Mushers, dog teams make the most of Laurel Mountain snow

Ari Allen doesn’t particularly like being out in the freezing cold on a winter’s day.

But her team of Siberian huskies and one Alaskan husky does.

“I love my dogs. That’s probably the only motivation that would get me outside in this kind of weather,” the Hempfield resident said this week as she prepped three of her dogs for a sled-pulling run atop Laurel Mountain.

Another motivation is the camaraderie she enjoys with other members of the West Penn Mushers, a Facebook-based group of regional sled dog enthusiasts who harness their canine companions to sleds or skis for runs over snow, or to bicycles or other wheeled conveyances for runs on dry land.

Allen has been mushing for about nine years. It began after she adopted a husky and looked for a way to accommodate the breed’s need to burn off energy.

“I started to research it, and there was a whole world that opened up for me,” said Allen, who now has trained half of her dozen pet dogs to pull a sled.

Allen and several other West Penn members took advantage of a recent storm to give their dogs sled time on a snow-covered section of Laurel Summit Road, near the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties.

“This is our go-to spot for snow,” said Polly Bray of Harrison City, a founding member of the group who loaded several of her eight dogs into her van for the trip to Laurel Mountain. For dry runs, she said, “We go to rails-to-trails sometimes,” including a section of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Slickville.

While more than 300 people have joined the Facebook group, there are about 30 active members. According to Bray, most of them pursue mushing as a recreational sport.

“We kind of gear ourselves toward helping new people get started, just trying to keep the sport going,” Bray said. “It’s a fairly inexpensive sport to get started with.

“If you have a bicycle and a dog, for under $75 you can have a harness and a line. You can start out on dry land, and you can build from there.”

Bray started with rescued huskies and has purchased puppies to build her pack.

“I take an obedience class with all my dogs when I get them,” she said. “I incorporate the mushing terms into the class so they catch on a little bit easier.”

Many of the mushing commands are similar to those used when directing horses in harness, Allen noted. “Whoa,” the command to stop, might be one of the more difficult for new mushers to get their huskies to obey.

“I will hear mushers say, ‘How do I get them to stop pulling?’ ” she said. “Most of them really do have the instinct to run and a drive to pull.

“When I get my dogs back in their kennel, I’ll give them a treat. But, honestly, their reward is the run. They really, really like it.”

In snowy conditions, Allen prefers riding on skis behind a pair of huskies. On Laurel Mountain this week, she harnessed a three-dog team to a 30-pound sled — adding over 200 additional pounds for herself and her daughter Tessa, 9, who rode atop the sled. That wasn’t a problem for Tigger, Reno and younger pack member Poppy, who took the rear position in the team.

“They can pull about three times their weight, so they can each pull about 150 pounds,” Allen said, adding, “You always want it to be fun for the dogs. You never want to over-exhaust them.”

While the sport is not appropriate for short-faced dogs, many other breeds in addition to huskies can be trained to pull sleds, Allen said, as long as the dog enjoys the activity. “We have people who run Irish setters, hound dogs, shepherds, Malamutes and Samoyeds,” she said.

A sled run can be a workout for the musher, as well as the dog team. “People say the dogs are doing all the work, and you’re sweating profusely under all this” outerwear, Allen said.

Autumn Furay, a musher from Adamsburg, said the sport requires much patience and preparation, as well as a love for the dogs.

“It takes a lot of time and dedication,” she said. “You have to want to go out in the freezing cold and run them.” When conditions don’t allow for a sled run, she said, “I’ll be in the park hiking with them. I’ll run them on my bike, too.”

Allen and Bray are among local mushers who also belong to the nonprofit Canadian American Sledders, formed in 1962 in Lakefield, Ontario. In Pennsylvania, that group normally organizes a dry land race at Cooper’s Lake Event Venue and Campground near Slippery Rock and a sled race in Chapman State Park in Warren County, but both were canceled this season because of covid-19 concerns about large gatherings.

“Part of the draw is the crowd,” Allen said.

But during a run, the musher’s relationship with her dogs is what counts.

When a team of experienced sled dogs is attuned to the musher’s commands, “It’s awesome,” said Bray. “I know they’ve figured it out. It’s just so much fun seeing how much fun they get out of it.”

Huskies to be highlighted in Ligonier

Bray is involved with Western Pennsylvania’s Husky PAWS Rescue group, a nonprofit that stresses support for and education about the Siberian husky breed.

It will be represented with a merchandise booth at the second annual Hug a Husky meetup Feb. 21 in Ligonier.

The free event is organized by Ligonier Township musher Angel Tunstall and will begin at 2 p.m. at her downtown pet shop, Ligonier Paws on Main Street.

“We like to celebrate the love we have for the huskies with us,” said Tunstall, who mushes with her pets, Aspen and Duke.

Owners will have the opportunity to parade with their dogs around Ligonier’s Diamond and pose for photographs.

“Last year’s was a nice event,” Tunstall said. “We had a lot of huskies from all over Westmoreland County and areas on the outskirts.”

During the parade, she said, “People just pull over and watch the dogs going around.”