These canines are no slouches — and the Loudoun County woman helping keep them healthy as the Iditarod kicks off calls them extreme athletes.
(Courtesy Erika Friedrich)
Courtesy Erika Friedrich
(Courtesy Erika Friedrich)
Courtesy Erika Friedrich
(Courtesy Erika Friedrich)
Courtesy Erika Friedrich
These canines are no slouches. In fact, they’re extreme athletes.
That’s according to Erika Friedrich, a Loudoun County woman who’s helping to keep dogs running in the 2026 Iditarod healthy.
“I think the thing that impresses me about them is their camaraderie as a team,” Friedrich, who owns the Royal Oak Veterinary + Urgent Care in Purcellville, told WTOP.
“They have a bit of pack mentality, kind of what dogs are like in nature. And I think it’s kind of cool to see dogs doing what they love to do.”
Friedrich has been volunteering on the trail since 2009 and now she’s running the entire dog care operation for the race.
She said the (very good) dogs are “lean, they’re muscular, they’re athletic, they’re very powerful, and they’re very friendly. These dogs have been brought up by their mushers to be very handleable.”
“I think they’re just amazing dogs,” she stressed.
The Iditarod, which started in 1973, runs an intense 938 miles through Alaska — from Anchorage to Nome.
And one of the big things Friedrich and the mushers keep an eye on is the pups’ orthopedic health.
“By far the most common issue is going to be orthopedic, muscular, skeletal strains and soreness,” Friedrich said.
The dogs’ diets are also a heck of a lot more different than your pooch at home.
“We know these dogs who are, on average, say, about 50 pounds, and if they were a companion animal, maybe eating about 1,000 calories a day,” she said.
“Now suddenly, turn that into about 10,000 calories a day, running upwards of, you know, 80 to 100 miles a day. So their nutrition, their hydration, is extensive, and that is all maintained by the mushers out on the trail.”
Beyond a love for the dogs, Friedrich said Alaska itself is something to behold.
“It is something that is an amazing event. Amazing dogs, the beauty of Alaska. I definitely can’t speak highly enough for this type of adventure to be part of it,” she said.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
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