The Sled Dog Mailing List

The sleddog mailing list is dedicated to discussion of northern breeds and sled dog sports of all types. It is a polite, knowledgable group of people, from begining to veteran mushers. To subscribe to sled dog, send mail to listserv@apple.ease.lsoft.com, no subject, and with the command

subscribe SLEDDOG-L your name

where your name is your actual name, e.g., subscribe SLEDDOG-L John Q. Musher. Maggie Bonham, Sky Warrior Racing Kennels, is the owner and moderator of the group. Below I have included her welcome message to sleddog that all new subscribers recieve.

Copyright 1994 by MLH Bonham

Welcome to sleddog! This mailing list is dedicated to the Northern Breeds and sled dog sports including backpacking, skijouring, mushing, weightpulling, carting, pulka, and any other related working activity. Those who are interested in working their dogs (of *any* breed) are invited to ask questions and join in on the conversation. This group is intended to provide information to anyone who wishes to work their dog, be it a Siberian or a Golden Retriever. *However* specific breed questions *should* be limited to Northern Breeds such as Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds, Alaskan Huskies, and any husky mix.

Appropriate topics (not exclusive)

• Anything having to do with health issues of working dogs (diet, feet, etc)
• Races, weightpulls competition events (both announcements and results)
• Your experiences working your dog or in a race
• How to get started doing...(mushing, skijouring, etc)
• Winter camping
• Recreational sledding
• Training methods
• Kennel management
• Breeding and genetics
• Breed specific questions concerning northern dogs
• Training of northern dogs
• Animal welfare and mushing (This includes the HSUS/Iditarod problems and animal welfare legislation. This will be heavily monitored and inappropriate people will be removed. See inappropriate topics).
• Equipment suppliers and mushing books
• Equipment -- how to make, obtain, etc.
• Mushing clubs
• Excellent places to train
• Anything that might be related to the sled dog sports.
• Reviews of books, movies (e.g. "Iron Will"), etc that pertains to the sled dog sports.
• Racing and competition schedules

Inappropriate topics

• Nasty flamebait I'm not trying to make this list saccharin sweet, but I don't want topics like "Mushing is cruel". This is an informational group. Animal rights does not belong here.
• "How do I housebreak my dog? I've got a new puppy, what do I do?" types of questions. CANINE-L and r.p.d are excellent places for that. This mailing list is not intended for regular training questions.
• Show wins. I'm hesitant about this one, but have decided that a lot of people who are interested in working their dogs may not be interested in the show circuit. HOWEVER, weightpull and sledding titles are always acceptable.

We welcome any experience and any interest. You don't even have to participate in the sled dog sports to enjoy this list (although we encourage this behavior ;-), all you have to have is a love of sledding and northern breeds.

Maria Gronberg has done a wonderful job of putting together a roster of those who participate on the list and has provided an anonymous FTP site at kanin.ladok.umu.se. FTP to this site and log in as Anonymous; your password will be your email address. The FAQs, digests, and roster are in the following directories:

• /pub/sleddog/FAQ
• /pub/sleddog/digest
• /pub/sleddog/roster

The digests are by months, so if you are interested in September 1994, check out sleddog.9409. These are big files, so be forewarned. Thanks Maria!

FAQ's are published on the list every 1st and 15th of the month. They contain:

• Frequently Asked Questions -- (READ THIS, PLEASE!)
• List of Suppliers -- (by Dawn Thompson)
• Beginner's List of Recommended Publications
• Working Dog FAQ -- (by Stephen Lee)
• Sleddog Roster -- (by Maria Gronberg)
• Sleddog Roster Index -- (by Maria Gronberg)

I encourage you to introduce yourself once you are on board. You'll find us helpful and even encouraging. We have people with decades of experience and people who are just starting. Some of us have our eyes towards the professional arena; others are recreational. Above all, ENJOY!

Sky Warrior, owner of sleddog mbonham@csn.org

PS: I wish to thank those of you, both mentioned above and unmentioned for dedicating your time and knowledge to sleddog. I couldn't do it without you.