Canine-powered skiers take to the snow in West Glacier
Eric Schwartz | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 years, 8 months AGO
Donna McLaughlin of Alberta, Canada crosses the finish line with her dogs Swift, left, and Mya on Saturday in West Glacier.
Matt Graves of Kalispell takes off at the start of the individual time trials for dog skijoring with his husky mix Miley on Saturday morning at West Glacier. Miley is a rescue dog adopted from the Flathead Shelter back in November.
Thirteen competitors took part in the dog skijoring event at West Glacier on Saturday morning, however, many of the spectators also brought their dogs turning the day into a social mix-and-mingle as many of the dogs were allowed to run freely.
Kendall Reed, 8, of Whitefish, with her yellow lab Chappy was the youngest competitor at Saturday's dog skijoring event in West Glacier.
Canine-powered skiers zoomed around a mile-long track at the Glacier Outdoor Center in West Glacier Saturday where Doggie Skijoring Races were held for the fifth year.
About 13 dogs — no two breeds the same — dragged their owners across the snow in what has become an annual fundraiser for the Northwest Montana Humane Society.
The competition featured timed heats as well as drag races with categories for small, medium and large dogs.
The winners collected prizes, but Missoula resident Manolita Conner said the real purpose of the competition was to have fun.
Her dog, an Alaskan husky named Laika, certainly seemed to enjoy the snowy scene while rolling around in the icy accumulation tethered to a 9-foot rope attached to Conner’s waist.
When her time came to run, she bolted across the starting line like a trained sled dog as Conner controlled the direction of the duo.
“I think it’s so much fun because she has the desire to pull,” Conner said.
Laika was born in a kennel of racing dogs but was deemed too small to haul a sled like her kin. That’s why Conner said she’s such a perfect fit for the sport, which she has participated in for four years.
But dog skijoring doesn’t require any specific pedigree.
Alberta resident Donna McLaughlin raced behind Mya and Swift, a Labrador mix and an Australian cattle dog cross. They’re both “working dogs” she said, and they both come from the same background.
She said Mya and Swift were both rescued and have lived somewhat restricted and contained lives.
When she attached them to tow ropes and freed them from their kennels, the canine duo bolted around the track at a speed faster than most.
“I call it downhill skiing horizontally,” McLaughlin said.
She credits Mya’s happiness to the sport. Prior to McLaughlin taking her in, she lived her life affixed to a short leash.
“Probably doing this has saved her life,” she said.
Not all dogs were cooperative Saturday. Some were content to walk beside their human counterparts rather than drag them around the course.
Jonathon Ferre, of Whitefish, was one such participant. His red Australian shepherd Ander took his time around the course, doing a lot more walking than pulling. Ferre said the dog is more apt to pull his wife because he doesn’t quite trust Ferre at the controls.
“He was not in the mood to pull today,” Ferre said. “He wanted to run along side.”
The competition’s youngest participant was 8-year-old Kendall Reed. The Whitefish girl was pulled behind her yellow Labrador Chappy and appeared to be in complete control as she zoomed across the snow in a time faster than most adult participants.
Her father, Doug Reed, said she is often pulled to school on a sled by the family’s dogs. Though she had tried skijoring at home, this was her first competition.
When asked which she enjoyed more, she barely paused.
“[This] is more fun,” she said.