Two charging moose, a dog race and Jon Gruden

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times
published February 20, 2002

Tampa veterinarian Jarrod Lazarus knew he was a fish out of water the minute he stepped off the airplane in Alaska on Feb. 1.

Make that a frozen fish.

There was one event that made his assignment especially unique. Lazarus was tending to a sled dog outside a musher's home when the dog began barking at something behind him. He looked back and spotted two charging moose, including one that appeared to be 12 feet tall.

"I just wanted to live," Lazarus said. "I just wanted to live, and I wanted to get that dog out of there."

He hurriedly put the dog, still barking, in his truck and sped off. Luckily, the moose did not pursue.

That's just one of the stories Lazarus has lived to tell. There were also the exceedingly nice people, the talk of "the lower-48," the bone-chilling weather, two earthquakes and the moose chops, which came from a moose that had been hit by a truck.

"I guess I ate road kill," Lazarus laughed.

So how does a Tampa vet end up living his own version of Northern Exposure? He was chosen to be part of the group of relief veterinarians assisting mushers as they prepare for the legendary Iditarod dog sled race on March 3.

His selection was not by chance. The relief vets are required to meet a list of criteria, including experience in sled dog medicine, orthopedic work, muscle physiology and nutrition.

Although critics have blasted the Iditarod as animal cruelty, Lazarus noted that many of the mushers compete just so they can afford to give the sled dogs the best in care.

"I've been to their houses, and these dogs are treated exceedingly well," Lazarus said. "They have everything they could possibly want. These dogs are their lives."

A strange coincidence occurred Tuesday. Just as I was wrapping up the column, I got a press release from the Sled Dog Action Committee, a Miami-based organization that insists sled dogs in the Iditarod are abused. The release was e-mailed directly to me, as if they knew I was writing about the race.

The committee presented Outback Steakhouse's Chris Sullivan, and other CEOs whose companies are sponsoring the race, with their annual Iditarod Dead Dog Awards on Tuesday. It paints a far different picture of the treatment the dogs receive, noting that at least 117 dogs have died since the race began in 1967.

What began as a human interest story on a Tampa vet in a winter wonderland ends on a somber note, but I would be remiss if I didn't present both sides of the story.

"River Myths," by African-American (and Florida-born) artist Therman Statom, enjoys its first exhibit at the Tampa Museum of Art this month.

The exhibit was created just for the Tampa Museum, and Statom will give a tour Thursday during Art After Dark, an informal gathering held on the third Thursday of each month at 5 p.m.

Yeah, the Bucs got Coach Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders, but consider this: They traded both first-round picks for receiver Keyshawn Johnson in 2000. That means they will go four years with only one first-round pick and two second-round picks. Two of those picks, tackle Kenyatta Walker and guard Cosey Coleman, are still unproven.

Trust me, the future is now for your Tampa Bay Bucs.

That's all I'm saying.

-- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.

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