RMSSSDR
Keizo Funatsu cooling down his dog by snow after the finish at Atlantic City.
Dogs can not sweat except through their paws, so is is difficult for them to cool down their bodies.
The dogs wear booties during the race. One reason for this is to prevent the sweat from their paw from turning to ice on the snow. If the sweat turns to ice, the dog will develop cuts on the pads of his paw.
After the race, the booties are removed and that allows the dog to cool down his body by rubbing in the snow. It was so hot for the dogs during the race due to the weather, they prefer the cold when they are running hard.. (-30 to -40F). Here Keizo is helping the dog cool off. He is hot himself from the hard work, but the dogs come first.
-Photo by Ricoh DC-1 digital camera-
© Daisuke Tomiyasu