The Otter River Sled Dog Training Center & Wilderness Adventures
Home to over 60 huskies…
Tom and Sally Bauer’s humble abode welcomes individuals from all over the nation. Over 20 years ago the Bauer family became acquainted with the sport when their pet Siberian huskies ran away and attacked the neighbors chicken pen. Little did Tom know that the owner of the chickens was an old-time musher. In order to pay back the damages caused by his loose dogs, Tom agreed to start hooking them up to a sled. Before long, he found himself heading down the trail on the very first UP200 sled dog race.
Their business offers a wide array of family-friendly mushing opportunities including sled dog tours and camping trips all year round. Both Tom and Sally have graciously welcomed a host of young mushers to their kennel including the Mushing Club, which was founded under Tom and Sally’s unconditional support.
The kennel itself is home to over 60 Alaskan huskies, which are a bit different than the well-known Siberian huskies and Alaskan malamutes. The Alaskan huskies are built for competitive mushing with bloodlines containing traces of Siberian huskies, greyhounds, German shorthaired pointers, and German shepherds. They all thrive in an outdoor environment and seem to prefer the worst parts of winter rather than the best parts of summer. Their fur is layered with a dense undercoat protected by guard hairs which keeps them warm even in sub-zero conditions. Their metabolism works like magic and allows them to run up to 1000 miles before tapping in to their fat and glycogen reserves. But food is an upmost priority, and the dogs are fed two large meals a day during the peak of racing season. Those meals contain a mixture of high-performance kibble and raw beef or chicken and is either fed warm or cold depending on the dog’s activities prior to feeding. The energy that the dogs put forth into running is truly awe inspiring and if you’re able to witness a run first hand, you’ll be shocked at how excited the dogs are to pull the sled.
If you would like to learn more about how these fantastic canines get geared up for a race, be sure to watch the video below to see how the Bauer family prepares to enter a team into the CopperDog 150.