Before trucks, snowmobiles and airplanes, the only way to transport supplies on land, in artic regions, was by dogsled. It was also the only way a lost or injured person could be rescued. That history isn’t lost on Maine’s Kate Ray. Because each of the dogs that pull her sleds is a rescue dog.
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Kate and her husband, Brian, are the owners of Dogsled Maine, purveyors of joy – human and canine – via dogsled rides at Sugarloaf Mountain. Kate’s love for the dogs goes way back. Growing up in Buxton, Maine, her favorite toy was a fuzzy husky. She adopted her first real one as a freshman at the University of Maine in Farmington.
Huskies are a unique breed, and very intelligent. As Kate says, they can be a challenge. “But the one thing huskies will do, predictably and eagerly, is pull.” Being love-tapped and hugged and posing for selfies with kids at the end of the ride is predictable too. That and plenty of treats.
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For some very special rescue dogs in Maine, finding a home and getting to make new friends in the snow is the best treat of all.
Mush to Kate Ray’s story here.
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