Animal Control Officer Spends Vacation at the Iditarod

Being an animal control officer takes a certain kind of person. You need a level of affection for animals. Simsbury Animal Control Officer Mark Rudewicz has that.

“I enjoy anything animal-related,” he said. “Especially canine-related.”

That interest in dogs has brought him to the Iditarod in Alaska three times; the most recent trip was earlier this month, March 2-13. He volunteers as support staff for the race, which includes helping with the dogs. Rudewicz said the exact length of the race is 1,131 miles.

It takes 1,500 volunteers to help run the race, which this year had 67 mushers in competition. Each dog sled team usually has between 12 and 16 dogs. The teams travel from Anchorage to Nome. The winner this year, John Baker, made it in eight days, 18 hours, 46 minutes and 39 seconds.

There are 26 checkpoints and a few mandatory rest stops along the way, but most of the travel is in the bush and off the grid, far away from anything or anyone. The mushers travel with food for themselves and their dog team and sleeping gear and makeshift shelters on their sleds. Rudewicz estimated the weight of all that to be a few hundred pounds.

Competitors are equipped with radios in case of emergency.

“The only way you get to these folks is ski plane or helicopter,” he said.

There is a veterinary staff at every checkpoint to look over the dogs.  There are two mandatory stops for eight hours and one for 24 hours.

“It’s a grueling task,” he said of the race.

Rudewicz said the people who compete are from all walks of life, all ages and are male and female. He met doctors, writers, and construction workers who were competing.

“It’s a very diverse type of sport,” he said.

He might like to compete someday, but even though there are mushers in their 50s and 60s, he wonders if at 53 he is getting too old. Rudewicz is a recreational musher but to really commit to the sport would be difficult while working. Mushers have to qualify in order to enter the Iditarod.

For now, he enjoys traveling with his fiancee, Lillian Jefferies, to the competition as a support volunteer. The trip also offers scenic wonders and bountiful wildlife.

"The moose are everywhere, usually at the side of the road," he said.

But the main reason Rudewicz volunteers is his love of dogs.

 “My favorite thing to do is take care of the dogs,” he said.

His work in Simsbury translates to his volunteer work at the race, as he is dealing with dog behavior and animal handling. The volunteer work can range from working directly with the dogs to parking support vehicles.

“Once you get a bug for this you really gravitate toward it,” said Rudewicz, who for now is content once again to be dealing with dogs, bears and deer in Simsbury.