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Go Dog Sledding in CNY

Get a retired sled dog, start slow, check some local races, says expert.

If you’ve ever seen a team of sled dogs in action, it’s pretty awsome. A team of dogs glides almost noiselessly at an astonishing speed. A person being pulled by the team seems to float on top of the snow and out of sight. If you’ve ever felt the urge to catch the sensation, here are some ideas from a guy who’s been there.

“The power is out of this world, but you don’t hear the motorized sound. It’s almost silent,” said Gar Morey, a professional musher (that’s driver in dog-sled talk) from Fonda, near Schenectady.

Morey heads up the Mohawk Valley Sled Dog Club, which is under reconstruction. Morey was brought up in a doggie family, as he is a second-generation musher. He ran his first race at the age of 4 and has been training his daughter since about the time she could walk. He is the owner of Outlaw Racing and at any given time 15-20 professional sled teams run with Outlaw. Morey knows his stuff.

Here is a basic sled dog tutorial. Sled dogs can be of many breeds. Many are hybrid hounds based in the Scandinavian area. Malamutes and huskies can also be sled dogs. Sled dog teams vary in numbers. There can be four, six, eight and up to 20 dogs pulling. Race lengths come in three categories: sprint, distance and mid-distance. The shortest races are about four miles and races like the famed Iditarod in Alaska are one thousand miles. There are two types of racing, which are snow and dry land. That’s right, dogs race on dry land using a sort of sled/bike with three or four wheels.

Now that you have some background here is how to get started.

For people trying to get started in the sport, Morey has some basic advice. Start small. He recommends getting a retired dog from a professional team. That way the dog knows the ropes and the beginner doesn’t have to worry about training an animal. Sled dogs are typically very healthy and live longer than other dogs, so getting a retired dog will still give you plenty of time with that animal.

“You’re going to have fun because this dog already knows what it’s doing,” said Morey.

From there Morey recommends trying skijoring. Skijoring is a form of the sport where one or two dogs pull a Nordic skier. You just need a harness and minimal equipment. You can do some form of skijoring all year. You can train with dogs pulling you on rollerblades or a bicycle.

“If you’re a good skier it’s very economical. You can jump right in and go to amateur events on the weekends,” said Morey.

If you aren’t such a good skier, don’t despair. You can still get involved. There are NYS clubs and races where you can connect with veteran racers (see info at the end of the article). Connecting with people who know the sport will be crucial if you don’t know a lot about racing.

“Go to some races and see if it’s something you really want to do,” said Morey.

If you grow to love the sport you can build. You can trade in your skis for a sled and start traveling across the country for races. You can convert your garage to a kennel and start running Internet searches for $20,000 hybrid hounds from Norway. For now though, Morey says to start small and learn.

“Start up on a very small scale. It takes time to get the knowledge and learn the techniques,” said Morey.

Where to Go

For more information on sled dogs, races, clubs and exhibitions, visit www.sleddogcentral.com or www.outlawdogsleds.com.

You may also contact some clubs:

• Canadian American Sledders Inc., Rob Dennis, Waterport, NY.

E-mail: canadian_americansledders@hotmail.com

• Mohawk Valley Sled Dog Club

Gar Morey, 390 Yellowville Road, Fonda

Email: info@mvsdc.org

• Seneca Siberian Husky Club

Patricia Leight, 601 Clay Ave., Rochester

E-mail: siberian@frontiernet.net