Rebecca Connop Price reports

THE woods near Yateley are far from the northern tundra normally home to sled dogs, but a recent event saw hundreds of them descend there for a timed race.
The event saw 100 competitors race all kinds of sled dogs – from Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes to various crossbreeds.
Yateley-based musher Cathy Croman, one of the founders of the Yateley race, came first in the C Class event with her Siberian Huskies with a time of 10mins 32secs over 3.5 miles.
Salisbury woman Allison Smith, owner of five dogs, now organises the event, which kicked off on February 17 in Yateley Heath Woods. She said there was a good turn-out.
She said: “We had exactly 100 entries – they were from ‘mushers’ all over the UK, the furthest to travel down were Ian Elliott and Aimee Campbell who live in Bothel, Cumbria.
“We also had competitors from Sheffield, Derbyshire, Kent and the Isle of Wight.”
The recent event was the final race in 2007-08 Affiliated British Sleddog Activities (ABSA) Championship Series.
Mrs Smith explained: “The race season runs from late October to early March. There are other societies that also hold events up and down the country and you can usually find somewhere to run your dogs if you are prepared to travel.
“The event went off really well, we had only a few competitors take a wrong turn on the trail but all came back safely. We had help with the trail marshalling from the local RAYNET (Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network) group who kept in contact with the start and finish timers via their short-wave radios.”
The sled dog racers will be back on February 22 next year subject to approval from the forest authority.
Besides Cathy Croman, another big winner on the day was Leigh Marsden, who came first in the B Class with a time of 10mins 31secs over 3.5 miles.
The dogs may look adorable, but owning them is a big commitment.
Mrs Smith explained: “Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, well all sled dogs, need a lot of exercise and a firm hand as they do like to take over. They are not a one-man dog and have little guarding instincts, they are not good off of the lead as the first sign of a rabbit or any other small prey you would not see them for dust.
“Although they look really cute as puppies in the Disney Snow Dog films, these cute bundles of fur grow into large dogs that can get bored easily and, sadly, all too often end up in sled dog welfare.”
Allison and her husband Mark have five Alaskan Malamutes that all live indoors as pets.
ABSA was founded in 1992. For further information see www.absasleddogracing.org.uk      

Pictures STEVE PORTER