Sled Dog Racing: A Furry Hobby for the Whole Family

Sled Dog Racing: A Furry Hobby for the Whole Family

Sled dog racing is a family sport for the Gast kids of Randolph, from left, Eddie, Dillon, and Tiffany, pictured here with Roland, an Alaskan husky, and Racer, a white Siberian. (Herald photo / Robert Eddy)

Three kids, six sled dogs, six puppies, and a winter’s worth of weekend sled dog races.

Life at the Gast family farm on Route 14 in South Randolph, busy year-round, heats up dramatically in the winter.

The Gast kids, Eddie, 12, Dillon, 10, and Tiffany, 8, are regulars—and regular winners—at regional sled dog races in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.

Eddie has consistently placed first in the "three-dog junior" sled division in the past two years.

His younger brother Dillon, not wishing to compete against his brother, races in the adult two-dog skijoring division. Skijoring involves attaching a dog, or two, or three, to a skier, instead of to a sled.

Few youngsters compete in this faster and riskier sport, and Dillon is holding his own against adult competitors, coming in fifth and sixth in recent races.

Tiffany, in her second year in the "one-dog junior" sled division, has already brought home a blue ribbon or two.

The commitment that these young mushers have invested in this unusual winter sport have resulted in more than ribbons and trophies, however.

Bonuses, according to the kids, include family closeness, plenty of excitement, fresh air, and exercise—and, now, national fame.

The February issue of Ranger Rick, a children’s magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation, features a five-page spread on the Gast kids and their kennel of high-energy sled dogs.

Another benefit of the sport—at least the way the Gasts do it—is the way it exercises personal responsibility and an old-fashioned work ethic.

The Gast kids are used to working. Their small family farm is populated with pigs, chickens, and Hereford beef cows, and the children all have their chores.

The dogs, however, add another layer of year-round responsibility.

"The hardest thing is the everyday work" noted mom Patricia Gast. "They love to train and race, but it’s a lot of responsibility to feed and clean-up."

Started at School

It was a sled dog demonstration at school five years ago, when Eddie was a second-grader at the East Randolph School, that started it all.

Eddie was instantly hooked and spent the next two years "bugging us to get a dog," Patricia Gast recalled.

Gast and her husband, George Gast, recognizing the seriousness of Eddie’s interest, eventually bought Racer, a white Siberian husky.

Over the next few years, the sled dog hobby kept growing. The family acquired a wooden sled and other gear. Then came five more dogs—Eurohounds and Alaskan huskies—one at a time, plus many new friends in the New England sled dog community.

This year brought six puppies, of husky and Eurohound parents.

Eddie developed his skills with help from other mushers, including Heather Cox, formerly of Bethel and now living in Alaska.

"I didn’t win at first," noted Eddie, now in his fourth racing season. "It took a couple of years to get everything together."

What makes Eddie and his dogs winners?

"We’re all a team—me and my dogs are a team—I help them and they help me," he answered.

On the race course or training track, Eddie helps by "pedaling" with one foot, or hopping off the sled and running along.

And, added Eddie, "I spend time with the dogs." That includes play time and year-round training, running or biking with the dogs when there’s no snow.

"Every day, before and after school, dogs is basically all I do," Eddie confessed.

He’s lucky, he added that his friend Codi Tabor of Randolph Center is also a musher. Codi is also a top competitor at the races.

Skijoring with Dogs

Ten-year-old Dillon said this week that he decided to try the sport after watching his brother. Last year, Dillon switched to skijoring.

"It’s different than a sled because you don’t have a stable base. It’s faster and you can take tighter corners," he said.

The gang line that connects skier to dog includes an elastic bungee that serves as a shock absorber and protects the skier from getting yanked off his feet when the dogs first leap into a race.

"I got started when Dillon started," recalled Tiffany, who races with the same sled as Eddie, but with only one dog. Her races are one-quarter mile, instead of the four miles that her older brothers run.

Tiffany said she loves the sport for the family time and excitement it brings to what might otherwise be a "boring Saturday and Sunday."

Everyone—including the dogs— piles into the family van to go to races, though Patricia sometimes stays home to tend the rest of the animals.

Like her bigger brothers, Tiffany has her own sled-dog chores.

"I don’t do dog chores," she specified. "But I run a dog at my house and I do puppies—feeding and walking them—and other stuff. I also do chickens."

Those interested in checking out the regional sled dog scene may wish to take in the New England Sled Dog Club sprint races in Waitsfield, Feb. 22 and 23.

More details and pictures may are at www.nesdc.org. The International Sled Dog Racing Association has racing records for the Gasts and other competitors at its site, www.isdra.org.

By Sandy Cooch