Mushers Converge on Wyoming For 2000 International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race presented by Pedigree ® 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming-January 19, 2000-Mushers from Japan, France, Austria, British Columbia, Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and New Hampshire will arrive this week to race in the International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) presented by Pedigree®. Twenty-three world class sled dog champions will compete for the race's nearly $120,000 purse, January 28-February 9, including two-time IPSSSDR Champ Hans Gatt; Jacques Philip, Keizo Funatsu, Dan MacEachen, and Sam Perrino.

IPSSSDR festivities begin in Jackson Hole on Friday, January 28 with a "Meet the Musher" Reception at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 6:00 p.m. The event is open to the public; tickets are $10 and available at the door. The 2000 race departs from downtown Jackson Hole on Saturday, January 29 at 10:00 a.m. with teams leaving every two minutes.

Now in its fifth year, the IPSSSDR is the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states and a qualifying event for the Iditarod. With its unique Stage Stop racing format, the race traverses through 14 Wyoming communities, stopping in a different town each night. The 2000 race begins in Jackson Hole, before traveling through Moran, Dubois, Pinedale, Lander, Atlantic City, Mountain View, Lyman, Evanston, Kemmerer/Diamondville, Smoot/Afton, Alpine and returning to Teton Village in Jackson Hole.

The 2000 race is sponsored by Pedigree ® food for dogs. The Pedigree brand actively supports a wide range of programs including animal shelters' efforts to promote responsible pet ownership, the National Association for Search and Rescue, police canine units, and non-profit organizations that train and place service dogs for people with disabilities. Pedigree Food for Dogs is 100% complete and balanced for the intended lifestage and also highly palatable. Developed with veterinarians and recommended by breeders of champion dogs, Pedigree products contain the Champion Skin & Coat System that provides all the nutrition required to give dogs the healthiest skin and shiniest coat.

The International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley with the assistance of co-founder Jayne Ottman, RN MS, to promote childhood immunizations, and to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public. Also known as "Wyoming Pulling Together, The Race to Immunize," the event promotes awareness of the need for children, especially those under age two, to be vaccinated against preventable diseases. Race organizers are working to link the race to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games as an exhibition or event. For more information on the race, visit the race Website at www.wyomingstagestop.org or call (307) 734-1163.