/outdoor kennels and I never dealt with a huge dog yard with tie outs and frozen pee to chisel off the posts. lol We also rotated 2 dogs at a time through the house each night 3 seasons of the year. In summers they all moved in for the air conditioning. In winter they were all in during extreme temp conditions and during Noreasters, but often you could see they preferred to be outside in the indoor/outdoors. We used straw for bedding and the inside of the kennel looked like a manger scene with tons of straw. The dogs loved bedding down in it whether it was outside or inside the houses. We went through many large bales of straw each winter but the dogs loved it, some of them even munched it occasionally. Made adobe poo. lol

Now there are two senior sibes living inside full time the past 4 years. We still bikejor but the sled is hanging and needs to eventually find a new home as do all the ganglines and other equipment. It is an exciting life, but after about 16 years we have settled into a more sedate routine. Grandchildren can do that to you, as can the loss of several dogs in the space of two years. 

I had totally missed the charcoal thing, that I am perplexed about, none of our friends ever did that. I will have to learn more about that. 

As far as dogs pooping on the run, very true, they do learn to "go" on the move. We only had one siberian that actually did that, all the rest stopped, but it's a lot less of a problem when you are running 4-6 dogs at a time than it is a string of 16 dogs. When one stops it is a tangle waiting to happen with the lines. It's a lot worse to untangle a ton of dogs and their ganglines and tuglines than it is 4-6 dogs. Eventually our guys learned to adapt and often voided before we left on a run. Besides getting hit by flying poo, it can also get onto your sled runners, and freeze and pile up on the runners. Sometimes you have to stop and scrape that off(yuck) because the drag becomes an issue and the sled does not slide well at all. 

I have to get that episode on tape, it is one we really enjoyed.


----------



## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

stajbs said:


> We still bikejor but the sled is hanging and needs to eventually find a new home as do all the ganglines and other equipment.


Oh! Oh! Got any extra harnesses?! I'd love to get a couple for my two Sibes for when winter comes so I can teach them to pull me on a sled!!! hehehe. :biggrin:


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

xxshaelxx said:


> Oh! Oh! Got any extra harnesses?! I'd love to get a couple for my two Sibes for when winter comes so I can teach them to pull me on a sled!!! hehehe. :biggrin:


Man, I bet they would absolutely love it. 
Found this out last week when I was babysitting an older (much older) couples husky. Took him (husky) out on the bike and he literally hauled my ass down the road, ears up, tail wagging, his whole body really digging in and pulling. It surprised me how much an older Florida husky still had it in his blood. 

Thanks for your post Stabjs, it was really interesting. Sounds like you gave quite a few dogs a fabulous life.


----------



## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

For us the thrill of being out with the dogs bikejoring or with the sled was the ultimate. The dogs were so happy, and what a blast when you release the dogs, you feel the shock absorber pull tighter and the lines go tight, and in about 4 strides they are all a well oiled happy machine with tails wagging. We did have one siberian/GSD mix who hated running. She came along for every training run and camping trips. On training runs she enjoyed socializing with friends and other dogs and thought it was her job to protect the truck. When we camped she rode in the basket in one of our sleds like a queen. Sandi was so dignified, and snooty.lol Oddly enough she was alpha among the dogs, and she was very fair in her "management" of the dogs behavior as new dogs came along. 

The other cool thing is once one dog knows how to lead out and you train it to be a good leader, that dog can then train your other dog(s) to lead. Being a leader is stressful for some dogs, but our Jewel while she was low dog on the totem pole in the group was the best leader of the three we managed to have trained to lead. When she was up front I swear they would have followed her anywhere. She was also the one who when she watched hubby run on tractor trails with one dog at a time on the bike, on her first time out at nearly age 2 she poked her head into the harness. I though I would need the leash to lead her out, but in about 7/8 strides she was booking and I was dying and unhooking the leash and watching her and hubby disappear down the trail. 

xxshaelxx, I may be able to help you with harnesses, as stated by MollyWoppy all you need is one or two dogs for bikejoring and I have run two dogs on a sled, but you need to be fit enough to help them out some on uphill grades, and until you get them conditioned. If I were you I would check out some sled dog equipment suppliers and check out how harnesses are measured. I would need a couple of measurements and their weights and I'll see what I can do. Most of my harnesses are pretty big because most of my sibes were big, the two remaining are more average size. Your furries look a bit smaller, but I would still be happy to see if we could get you set up. Harnesses and maybe a two dog line. Hubby knows how to make the lines too, and we have new line to do that as well. I haven't been able to bring myself to go through all of our equipment in over a year except to pull out two harnesses and a gangline so I am thinking maybe it is time. If I have something you can use, then that would make me feel quite happy.


