Tara Cicatello holds a drop bag she’s helping prepare for Kristin Bacon. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media) - Across Alaska 
Adventure is the profit: the economics of dog handling
Behind many of the world’s top mushing champions is an army of cheap, semi-skilled labor: dog handlers.
Across Alaska, handlers play a pivotal role in competitive mushing. They manage sprawling kennels and help train sled-dogs for competition. It’s a system that thrives on an unconventional economic arrangement.
Behind many of the world’s top mushing champions is an army of cheap, semi-skilled labor: dog handlers.
Across Alaska, handlers play a pivotal role in competitive mushing. They manage sprawling kennels and help train sled-dogs for competition. It’s a system that thrives on an unconventional economic arrangement.
In a chilly, dim room, Tara Cicatello stirred a bucket of frothy brown liquid, a mix of kibble and frozen meat that’s been thawed into a soupy gruel.
“I am making dog food!” Cicatello said cheerfully.
Cicatello grabbed a heavy bucket in each hand, carefully trundled out to the dog yard, and began slopping food into bowls, greeting and cooing to each dog. She is in charge of feeding 25 sled-dogs two to three times a day. After they eat, she retraces her steps, scooping away piles of poop.