Talkeetna Dog Sleds

Talkeetna Dog Sleds - 1

October 11, 2023

Talkeetna is the sled dog training home for Dallas Seavy, a 5-time Iditarod race champion. The Talkeetna kennel has nearly 100 dogs in various stages of training though about half of them were not there when we visited due to them training further north on the glaciers and in snow. Before anyone gets all upset about the "poor dogs", I encourage you to go see this operation first hand before making judgement. These dogs are treated like royalty and live as well as any pet. Yes, those dog houses in the open weather are not what you think about with your pet but these dogs are a different breed and are absolutely built and bred for this most basic of survival skills in the artic. The staff is dedicated and know each dog by name and personality and they spend time with each dog every day. Some of the staff are Iditarod racers (mushers) themselves. The facility offers sled tours to the public. In the summer months, those tours use four wheeled, two person carts as you see in the photos below. The route is about 3 miles with 3 stops along the way. The trails are cut down to bedrock (probably more like glacier rubble) for safety of the dogs and guests. It had been raining the day before and as we rode the bus to the camp but we were blessed with no rain during our ride. That didn't mean we did not get wet as wet and mud were unavoidable passing through the puddles! The dogs were incredible and clearly enjoyed their outing. We learned that an Alaskan Husky does not have an identifiable color and are certainly not what most of us think about as a "husky". They come in all colors and personalities. The traits they have in common are the love to run, incredible endurance, and ability to thrive in extreme temperatures. Just looking at them, you would never guess that their most comfortable temperature is 0 °F. Our 60 °F day was hot to them. Two of the three stops were really a check on the comfort level of the guests. The stop in the middle was a longer water break for the dogs and guests to swap from driver to passenger or vice-versa. The stops provided additional time to ask questions and learn more about what it takes to compete at such a high level. I have several days of photos for this part of our trip - some even including Donnice and me.