Every Dog Has Its Day At Priest Lake Sled Race Event Draws 75 Mushers And Their Teams From Across The West

The 65 spectators hunkered around a snowpacked track here Sunday couldn’t help but chuckle at Susie Malcolm.

This was a weight-pulling contest for dogs. Hefty Alaskan malamutes and huskies waited in the wings ready to tug a sled full of concrete blocks.

Malcolm, of Post Falls, trotted out Chelsea. Her 28-pound cocker spaniel.

“Hike, Hike. Dig, dig, dig,” Malcolm hollered to the black and white pooch. Several pulls later, Malcolm’s dog had the crowd clapping not laughing. Chelsea managed to drag 410 pounds across the finish line.

“My husband races the dogs, this is my fun,” said Malcolm.

The nationally sponsored Priest Lake Sled Dog Race drew about 75 mushers this weekend. Some racers came from as far as California, Oregon and Arizona, and they brought nearly 300 dogs to race around Hanna Flats, just north of Priest Lake.

“It’s invigorating to be on a sled behind a bunch of dogs that like to run,” said Allen Shallbetter of Pullman. “You don’t realize how fast they can go. They have a tremendous amount of speed and power.”

Shallbetter and his malamute Nuka were there to compete in the weight pull. Nuka’s best so far has been 2,300 pounds.

Charlie Odegaard drove 1,200 miles from Flagstaff, Ariz. with 18 dogs in tow. Even if he won every race (a total purse of $3,000 was offered) it wouldn’t be enough to pay his traveling expenses.

“This is not a money-making sport,” said Odegaard while watering his dog team that just raced. “You have to love the dogs to do this.”

The mushers say the dogs love it too. As teams are harnessed for a race, other dogs leashed to pickup bumpers or resting inside kennels mounted on pickup trucks, howl, whine and bark with excitement.

“You fall in love with the dogs first, then with the sport,” said LaVonne Hutting of Carson City, Nev. Her truck, complete with a personalized “Mushers” license plate, was loaded with leashes, harnesses, stainless steel dog bowls, vitamins and medicine. Her small cook stove was cooling off after being used to feed the dogs a hot lunch.

“Many of these dogs get taken care of better than some people’s children,” said Hutting.

“It’s just good fun, with good people who love dogs,” added Ron Hewitt of Burbank, Wash. “The sled ride is quiet; you see beautiful country and there are no fumes like riding on a snowmobile.”