My experience with Team Seavey

2007 Wildride, retired Iditarod Champions Angus and Zebra
pull Alaskan Malamute rescue Buddy out of the Arena.

Guys, I'm having a hard time remaining silent. For over a month I've watched a friend and former employer go through some pretty crappy things, and for the most part he's handled it with far more grace and dignity than I ever could. But, in the last couple of weeks, a couple of blowhards looking for - I guess - a little more limelight decided to jump on the hate train and come out with some pretty ugly allegations of their own. I won't link to their writings, because I feel that any more hits to their site is exactly what they want... and she who must not be named demanded over two years ago that I not use her name on my blog. So I won't. But if you're reading this blog post, my guess is you know who and what I'm talking about.

I met Dallas Seavey in the spring of 2007. He was starting a new attraction in Downtown Anchorage and was hiring folks to work in his gift shop. I ended up landing a "bigger" role than "just" gift shop girl. I ran the soundboard for his outdoor arena where he and his [then] fiance and a few other mushers showcased the power of the sled dog. I worked for them for four summers straight. It was probably the most fun I have EVER had with a job - and that's including my being a professional photographer. I'm not exaggerating for anyone. You can pretty much ask anyone who knows me - I talk about Wildride, still, after 10 years. I LOVED that job. I LOVED being around dogs and puppies all day. I LOVE the people I got to work with.

After I moved back to the Kenai in 2011, I figured I was done working for the team in any sort of capacity. I didn't even make it up to see the show in its final year, I was so busy trying to make ends meet. It was a very lonely time. I missed being part in some way of a sled dog team. How weird is that? I was never a dog handler. I still can't tell you the more intimate details of training, feeding, etc. But I loved being a part of the bigger picture. It wasn't long, though, before Team Seavey came calling again.

I worked for Mitch Seavey for another three years. Again, not in any dog handling position, but the daily office work that comes with running a touring business as well as social media for an active racing kennel. Again, I had a blast and learned so much and I'll always be grateful. But this was where I became increasingly aware of the ugliness of mushing. Don't think this is going to be a blog post supporting the allegations being lobbied at both Dallas and Mitch, far from it. I'm talking the ugly, untrue, and disgusting thing said by the likes of PeTA and other "Animal Rights" organizations against the Iditarod and the sport itself. One group used to have a "head hunter" list of mushers who needed to be "dealt with". Their photos from the Iditarod Website were placed on wanted posters. It was crazy. But the real kicker was when "fellow mushers" (term used loosely) decided to go after the team that was on top.

My first encounter with Mitch was my first week of work with Dallas back in 2007. That was the year that the Ramy Brooks "incident" happened during Iditarod. The decision had just come down from the Iditarod that Brooks would be banned from the race for 2 years, and following that would have a 3 year probation. As a fan of the sport, I felt the sentence was too light (still do), and for some reason when I met Mitch it was a burning question in my head that I had to ask. What did he think? I woke the bear with that question. Mitch has a way with words. Many find him standoffish with not a lot to say, but I think he just likes to choose his words carefully. One of the many things I admire about Mitch is how he presents himself, and how he speaks. I could listen to him talk shop for hours (which I've been chastised by his wife at different functions where the last thing she wants to hear is more dog talk).

Mitch let it be known than hitting/spanking/beating a dog was the most asinine way to try to get a dog to run. Key word is "try". You cannot beat a dog to run. That was a point he stated repeatedly in his - what felt like eternal - rant. Nothing good comes from losing your temper and taking it out on your team. The dogs' first instinct is to curl up and protect itself by shutting down and hoping it stops. They do  not understand what they are doing "wrong". Sled dogs are out there to have fun. Period. If it isn't fun, they stop. It is a delicate balance of how much you can push and for how long before they pull a Forrest Gump, stop, turn around and say, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now" in the middle of no where. It's a mantra that Mitch has held on to I'm sure his entire racing career.

It's why his kids and fans sometimes get frustrated with him because he typically plays it a little "too safe" and holds his dogs back and makes the push too late. You don't want the race to ever become a chore for the dogs. When it does, it's not pretty. Most mushers eventually take it in stride and hang their head low knowing they - not the dogs - did something wrong. They forgot for a second about the dogs need to have fun, and they focused on the placement. Or they were just having so much fun themselves going at a nice clip that they didn't see the subtle warning signs.

