密歇根新闻广播 大雪对铲雪工是坏事,对雪橇犬却是好事

Save for this last week, Michigan has not seen very much snow this season. And while many Michiganders have enjoyed a somewhat milder winter, it's been bad news for people who race sled dogs.

Chris Mahar serves as the director of publicity¹ for Mid-Union Sled Haulers and has been racing² dogs for about 16 years. He says MUSH has had to cancel some races this year due to temperature and snowfall complications.

"The weather's become more unpredictable. We try to adapt with that on where our race sites are, but it's really all a gamble that you take on what Mother Nature's going to do," he says.

According to Mahar, the sweet spot for race conditions lies between 10 and 20 degrees with low humidity. And, of course, snow on the ground.

He says when he started sled racing it was pretty rare to cancel a race, but cancelations due to weather are becoming much more common in recent years.

"I don't think there's anybody who would tell you that weather has not been a bit more unpredictable the last four, five, six years," he says. "The last two years were very good race seasons. The two years before that we basically didn't have a single race."

Mahar tells us cancelling a race is disappointing to humans a dogs alike.

"These dogs love to run," he says. "Pretty much the worst thing you could do to them is not let them run.?I mean, my dogs, if I get into the enclosed trailer that we've built, the boxes we transport them into, if I just open that door you can hear the kennel³ going nuts because they think they're going to get to go run."

MUSH will be holding a race this weekend in Baldwin, Michigan.

1 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。