The Door County Sled Dogs
are dedicated to saving rescues,
but also educating the public.
Musher Dan tells us more.
Can you tell me about the work of this group?
- Yeah, the Door County Sled Dogs
is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit group.
[high-pitched barking]
All our dogs are rescues.
They're indoor pets; never chained, never kenneled.
Our primary focus is education.
The group was started by
two retired Milwaukee Public Schools teachers
that people kept asking them questions.
They'd see them out and ask them questions about the dogs
and they thought this was a great way
to continue educating people
and teaching people about dogs and dog-powered sports.
- Very nice.
And so what do you all do during the offseason?
- The offseason, we don't do the pulling
because of their thick coats.
They tend to overheat so they get a nice break,
but we do have an education center
up in Ephraim, Wisconsin in Door County
where the public can come and see the team in the summers.
It's air-conditioned so it's not weather dependent.
And we have a fenced-in backyard so they can actually see
how the dogs really live their life.
- Dog sledding seems like a lot of work.
Do the dogs actually enjoy it?
- They love to do it.
The command for us to stop is "whoa."
We always joke and say,
"The dogs love to go, not so much on the whoa."
- The dogs clearly love the ride,
but who wouldn't?
[fun happy-go-lucky music, with a fast beat]
- Good job, everybody.
Good job. There we go.
[scratching records] - DJ: Get creative!