Please note: this is what I took away from Mitch's statements over the years, I in no way speak for him.

You can see how my first year working for Dallas & Mitch shaped my outlook on the sport. The Seaveys have been a part of the Iditarod since the beginning. Since before the beginning. Dan Seavey (possibly one of the greatest human beings to ever breathe air) was one of the friends helping Joe Redington get his crazy idea of a race started. He's raced it. He's defended it. He's watched a son and a grandson both win it. Iditarod's a big deal in their family. Their involvement is due to Dan following a childhood dream to Alaska and staying here to see it through.



While I never worked the day to day chores of the dog lot, I observed it on a daily basis. The idea that Dallas is such a great actor to pull the wool over everyone's eyes is laughable. Sure, he's a showman. He knows how to present himself. No one's going to argue that. He is well-spoken, intelligent (great now he has written proof I said that), and engaging. I watched the show 3 times a day 6-7 days a week for four summers and I was entertained each time. But it wasn't just a show. It wasn't like the crowd left and Dallas became this unfeeling ogre who barked orders and made sure the dogs feared him.

Dallas with his lead dog, Fridge, in 2008.

I watched Dallas work tirelessly with a particular dog that his dad just couldn't get anything out of him. Fridge was part of one of Mitch's star litters. Fridge's siblings were all go-getters, smart, easy to train. They went on to win the All-Alaska Sweepstakes in 2008. But not Fridge. Fridge was one who just did not respond well to Mitch. He washed out, but Dallas saw something he liked. Fridge had so much personality. I got to know him when he was at Wildride. He was the class clown. He loved nipping at the older dogs to try and get them to grumble at him, once he got that reaction he'd sit back and have this look on his face like he was laughing.

When Dallas put him in as the "lead dog in training" Fridge definitely had some work ahead of him. He was supposed to help Dallas demonstrate how lead dogs listen to their musher to follow a trail when there isn't one. I would keep Dallas' mic on (though at a lower volume because he had to yell the commands to the dog) and he would command the team through a series of barrels (think of a barrel race with a horse). It took a lot of work on Dallas and Fridge's part to work out just what he was supposed to do. Dallas was most likely frustrated, but he never let it show - either in the show or during practices between shows. Fridge was given a lot of attention and praise - especially when he figured out the barrels! The more positive Dallas stayed, the more eager Fridge was to figure out what the heck he was supposed to do.

I don't remember what the turning point was, when it clicked for Fridge, but I remember Dallas proudly telling his dad that Fridge was one heck of a leader. Mitch scoffed. There was no way. Dallas just gave that cocky 20-something-male look at his dad and went and got ready for the show. Sure enough, Fridge exceeded every expectation (I think including Dallas's that day). Fridge was alert, and looked every bit as confident as the best leader ever seen. The goofball got serious! It was impressive. After the show Mitch came back and mentioned that Fridge did far better than he thought he would... and Fridge was being the giant dork of a dog that he was. I think that was when Mitch just decided Fridge and Dallas were made for each other. Next thing I knew - Fridge was one of Dallas' dogs, not Mitch's. Dallas had high hopes and plans for that dog.

Fridge playing crack the whip during a show at Wildride in 2009.

That summer Fridge really came into his own. So much so that he got cocky enough to upstage Dallas during shows. We always knew when it was coming, too. Fridge had a tell. Every time his tail popped straight up it meant Fridge was going to rocket through the barrels and Dallas had to hold on and be ready to play crack the whip. Most of the time Dallas managed control, but there were times Dallas was a bit wide eyed. During the demonstration, Dallas would throw a stuffed animal (a seagull) out into the arena, always in a different location. Then he would run the team out to it. The idea was the dogs wouldn't know what they were headed out to. Problem was, Fridge figured it out. At first he would just run past it and "boop" it with his nose. By the end of the summer he was grabbing it as he ran by (again with that tail straight up, all proud of himself). Dallas originally tried to kindly discourage it, but everyone (my guess is even Dallas) LOVED it, so before too long it was allowed, and then as Dallas let his team leave the arena, he'd tell Fridge to get his bird, and Fridge would take the team out of the arena with his tail up high and bird in his mouth.

