Windsor
“If you told me back then I would have a kennel of 42 dogs, I would have said ‘yeah, right,’ ” Kathy Bennett said as she recalled her introduction to the world of dog sledding and Siberian huskies. “Some passions become an addiction.”
It’s an obsession that developed into a company for Bennett and her husband, Alex MacLennan, who run Braeburn Siberians, which offers dog sled tours from December through March.
Bennett also works in the education field, while MacLennan is a vegetable farmer.
“We have a very close working relationship with these dogs,” Bennett said. “They’re literally our working partners. They’re our friends … we’re very connected to them.”
Bennett got involved with dog sledding in 2002 through her daughter Elizabeth, who was 9 at the time. She wanted to try it out and Bennett readily agreed.
In 2004, the family got their first dogs, and for a time, Bennett and her daughter raced as mother-daughter duo.
Eventually, Elizabeth opted out of dog sledding, “but by that point, I was smitten,” Bennett said.
MacLennan also caught the sled dog bug. “He slipped down the slippery slope too,” Bennett said.
The 42 dogs living on the couple’s property in Windsor is the most they’ve ever had.
“We certainly wouldn’t want it to get much bigger,” Bennett said. “We like to get to know every dog like it’s our only dog.”
While the dogs primarily live in a kennel, they cycle through the house — “a dog on the bed every night,” Bennett said. Personal relationships are formed with each canine.
The dogs like to run because it’s part of their heritage, Bennett said. Siberian huskies were bred to pull mid-weight loads over long distances.
“They get to do what they love to do,” Bennett said.
The dogs begin to slow down around age 10 and then retire to live out the rest of their days. All of the dogs the couple own participate in sledding.
“It’s a pack thing. They don’t want to be left out of the pack,” MacLennan said. “Whether they’re fast or slow they want to be part of that.”
There’s a misconception out there that huskies are forced to run — mush, mush! — but that’s not true, Bennett said. It’s the opposite.
“It’s making them stop,” Bennett said. “They would probably run for 30 or 40 miles if you let them.”
In the last few years, the couple have added an internship program where people come to learn about managing a large kennel.
“We need the help and we like to teach and there are people out there who like to learn about dog mushing,” Bennett said.
The pack continues to amaze the couple. In addition to being smart, the canines are intuitive.
“We’re always full of respect and awe for all they can teach us mortal humans,” Bennett said.
Currently, their dog Dahlia is dying from cancer and her offspring, through their interactions with her, demonstrate an understanding of her plight.
“They will grieve when she dies,” Bennett said. “They accept it better than we do.”
Losing dogs remains the biggest challenge for the couple.
“It never gets any easier, because you love them all in a different way,” Bennett said. “They always take a little piece of your heart with you when they go.”
What started as a hobby has become all-consuming and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re passionate about what we do, and the most rewarding thing is working in partnership with the dogs,” Bennett said. “And doing that out in nature and making people happy by sharing that with them.”
“It’s pretty cool seeing the dogs share their magic with somebody who has no frame of reference for something like this. They’re just blown away.”
Editor’s note: Learn more about Braeburn Siberians, visit http://www.braeburnsiberians.com/.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.