Our visit with Martin Buser, 4-time Iditarod champion, was a fun and furry adventure. We had a brief explanation of the Iditarod Race with Buser's son, Rohn, age 19. Our group was able to view the many awards Martin Buser has won over the last 20+ years in his trophy room. Rohn is a musher in his own right, coming in 36th place in the 2008 Iditarod. We were able to hold the week old puppies, pet the sled team, and have Martin entertain us with a 1-man show explaining the roles of the musher, the volunteer, and the veterinarian at each checkpoint of the race. When it was time for Martin Buser to hook the dogs up to his sled, you can't imagine the excitement (chaos) with more than 20 barking dogs, all eager to be chosen for this particular run. THE NOISE WAS DEAFENING because each of the dogs just had to be picked! They jumped and pulled against their harnesses as Martin attached them, one by one. Martin got on the sled and it took off like a shot, no wheels, just wooden runners and fast. In a few minutes, Buser completed a loop around the property and rode back into the parking lot. Whoosh! The teens seemed to each have a favorite - Becca chose Jefferson, Macson picked Otter, Nastia loved Caribou, and Alex couldn't get Yosemite off of his leg. Beware parents, they are being shipped separately to Virginia. Get lots of dog food now! Stefanie got an autographed card of Wolfie. Each member of our group received a free dog bootie, actually used during the Iditarod race, to protect the paws of the pooches. Ron found the doggy-sized hamster wheel and couldn't resist the temptation. The dogs didn't know what to think!
