Introduction
 The creation of Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Retirement Foundation Has actually been an ongoing "out of pocket" projekt at Plettner Kennels for the past 11 years. During that time, over 200 retired racing dogs have been taken in by the kennel and either adopted out to new homes, or used by folks, visiting the kennel who wanted to learn to mush. The understanding was a simple one, we would give you the dog to use for free for the first two years. During that Time you needed to show responsible care for the animal. If for any reason you could not provide this, you could bring the dog back. At this point a new home would be found... If at the end of two years everything went well, you owned the dog. this program was so succesful, that at times, a waiting list was developed for potential owners.
As the idea progressed, it drew a following of people from all over the world who would stop by to visit the dogs. A geriatric pen was built for those dogs that would remain permanently at the kennel due to injuries, age, etc. With the pen up the dogs were let loose to live communally with each other. As world wide awareness grew of what we were doing, so did the out pouring of positive support for a more permanent program to care for, and hallmark these former world class athletes.
The creation of Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Retirement Foundation is the response to this call. The foundation is unique in that it is not an animal shelter, but a retirement program set up specifically for the champions of the canine world, iditarod veteran sled dogs... there is no other animal in the world like them, and based on that fact alone, they deserve to continue to receive the best care possible long after their competitive days are over...
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