Laura (17 yrs old) fixing a bootie during the Jr Yukon Quest in Alaska.
Where I've been:
I first became interested in sled dogs at the age of eleven while living in Leavenworth, WA. an outdoor paradise. With support from two of the best parents in the world I started pursuing a deeper knowledge in the sport of dog sledding. When I turned thirteen my dad took me to a mushers' symposium in Fairbanks, AK. where the "top dogs" of the sport run, to see if dog sledding was really something I wanted to get myself into. While in Fairbanks I got the opportunity to run a small team of four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher's dogs. Needless to say, I was hooked from then on. At the age of fourteen, with school books in tow, I began spending my winters in North Pole, AK. I became a "kennel hand" also known as a "handler" for Rusty Hagan and began obtaining my own kennel bloodlines. By the time I graduated from high school I had built, bred, raised, trained, and raced my own kennel of 26 dogs. Bootie fixed! The team's off and running!
Girl is goin' crazy fast! Look at that rooster tail whooosh!