ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A third dog associated with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has died.

Race officials report a 3-year-old male named Groovey has died after being hit by a car in Anchorage.

The dog had been dropped from the team of Kotzebue musher John Baker and returned to Anchorage. Officials say the dog was released in good condition Saturday to a dog handler.

But later Saturday, Groovey got loose and was reported missing. His body was found Sunday after apparently being hit by a car in east Anchorage.

Two dogs died last week, including a 2-year-old male named Smoke who died while being flown back to Anchorage from a checkpoint. A necropsy showed signs the dog suffered from hyperthermia, but further tests were being run.

The other dog, another 2-year-old male named Deacon, died near the checkpoint in Galena. A necropsy found abnormalities but not the cause of death.

SNOWMACHINE-DOG SLED

Snowmachine strikes dog sled during race in Fairbanks

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A man who seemed headed for the winning spot in a Fairbanks sled dog race ended up in second place after his sled was struck by a snowmachine during the final stretch.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the incident happened Sunday during the Annamaet Limited North American Championships.

Kourosh Partow of Chugiak had been leading the eight-dog mushing class for the first two days of the event when he was struck by a snowmachine driver during the 12-mile final heat.

Partow and his sled dogs were not injured and the sled was not damaged.

But Patrow ended up finishing second in the heat and second overall behind Dawn Brown of Salcha.

The incident came after another snowmachine encounter in which the driver blocked the way of a musher.

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