2007 Sled Dog Sports Participant Survey

Abstract

The current survey sought to address the lack of demographic data and update information gained from previous work by Hermman and Keith (1997) who examined economic aspects of competitive dog mushing and Smith (1990) who conducted an exploratory study of dog mushing in interior Alaska. Finally, the current research expanded the scope of previous surveys with a detailed assessment of participation in the classes, types and categories of sled dog competitions. For a decade, the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) has classified sled dog competitions according to a four dimensional taxonomy; Division, Type, Category and Class, i.e. the size of a team. A system of rewards in the form of Championship points, Medals and Certificates is then derived from this taxonomy. The current survey examined the relative interest of participants in various sled dog competition formats.