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News
Sledding through the Stillwater Posted: Thursday, Jan 26, 2006 - 03:23:41 pm PST By ERIC PERO Whitefish Pilot
On Hemi and Roter, Turbo and Throttle, Buckwheat and Spanky, Cupid and Safire. What may seem like a case of Santa's reindeer gone wrong is really an example of dogs, paws and working as a team. Dog Sled Adventures owner Jeff Ulsamer has been running dogs for nearly 25 years and over that time he's accumulated about 90 furry friends. He has a variety of husky, wolf, greyhound, shepherds and one hound at his home north of Olney. Ulsamer admits the hound may seem out of place, but he couldn't let it die at the Lincoln County shelter, where it was slated to be euthanized."They call me the dog man," Ulsamer said. The dogs all live in Ulsamer's yard, which borders the Stillwater State Forest. Ulsamer says his team is bred for the cold weather and the work of pulling a sled. To keep them in good shape, he makes sure they get plenty of exercise and lots to eat -- about 300 pounds of meat per day, which is delivered twice a year by the semi-load. Out in the dog area, it's apparent the dogs are ready to hit the trail. Howls and excitement fill the air as Ulsamer and his two co-workers get the sleds ready for takeoff. Once the dogs are harnessed and the people loaded into sleds, Ulsamer lets out a howl and the dogs are off. The trail is 12 miles long and passes through pristine Stillwater wilderness. When asked how fast the dogs could go, Ulsamer was ambiguous. "We're going the speed of dog," he said. "About 40 paws." The trip takes a little over an hour, but the dogs don't seem to be phased by the trip at all. They actually seem to enjoy the work. They seem to perk up each time Ulsamer gives his trademark howl. He also continually praises the dogs for their good work. Over the years, clients have come to Ulsamer from all over the United States, New Zealand, Jamaica and Australia. He also provides trips to disabled people and corporate businessmen building company unity. "It's teamwork at its finest," Ulsamer said. "People underestimate how smart a dog really is." Ulsamer says he gives about 500 sled rides each winter, and he hopes to break that number this year. During the summer, he continues to exercise his dogs and prepare them for the next winter, using a custom-built sled with wheels that he made from an old car chassis. Ulsamer first came to the Whitefish area 20 years ago. At the time, he wasn't ready to leave Colorado, but a short time later he packed up and headed north. Ulsamer found property bordering the Stillwater State Forest, just north of Olney. Once there, he started working with the state to get a permit to run his dogs in the forest. He arranged a deal where 5 percent of his gross income goes to the public school trust fund. Ulsamer says he was the first business to make recreational dollars in the Stillwater. "I feel good about paying my permit," he said. "That money is being recycled right back into the community." Ulsamer says his acquisition of the home and permit with the state was not a coincidence -- it came from a higher power. "I've got Dog Creek, Dog Lake and Dog Mountain all within a mile of me," he said. Ulsamer's love of animals is apparent in everything he surrounds himself with. While the 90 dogs he has now are mostly bred for the job, he takes animals from racers, shelters and other places. His first dog team came entirely from an animal shelter, which he calls death row. Ulsamer considers his dogs family and says he loves them all equally. "You can't really have favorites, they're like kids," Ulsamer said. "I love them all."
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