MEET US:
OWNERS & GUIDES
Jeff Deeter - Owner. Guide. Iditarod Finisher.Jeff ran his first Iditarod in 2008 at the age of 19. Nearly 100 mushers started the race that particular year, and 18 of them scratched or were withdrawn. Jeff finished in 59th place, with a happy, healthy team of dogs. Like most rookies, Jeff's goals were to finish with a strong dog team and to get a good look at the trail, gaining important knowledge that would help him the next time he ran the race. In the years following his rookie Iditarod run, Jeff continued to compete in mid-distance races and build a more competitive racing team. In the summer of 2010 Jeff met his now-wife, KattiJo. They were co-workers at a dog mushing tour company in southeast Alaska. KattiJo denies it, but Jeff suspects KattiJo first fell in love with Alaska, then with his dogs, and then finally with him. Lucky for Jeff, KattiJo supports his mushing addiction. In 2013 Jeff and KattiJo purchased a piece of land, started their own dog tour company, and began construction on their home. Jeff plans to run the Yukon Quest for the first time in 2017 and the Iditarod again in 2018.
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KattiJo (Katie) Deeter - Owner. Guide. Office / Reservations.KattiJo has her Bachelor of Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. A self-described lover of wilderness, travel, people and animals, KattiJo spent each summer during college traveling somewhere new and trying different lines of work. Summer camps, horseback riding and wilderness programs all grace her resume. But after graduating from UW-L in 2008, KattiJo still wasn't ready to settle down and get a "real job." She spent the next couple years continuing to work her way (literally) through most of the contiguous U.S. and by 2010, only Alaska and Hawaii remained on her list of places she was itching to visit. A google search for "outdoor jobs in Alaska" returned an opportunity to work at a dog sledding tour company in Juneau, Alaska. What luck! Luckier still, KattiJo met Jeff that summer and they have been together ever since. They got married in 2013 and honeymooned in Hawaii.
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STAFF
Riley Dyche. Guide. Darkhorse Racing KennelRiley started running dogs in Leadville, Colorado in 2010, working for a winter tour operation. After three seasons of mushing in Leadville and watching dozens of documentaries on the Iditarod, Riley was eager to get into the more competitive side of mushing. He accepted a handling/mushing position with Alaska Icefield Expeditions (AIE) in the summer of 2013 in Skagway, Alaska. There he met Yukon Quest musher Matt Hall, who offered him a job that winter training and racing his one and two year old dogs. Riley spent that winter season working for Matt in Two Rivers, Alaska, and learning from his expansive knowledge on high quality dog care and training. After working for Matt, Riley spent two more winters handling for Yukon Quest and Iditarod mushers Ryne Olson and Sven Haltmann, respectively. He started his own kennel in 2015 with the goal of building a competitive Yukon Quest and Iditarod team. Riley currently owns 20 dogs, 14 of whom are between the ages of one and two years old. Look for Riley and his dogs to make their rookie Yukon Quest run in 2018.
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Mandy Austin. Guide. Douglas Fir Mushing
Mandy was born in northwest Wisconsin, and was first exposed to dog mushing in northern Minnesota. While working at a lodge there, Mandy took her first dog sled ride and says she "wanted to be a dirty dog musher ever since." While attending Vermilion College in Ely, Minnesota, Mandy took a dog mushing class, which she says changed her life forever. She promptly left school and moved to Alaska's Interior in 2005 to chase her mushing dreams. First Mandy worked for a sprint kennel in Salcha, southeast of Fairbanks. Then she moved to Chena Hot Springs where she worked in the tour kennel there under the management of Brent Sass (who went on to win the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest race in 2015). Mandy eventually took over the management position at Chena Hot Springs Kennel and stayed until 2008. After leaving, Mandy resumed her close working relationship with Brent, and ran a team of his dogs in the 2014 Yukon Quest. She finished in 9th place. Mandy now has 18 sled dogs of her own and hopes to be back on the Yukon Quest trail again in 2018.
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VOLUNTEER
Do you live in the Fairbanks area? We can always use the help of local volunteers to help out with painting dog houses, raking the dog yard, walking puppies, and other random projects. Most of the volunteer work needs to happen in the summer, but come winter we will reward all of your hard work with dog mushing! Keep in mind that we love our volunteers because while they work, we are freed up to do all of the other tasks that need to be done to keep things running here. If you choose to volunteer be prepared to work on your own. Also, we are pretty far from town, so you will have to drive yourself. Also, getting a ride from someone else (like mom or dad) is not usually sustainable. When you come, we suggest you bring snacks, water, a radio/music device, and clothes that can get dirty, ripped, stained, wet, muddy, etc. To learn more or sign up, please send an email to blacksprucedogsledding@gmail.com
Are you looking for a more long-term gig? As you can imagine, leaving our dogs for any extended period of time can be a real challenge. We often need someone to stay here while we are gone hunting, fishing, racing or visiting family. Your primary responsibilities as a house/kennel sitter are to feed and scoop the dogs, keep our off-grid power system running, and haul water from town. In summer there is the added responsibility of being prepared to evacuate our dogs in case of a forest fire. In winter there is the added responsibility of keeping our house warm and plowing snow. Because we are about 45 minutes from town, we don't often recommend house/kennel sitting for people who have day jobs.
A million thanks to our volunteers & house/kennel sitters: Cristen, Kortney, Lindsey and Ian. We love you guys!!!