G
ee!” yelled Jim Blair, standing on
the dogsled behind me, as we
approached a fork in the trail. The
lead dogs, Leonard and Tuna, suddenly
turned to the right and the six other dogs
in our team followed, pulling the sled
smoothly along a snow-covered woods
road through an evergreen forest. As the
dogs loped along in unison, it was quiet
except for the whoosh of the wooden sled
and an occasional creak, as it slid against
one of the snowbanks lining the trail when
we rounded a turn.
“
Jim is the head musher and owner of Eden
Dogsledding, located in the northern
Vermont town of Eden, about 50 minutes
north of Stowe. He has been dogsledding
for more than 20 years. Now he has 40
dogs and offers dogsled rides in the winter
and dogcart rides in the summer on his
140-acre property in the Eden Snow Belt.
Jim is one of a small group of Vermonters
who own sled-dog teams and a select few
who offer rides to the public.
Jim got into dogsledding almost by
accident. He was a home improvement
contractor and Nordic ski racer living in
Craftsbury and training for ski marathons
when he realized his two dogs weren’t
getting enough exercise. One day he saw
someone skijoring—a Scandinavian sport
in which a dog(s) or horse pulls a skier. He
decided to try it with his dogs, and
eventually they began racing, becoming
national champions. As Jim acquired more
dogs, he needed a sled to train several at
once. Now he regularly races his sled-dog
teams in Quebec over distances of 6 to 13
miles (considered sprints). They have won
many awards, including the International
Sled Dog Sports World Cup in 2003–04
with a six-dog sled. In 2000, Jim began
offering sled-dog rides, and the business
took off immediately.
When I arrived at Eden Dogsledding, a
team of dogs that had just finished giving a
ride was sitting patiently, still hitched to a
sled and waiting for their treats. I met Jim’s
assistant Cathy, who ushered me inside. A
dozen mixed-breed dogs of all shapes and
sizes lounged on furniture and dog beds,
enjoying the warmth of the wood stove.
These were the “lobby dogs”: older, retired,
or “special needs” dogs. Several came
over to greet me. Many had light blue
eyes, indicating Siberian husky ancestry.
Most of Jim’s dogs are “Alaskan huskies,”
part Siberian husky and northern native
village dog as well as other breeds. These
dogs are bred for speed and endurance.
I met the four guests who had just gotten
off the dogsled: Ron and Carol Vantine
from Minnesota and their two grandchil-
dren, Hugo and Leola, from Burlington.
Ron and Carol had tried dogsledding in
their home state and wanted to give their
grandchildren the experience. “Dogsled-
ding is a neat combination of dogs
working with people,” said Carol. They
were attracted to Eden Dogsledding
because of Jim’s emphasis on ethical
treatment of working dogs. He calls his
dogs “the unchained gang” and has one of
the few free-ranging kennels for
commercial and race sled dogs in North
America. In contrast, many other sled dogs
are kept chained to their doghouses. Other
competitors tell Jim that he wins races
because his dogs are happier.
Fourteen-year-old Hugo enjoyed the speed
and smooth ride and had fun learning to
drive the sled. His sister, 10-year-old Leola,
only knew dogs as pets, and she was
surprised by their strength. The Vantines
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