A well-oiled team of sled dogs can be a moving experience in more ways than one. - Wasilla, Alaska 
Sled Dog Love
It’s early afternoon out at the Team Janssen sled-dog kennels and an affectionate husky named Uno has me in a hug-lock. He places his paws against my chest, reaches up, and covers my face with dog kisses. “Down, Uno,” handler and racer Kristy Berington scolds. Uno, an Iditarod veteran, excitedly licks my chin.
I’m visiting the Janssen kennel, owned by Iditarod musher Scott Janssen, to learn more about sled-dog training, nutrition, healthcare, and gear. What I quickly discover, however, is that mushers love to talk about their dogs. And while outside influences such as high-tech gadgets, expensive pet food, and dog care advances play their role in racing success, mushers and handlers stress proper care and close musher-dog relationships as more important than ever. Some go as far as suggest it may be an overall deciding race factor.
The Janssen kennel, located on the outskirts of Wasilla, houses more than 70 dogs, each of them barking, leaping, and eager to catch our attention.
Kristy is one half of the Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing team. The other half is her identical twin, Anna, and between the two of them they have 12 Iditarod finishes. They own and raise 40 dogs by themselves and also work as Janssen’s handlers. Mushing is their lifestyle, even the not-so-glamorous aspects of slicing 100 pounds of meat for dog meals and scooping and disposing the massive amount of poop so many dogs produce.
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