Also indicated on the Dropped Dog Form is the “condition status.” Although rare, dogs with potentially life-threatening conditions are designated “Red.” This status receives the highest level of priority, and every effort is made to stabilize the animal and immediately arrange for an air evacuation to a well-equipped medical facility. Dogs undergoing treatment for anything of a lesser nature are designated as “Blue” and depart on the next routine flight. All remaining dogs are officially considered to be “White” and will be flown out in an orderly fashion.
All dropped dogs from the east side of the Alaska Range are flown back to Anchorage via small airplanes provided by the Iditarod Air Force. McGrath serves as a hub for checkpoints in the interior. Typically, the “Air Force” flies dogs from smaller interior checkpoints to McGrath, where commercial carriers (Northern Air Cargo and PenAir) then transport them back to Anchorage. Unalakleet serves as a coastal hub with the same protocol. Dropped dogs from the last two to three coastal checkpoints will move to Nome, where they are usually reunited with their teams and flown back with them on Alaska Airlines.
As hub locations, McGrath, Unalakleet and Nome have appropriately larger numbers of dropped dog personnel. At each of these, veterinarians are present to evaluate and re-evaluate dropped dogs moving through the system. The final examination by Iditarod veterinarians occurs when each animal returns to Anchorage, prior to being released.
So I guess this year it is all dogs dropped between Manley Hot Spring and Nulato is flown to Galena. Kaltag to Unalakleet perhaps?
