The Dogs, the Mushers, the Community Draw Cummings School Staff to Sled Dog Races

The sled dogs’ athleticism, the musher-dog bond, the way a small community rallies around their hometown race—the magic of it all pulls in volunteers from across the country to the annual Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races in Fort Kent, Maine. The volunteer veterinary team includes a growing contingent from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, who draw on expertise and skills from their day jobs to ensure the health of the sled dog athletes.

The Can-Am Crown consists of three races—30, 100, and 250 miles—through the upper St. John Valley in the Allagash Wilderness region. The mushers and their canine teams, mainly Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, set out on a chilly Saturday morning in March, with the 30-mile race lasting a few hours and the 250-mile race several days.

Fort Kent, with a population of 2,400, brings in a few thousand volunteers for the Can-Am Crown. Regulars on the veterinary team are Cummings School veterinary technicians Mike Santasieri (he/him), who manages the Joseph Kelley, D.V.M. Simulation Laboratory in the Office of Professional Education, and Ashley Pope (she/her) on the oncology team at Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA). This past race marks the third for the pair, who happen to be engaged. When a former FHSA colleague, Fayth Weed, a longtime race volunteer and now a musher, invited Pope and Santasieri along, they accepted, curious to try out a new aspect of veterinary medicine.

“That first year, I had an absolute blast and was immediately hooked,” says Santasieri. “It’s something we really look forward to every year because it’s a unique feel and a unique event with the whole community getting involved.”

Pope agrees, “Mike and I are lifers.”

First-timer Dr. Julia Berger, V20 (she/her), an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Ambulatory Medicine and Theriogenology at Cummings School, was encouraged to volunteer by a mentor involved with the races.

“It’s a world I didn’t have exposure to prior. It was incredible,” says Berger. “It’s truly an international event between the Canadian and U.S. teams. The community was the most wonderful aspect of it. I’m already planning to go back.”

Before the races begin, the veterinary team examines all the sled dogs to ensure they are healthy to compete. Spectators line the town’s Main Street for the race start, which winds under a bridge connecting the United States with Canada.

“The dogs get so fired up when they know they’re about to race,” says Santasieri. “At the starting line, they can’t hold a whole team of dogs back with just the brakes on the sled—they are hooked onto ATVs to hold the sleds back. The dogs are howling, barking, and literally jumping straight up in the air because they’re so excited.”

The veterinary teams then disperse to make-shift clinics along the trails (some mandatory, with nose-to-tail physicals for every dog) to provide veterinary services if mushers have concerns about their dogs and as rest stops. Pope and Santasieri staffed the mandatory Allagash checkpoint for the 100 and 250-mile races, located at a diner and municipal building, respectively.

“We’re there for the mushers and the dogs. The goal is to make sure they have a happy, healthy race so that the dogs and mushers get to keep doing what they love,” says Pope.

The veterinary teams are outfitted in bright green armbands and lights, making them easily recognizable to the mushers and handlers. Pope and Santasieri’s team donned matching green leis and nicknamed their checkpoint the Allagash Aloha Station.

“I’m not sure how we landed such a cushy gig. Between shifts, you get to hang out in the diner and eat delicious food. It’s a really fun outpost,” says Santasieri.

Berger was stationed in a wilderness checkpoint set up in a logging station garage along the 250-mile trail. Eight Canadian and American teams passed through over her three days there.

“The teams come into our checkpoint at any hour of the day,” says Berger. “It’s exciting to see them come in. At night, you’ll see this whole set of eyes coming through the woods, and it’s silent unless a musher is giving them directions or encouragement.”

Berger hails from the large animal veterinary realm, a clinician with Tuft Veterinary Field Service (TVFS). She has specialized training with horses and also treats small ruminants, camelids, and occasionally pigs and cattle, traveling with TVFS to see animals on the farm or in the field.

“We are used to treating animals regardless of the environment. I didn’t expect evaluating animals at a trail stop to translate so well. I was surprised how much was applicable between large animal medicine and sled dog medicine,” says Berger.

With race temperatures dipping as low as negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, Berger is familiar with treating patients in cold weather, such as how to administer fluids in the field without freezing and in the dark, often working by headlamps or truck lights. Her background in equine lameness helped her pick up on musculoskeletal issues in the sled dogs.

Previously on the Emergency Medicine and Critical Care (ECC) team and later the hemodialysis unit at FHSA, Santasieri now manages the Kelley Simulation Lab and teaches Clinical Skills labs. He also works with Nero’s Law Training Project, managing equipment for police dog trainers throughout Massachusetts. His work with sled dogs sparked an interest in working dog and athlete medicine. He recently presented on trauma and emergency first aid on the trail at a sport dog trade fair.

Before joining the oncology service at FHSA, Pope worked in emergency medicine. “This is my once-a-year foray back into ECC,” she says.

Similarly, the pool of veterinary team volunteers represents a broad spectrum of fields—from general practice to niche specialties—some local and some from as far as Texas.

“The diversity on our team allows us to better care for the dogs,” says Santasieri. “There’s this culture on the veterinary team of sharing knowledge. If it looks like a dog’s gait is slightly different, we call the rest of the team over. It’s a fun, educational experience for all of us.”

While the Can-Am Crown was canceled last year due to insufficient snowfall, this year, the teams raced through tons of fresh powder. “Dogs were breaking trail, so it’s a lot more strenuous,” says Berger.

The most common ailments were sore paws and shoulders from all the snow. Dogs remain at a checkpoint if they’re not in a condition to continue, are overly tired, or if mushers strategically drop them. Each team starts with 12 dogs, and mushers can drop up to three dogs for injury or if they’re slowing down the team.

On top of the excitement of the racing, the fellowship among the veterinary team, mushers, and the local community is palpable.

“The mushers were great to work with, especially to see the camaraderie of the U.S. and Canadian teams together,” says Berger. “How much the mushers really value the welfare of the dogs over everything else really stood out for me.”

Santasieri echoes Berger’s sentiments, “Mushers are so tuned in with their dogs. They know every tiny detail about their dogs and notice any changes that occur. They’re always calling us over to take a look at something or ask our opinion. The bond they have with their dogs is absolutely incredible.”

The races and spirit of volunteerism are deeply embedded into the Fort Kent community. People from the town donate food to all the veterinary checkpoints. A local cook prepared meals around the clock at Berger’s station. After the races ended, residents invited the entire veterinary team for dinner at their home.

“The sense of community is always amazing and impressive to me. Almost every resident of the area has something to do with the races,” says Pope.

The last team to cross the Can-Am Crown finish line receives a red lantern, symbolizing that the lights are kept on for the mushers and dogs until the very end—with Cummings School’s crew among those light-bearers.