Tale Of The Tape

IDITAROD

WESTMINSTER

Alaskan husky

Breed

miniature poodle

About 24 inches high, 42 inches long. Weight: 50 pounds

Dimensions

14 3/4 inches high, 14 3/4 inches long. Weight: 18 pounds

Descendant of Russian sled dogs

Lineage

A seventh-generation poodle champion

Friendly, often annoyingly so: likes to jump up and lick musher's face

Personality

Patient, well-behaved and, as show judge W. Everett Dean Jr. says, "smooth"

Mushers have dogs run, sled in tow, 100 miles a day for month before race

Preparation

Spice let handler spend four hours washing, trimming and hair-spraying her coat

Two-thirds pound dry dog food; pound of horse, seal, fish or moose; half pound fat

Daily sustenance

Two bowls dry dog food; handful home-cooked teriyaki chicken

Cover 1,150 icy miles in about 10 days

Event demands

No yapping or sneezing as judges inspect every region of body

Compete on contending teams from age 3 to age 8

Career

With 39 best-in-shows, Spice, 3, has retired after an 18-month run

Breed, run in recreational teams, go camping

Retirement

Get haircut, become mother, play with stuffed toys