In 2009, Dallas took Fridge on the Iditarod. Dallas placed in the top 10 for the first time in his career. Dallas had broken away from Mitch's kennel to start his own. Fridge did amazingly well, and Dallas gave a lot of credit for his success to his leader. Fridge once again upstaged Dallas for a full summer of guests, and then went back to the main kennel to continue training for the 2010 Iditarod.

When I came back for the show in 2010 I was working as relief for their new sound guy. I had a full time job and just did not have the time - and they'd found someone who was more qualified than I was to run the sound (thank God!). However they needed me for a few weeks so I happily came back (at the end of the summer they asked what I was owed and I said nothing! though I did try to talk them out of a puppy). As I wandered around backstage to get reacquainted with everyone I looked at the dogs and noticed there was a face missing. I asked one of the returning mushers where Fridge was, and she shushed me as Dallas was in the area. Fridge had to have emergency surgery earlier in the winter, and had died on the operating table. It wasn't a topic we brought up when the boss was around. Even though the loss was months earlier, and Dallas was seeing success with the team he had, his future superstar made his mark.

Superstar Lead Dog Fridge and his beloved Seagull.

I don't expect this to change opinions on what has been said about either musher. I can tell many more stories, but this is already a novel of a post. I can share more photos. I can share more imagery with words (like the time I caught Mitch just quietly talking to his giant sled dog Angus who was getting old and arthritic and Mitch just rubbed his face and talked to him like old friends do). I can talk about all of the puppies born into the kennels and loved on and given nicknames (some of which stuck). Stories made by Dallas and the other mushers in the Wildride crew about the dogs. The friendships, that lasted even after we all went our separate ways.

"Lake Enema" when the summer in 2008 was basically rain every day and we had to find ways to drain the arena and there just wasn't any place for the water to go. The dogs ran through it and the water splashed up in the mushers faces. I had to find creative ways to keep the electronics from frying. I could talk about Pedro the Houdini Dog who managed to wiggle out of his harness and we didn't notice it until half way through the show, and he somehow found his way back into the dog lot and into the dog truck. We're still not sure how that happened.

Humans didn't just bond with other humans, we all had our favorite dogs. And I think the dogs each had their favorite human(s). I'm still not sure if Buddy and Hugo liked me and THAT's why they lifted their leg and peed on me almost daily. I still miss the pair of pants I lost to the piranha puppies (they were the perfect fit!).

I never saw a hand raised to a dog in anger or for funsies. I've never seen dogs mistreated. I've never seen dogs killed because they were too old, didn't make the cut, etc. I have seen dogs that were injured "beyond repair" to run in the Iditarod again have forever homes. Robin broke his foot in his Iditarod running with Mitch, and then became Danny Seavey's hiking and canoing companion. I had to listen to Robin howl and cry when he'd visit Wildride and had to be left in the gift shop because if we didn't leave him there he would try to run with the dogs in the arena. Retired Iditarod champions Angus and Zebra came out for show, to hook up and get the current and future crop of Iditarod team dogs revved up and ready to pull. Dallas has his three legged dog who they tried very hard to convince to be an inside dog after he lost his leg - and he'll have none of it. He wants to be out in the yard with his "pack" not lazing about on the couch. That's for other retirees.

I'm sure there are folks that worked for them that didn't have as much fun. Working for perfectionists would drive anyone nuts (they drove me nuts a time or two, but the fun always outweighed the frustrating for me). But that someone would go into a kennel with an agenda as what has apparently happened now to Dallas and Jen is mind boggling. How did you not see what was actually going on? Was making your 15 minutes of fame so much more important than seeing the truth? I don't have to make up stuff to make them look good. They ARE good. Not just as champions, but as dog trainers, and as people.

So, I'll leave with you some more of my memories of the best summers of my life (so far).

Author's note: All of my views are my own, and as I remember them. I was not asked to write on behalf of any musher or their family. I am not on anyone's payroll. These words are mine, and mine alone.