by John Dowd
Teresa Petterson is on a mission. A fan of both skijoring and dry-land dog racing, her goal is twofold: get more people into the sport and make it to the world championship.
There are 10 sanctioned dry-land races in the U.S. that grant points that go towards the world championship. One of those is held in Seeley Lake, and is organized by Petterson. Her event is one of the few that can help participants earn points to the championship, but unfortunately, the points there are limited. Petterson explained that the sport is much more popular in the Midwest. There are more racing teams and bigger events, meaning there are more opportunities for points. However, the group that participates locally is committed, and they are a tight knit group, who are all high scoring. Because of this, the race gives participants a good judgment on where they fall with their skill level, and allows participants to compete with each other at a high level. Many of the participants, including Petterson, are going to the continental championships in October to try to earn points to the world championship.
The continental dry-land championships will take place at the same location the world dry-land championships will in 2025 – in Minocqua, Wisconsin. This year will be Petterson’s first attempt at the dry-land continental championship. She hopes she will do well, and earn enough points to return again next year for the world championship.
Petterson has a strong background in dog sports in snow, having qualified this year for Team USA in skijoring for the world championship. She will be going to Norway in February to compete. According to Petterson, Norway is the epicenter of sled racing, skijoring and other “dog powered sports” on snow. “It’s the capital of skijoring!” said Petterson.
Nineteen years ago, Petterson watched one of her first sled dog races. While she was there, she witnessed skijoring for the first time, and immediately felt hooked. She described it as an “instant addiction,” and has been participating in the sport ever since. She grew up in Michigan where she cross country skied, so skijoring was a natural next step. Also, having always possessed a love for dogs, it seemed like the perfect sport for her.
She jumped into it with both feet, bred her own dogs and raced with several breeds. In fact, several years ago, she had a Swiss mountain dog named Bridger that was the top in weight pulling in the world for racing dogs. He could pull over 5,000 pounds, and was never beaten, nationally or internationally, for his five-year career in weight pull. “So, when I was skijoring, I had to hold on for dear life!” said Petterson.
Today, her favorite dog breed to skijor with is the German shorthaired pointer. These are one of the top choices for the sport all over the world, and according to Petterson, it comes down to their speed, temperament, intelligence and the fact that she can also hunt with them.
For Petterson, her dogs are her life. She sleeps with them, goes everywhere with them, and trains with them every day. It is almost a full time job, but she loves every minute of it. However, she is not looking forward to traveling with them to Norway, stating that post COVID-19 restrictions have made traveling with dogs harder, especially in Europe.
Another love of Petterson’s is getting people into the sport. She says there are many ways to get into racing with dogs. According to Petterson, all a person needs is a dog. There are races on foot, bike, sled, scooter, skis and more. However, Petterson’s favorites are skijoring and bike-joring. Participants will also want a bungee to connect with the dog, as well as to keep from jerking each other around too hard or causing injury. If they are running, they will need a belt to attach the tether to themselves, and if they are on a bike, sled or scooter, they will attach the bungee tether to the vehicle.
There are also different kinds of races, involving multiple dogs, distance, sprinting and more. With dry-land and snow, there is something for everyone, says Petterson. She participates chiefly in sprints. These can be from one to five miles on dry land, and four to six on snow. According to Petterson, each type of race means training the dogs differently. She compared it to athletes training for marathons versus sprints. If a dog is mainly training for a sprint, then switches to distance, it will slow its pace for the distance, which will hurt its times in the sprint.
The sport is “growing tremendously in the US,” said Petterson. She hopes their race in Seeley will grow as well. This year they were short on beginner level participants, but they had 26 participants overall. She is hoping for more racers next year.
Petterson started her organization, Bitterroot Dog Powered Sports, to get more people into the sport she loves. It is a lifestyle, and for Petterson there are many reasons to get into it, even just as a side hobby. “It keeps you in shape, because the dogs are ready to go all the time,” said Petterson. Also a vet at Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic, dog health is extremely important to Petterson. In her experience, most of the problems she sees boil down to the dogs being out of shape, or having mental health issues due to inactivity. She said racing with dogs “keeps them healthier and happier!”
Parties interested in learning more about “dog-powered sports,” can find Petterson and her organization, online at www.bitterrootdogpoweredsports.com or on their Facebook page. There, parties can learn more about the various sports and how to get involved. She is also looking for sponsors for her trip to Norway, and information on that is available on the website as well.