----------



## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

stajbs said:


> xxshaelxx, I may be able to help you with harnesses, as stated by MollyWoppy all you need is one or two dogs for bikejoring and I have run two dogs on a sled, but you need to be fit enough to help them out some on uphill grades, and until you get them conditioned. If I were you I would check out some sled dog equipment suppliers and check out how harnesses are measured. I would need a couple of measurements and their weights and I'll see what I can do. Most of my harnesses are pretty big because most of my sibes were big, the two remaining are more average size. Your furries look a bit smaller, but I would still be happy to see if we could get you set up. Harnesses and maybe a two dog line. Hubby knows how to make the lines too, and we have new line to do that as well. I haven't been able to bring myself to go through all of our equipment in over a year except to pull out two harnesses and a gangline so I am thinking maybe it is time. If I have something you can use, then that would make me feel quite happy.


OH MY DOG! That would make me SOOOO happy! But yeah, I plan on starting them out just running around the neighborhood, and the only hill is a very, very slight incline heading out of the neighborhood, but I wouldn't even be able to go on that hill because it's generally plowed when it snows. haha. So I'd generally just run them around in front and up the other streets. It'd be so much fun! I do need to get into shape, though. I used to be soooo fit, but was never good with endurance. XP And yes, they are WAY small. Amaya is 35 lbs!!! She's tiny. haha. Ryou is 45 lbs, which is small for a male. I do hope they'll fill out a bit more, though. As for sled dog equipment shops, I know of none around here... DX Perhaps I'll look it up online and see how to measure. I'll just use the good ol' string trick, measure with that, then measure the string. XP Maybe I can even give the neighborhood kids rides! That would be SO much fun!!! OH MY DOG! I can imagine it now! haha. I'd definitely have to get into shape for that, though, because I'd probably have to run beside the dogs instead of ride with them. XP AAAAH! *goes to look up how to measure*


----------



## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

Okay, got the measurements on both dogs, and WOW-WE!!! They're small. haha.



















Amaya would weigh more, but she tends to not eat her food. -.- Darn dog. haha.


----------



## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

xxshaelxx,Your Amaya is a little peanut, but I have(had) a 36 pound peanut too. Silva was 36 pounds, but she is about 42 in her old age. lol I may have a harness to fit her because it sure won't fit her or Blaze now. Blaze is about 48 pounds and he is rather long bodied. I will do some harness measuring this weekend and see what might work. I'm more worried I may noot be able to fit Ryou for you. I just hope I didn't give Silva's harness away. I have not used that one in years but it was a super nice Black Ice one. 

When you get time check out sleddogcentral.com for equipment suppliers and you will see what all is available. Lots of stuff to learn too, maybe you already know it but we can discuss that as we go along through PM. You are gonna want to make sure they know whoa, on by, gee, haw etc. or you may be in for a crazy ride. lol At work now but weill catch up with you later.

Jackie


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Stajbs, do you have any pictures of your dogs bikejoring? I've never heard of it and am interested to see what it looks like. Sounds like its awful fun - right up my alley!


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Its one of the ingredients used in the process called "denaturing"



> The usable meat is removed from the carcass, and covered in charcoal to prevent it from being used for human consumption. Then the meat is frozen, and sold as animal food, which includes pet food.
> 
> The packages of this frozen meat must be clearly marked as "unfit for human consumption." The rest of the carcass and poorer quality products including viscera, fat, etcetera, are sent to the rendering facilities.


http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html



> All meats that are not to be used for “human consumption” but are to be sold after slaughter are to be denatured as per government regulations to prevent them from being rerouted and used for human consumption. The denatured carcasses and other waste can then be transported to the rendering facility. This is done by adding sufficient quantities of dye, charcoal, malodorous fish oil, acid, sodium pentobarbital (poison used to euthanize pets) fuel oil, kerosene, crude carbolic acid (phenol, a potentially corrosive disinfectant), creosote (used to preserve wood or as a disinfectant) and citronella (an insect repellent made from lemon grass) are the approved denaturing materials approved in both Canada and United States.


http://urbangreengirl.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/the-truth-about-the-pet-food-industry/

http://itchmoforums.com/pet-food-questions-and-researching-foodsingredients/denatured-ingredients-in-pet-foods-t8475.0.html;wap2=


----------



## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

MollyWoppy, I do think I have some photos, not a lot, because I was always too busy running or handling for hubby and a camera was the last thing onmy mind. I will poke around and see what I can find though. 

Then comes the challenge of whether I can post them because I am truly computer challenged but let me see what I can do.


----------

