Research being conducted on behalf of the U. S. military at this year’s Iditarod may be able to help bomb-sniffing dogs in Iraq stay cool:
Researchers working on behalf of the U.S. military took infrared video of the first 50 dog teams to complete Saturday’s 11-mile ceremonial start in Anchorage. Their mission is to find out if there’s a way to help working canines, such as bomb-sniffing dogs, keep cool in the Middle East. But they couldn’t help but grade the Iditarod teams based on how well the dogs regulated heat on the unusually balmy first day of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
As it turns out the dogs’ ability to deal with heat was a pretty good predictor of how they ended up doing in the race itself.
Infrared and regular video is being taken of dog teams to discover hotspots and gain understanding of how the dogs disperse heat. But heat isn’t all they’re studying:
Veterinarians will be examining dropped dogs, taking blood samples and studying race dogs at the finish line. The research, which has gone on for about four years, has already helped the sport, but it’s funding comes from the U.S. military. Sports medicine is also keenly interested in the research. The hope is that by studying how these incredible dogs run 100-plus miles a day for 9 or 10 days, soldiers and, say, marathon runners, can better prepare their bodies for the rigors of long-term exertion or week-long intense missions.
