Inmates pitch in to help serum run dogs

SUTTON -- Some tired sled dogs will return from the trail a little more comfortably and safely after the upcoming Norman Vaughan '25 Serum Run, thanks to help from inmates at Palmer Correctional Center.

Several minimum-security prisoners volunteered to make boxes to house wearied pooches being transported to Anchorage on airplanes after the event's conclusion in Nome. Organizers from the serum run provided about $4,000 worth of lumber for the project, and inmates built and painted the boxes.

"It's nice to give something back to the community and do something constructive with your time while you're here," said inmate Blayne Larsson of Wrangell.

A lung disability from a fire prevented him from doing any hammering or sawing, but he helped out by painting the boxes.

Richard Brandon of Anchorage, another inmate, helped engineer the final blueprints.

"They had a general idea how they wanted them," he said. "I grew up here so I know what dog boxes are."

The serum run commemorates the 1925 sled dog relay of life-saving diphtheria serum from Nenana to Nome. Eleven mushers and 13 snowmachiners will depart Feb. 29 on the 18-day trip, said coordinator Erin McLarnin of Palmer. More information about the adventure is available at www.serumrun.org.

Paul Kroenung, PCC's educational coordinator, likened the boxes to doggie apartment buildings. Each of the 16 boxes has separate kennels for 10 dogs, and any musher would be proud to put the attractive boxes on a pickup truck.

The prison has a wood shop where inmates can take woodworking lessons and do personal projects. The boxes were cut and assembled there, then hauled to another building for painting.

It wasn't the first woodworking project for which PCC inmates have volunteered. They've built two Habitat for Humanity houses in the Valley, and made a wooden ramp for Hiland Mountain Correctional Facility in Eagle River that met Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Woodworking is just one of the self-improvement avenues open to PCC inmates. They also can take a variety of classes leading to a GED or for college credit, study computer aided design, or take an educational program leading to a commercial driver's license, among other options.

Kroenung says those who have the initiative can learn marketable skills while serving time.

"The secret to success with these guys is doing hands-on things," he said.

Contact Steve Kadel at steve.kadel@frontiersman.com.