After running 1049+ miles, Mary was still bopping around at the finish. That craziness could be a liability on the team, but Mary finished in Nome in the 2017 race for musher Trent Herbst. She and owner Ed Stielstra relayed the varied personalities of dogs just as though they were students in a classroom! For instance, Mary, or Bloody Mary as Ed called her, is a “crazy hyper” dog. I found it so interesting talking with Laura Neese who is working at Natures Kennel in Michigan. As the teacher, or musher if you will, it is our job to care for, train, encourage, and build them into a cohesive unit or team that can learn and go above and beyond. As you get your class list, do your eyebrows go up at certain names? Do you feel a twinge of joy seeing other names? Whether we are thrilled or not, those students are our team this year.
