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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Canines Take The Lead In Skijoring

Eric Sharp Knight-Ridder

If you were remaking “The Call of the Wild,” you’d never cast Rayjay as the canine lead. Somehow, a dalmatian just doesn’t look the part of a sled dog.

But don’t tell Rayjay. You’d hurt his feelings.

“He loves this. We started about four years ago and he took to it right away,” Nick Gillette said as he and his spotted dog prepared for a skijoring trip, with Rayjay towing Gillette on cross-country skis across the wintry expanse of a frozen lake.

The 6-year-old dalmatian wore a dogsled harness, but instead of being hooked to a sled, he was hooked directly to Gillette by a 15-foot rope and a 10-foot length of elastic cord.

Gillette was fastened to the bungee end, which clipped to a climbing harness around his waist. When Gillette gave the signal, Rayjay began trotting across the ice, towing his master along at a 10 mph clip.

Skijoring (skee-YO-ring) means “ski driving” and is a major sport in Scandanavia, where skijorers race behind everything from motorcycles to reindeer. In this country, the most popular motive force is a dog or two. Dogsled races often include skijoring events.

“It’s just a great way for the dog and me to get out and have fun together in the winter,” said Gillette. “And it’s cheap. I found the harness for $15 in dog supply shop.”

Skijoring doesn’t require much of a dog. Most people don’t realize that the average sled dog weighs only 40 to 50 pounds; it pulls a driver in addition to the sled and, often, gear.