Pedigree Stage Stop Race

06/10/2026

Part 9 in the Summer Series:

The Andersons – Sled dogs are a family affair!
We live on an off-grid homestead in Northern Minnesota, where our sled dog team is truly part of the family. This past Stage Stop marked our 20th time racing in Wyoming. Needless to say, it has become such a big part of our story — but there’s a lot of life happening between the racing seasons.
With Sara and Eli homeschooled, summer gives us the perfect time to finish their lessons, raise chickens, garden, train pups, and enjoy being together at home.
Sara works at the local hardware store and is a sourdough baking queen, but her heart is always with the dogs. She helped on almost every training run this past winter and is already looking forward to racing more in the near future!
Eli is our resident builder and budding entrepreneur. He loves walking and playing with our sled dog/house dog Tortita (Tor-Te-Ta) and is constantly dreaming up his next big idea.
Anna speaks across the nation on marketing & technology in the trades, and is also very busy running her business, A-Squared Marketing. When she isn't working, you will find her doing school with the kids, canning, watercolor painting, taking photos of nature, or gardening.
JR spends his summers building new things on the homestead or working on custom building projects for clients. He’s also deeply involved in learning holistic health for both humans and dogs. His knowledge is invaluable in keeping our family and dogs healthy. Enjoying the quiet, dogs, and nature are where JR thrives!
Life is full, but we are already dreaming and planning for the next race season — the trails in Wyoming always call us back.

06/03/2026

Part 2: Austin Forney and his wife Anessa call Leadville, Colorado home. Austin spends the summer months as most mushers do; raising the next generation of puppies, scooping p**p, repairing gear & equipment, building doghouses and planning for the 2027 Stage Stop Race a race which Austin has finished 12 consecutive times. If you know Austin, you know that he spends most, if not all, of his time away from the kennel in Nebraska. His family has owned & operated a cattle ranch in the Sandhills of western Nebraska since his great, great grandfather Stanley Forney started ranching in 1906. The ranch is still family owned & operated and in its sixth generation of family members who are all still very involved with the ranch. Austin takes multiple trips to the ranch during the summer months and was just there in early May for a week helping with annual spring bull testing, herd vaccinations and branding calves. If you can’t find Austin at the ranch he’s most likely at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln watching Nebraska Cornhusker football games or with his sister, Joey, for their annual tradition of attending the College World Series in Omaha. When not in Nebraska, Austin and his wife love to attend concerts in Colorado and live 90 miles from the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater where they have seen countless shows. It’s a lot to squeeze into the short summers at elevation of 10,152ft in Leadville. Austin will begin his varsity training for Stage Stop August 15 as the high altitude where his kennel is located has wonderful benefits for a sled dog team with low humidity and consistent low temperature ranges lasting well into the spring and starting early in the fall. But as for now he’s looking forward to the College World Series in mid June so instead of “see you in Jackson” from Austin it’s “see you in Omaha.”

06/03/2026

Part 8 of the series will be 2 posts. This one will feature a video done by our Videographer BJ. The second post will be Austin who is featured in the video. BJ's recent film about dog musher Alix
Crittenden won a national Public Media Award and was screened at the 2025 Casper International Film Festival.
Meet BJ Klophaus
BJ is a documentary filmmaker based in Lander, WY. Driven by a love of meeting people and exploring new places, his curiosity often leads him off the beaten path. He believes that the quiet moments and unsung heroes are home to the most powerful stories.

05/28/2026

I edited Part 7 with new information and added photos.

05/27/2026

Edited Version, 3 photos were missing and she is Rue Rue now

Part 7 of the Series. Its a very special one. This was a new program that the race launched for the 2026 Ceremonial Start in Jackson. I think it was a success. Looking forward to doing it for the 2027 Ceremonial Start.
*** Meet Gloria : New Name RueRue***

From shelter dog to center stage, and then straight into a forever home.

Gloria was born on 7/8/2025 and came to the shelter on 1/23/2026 after being surrendered by her previous owner. An AKC-registered American Bully with a sweet personality, Gloria quickly won over everyone she met with her gentle nature, love of toys, and affectionate spirit.

When we selected Gloria to participate in the opening ceremony of the Pedigree Stage Stop Race in Jackson, WY, we knew she was the perfect ambassador for shelter dogs everywhere. Gloria soaked up every bit of attention and showed the crowd exactly who she is - loving, playful, friendly, and full of personality.

But the best part of Gloria’s story happened at the event itself.

A couple met Gloria and instantly fell in love with her. It was one of those moments where you could just tell she had found her people. By the end of the event, Gloria had officially been adopted by Jeff and Rene and was on her way to begin her new life in Idaho with a family who absolutely adored her from first sight.

What an incredible ending and beginning for a very special girl. 🐶✨

05/20/2026

Part 6 of the Series

Bruce Magnusson and his wife Laura Bontrager hail from Michigan, though they’re not really sure where to call “home” as they travel 3 months of the year racing sled dogs, spend 5 months in Onaway, MI training their black lab, and 4 months up north in Newberry, MI on some of the best sled dog trails in the lower 48. Home is where the dogs are.
Bruce started racing dogs in 2002, and his rookie year at Stage Stop was 2006. His kennel has never missed a year of the race since then, often having 2 teams competing each year. Stage stop is not “just a race” but the main goal of each season, and definitely has shaped his life. Laura started racing in 2001 through her mentors Bob & Jan Shaw, got addicted to the sport at a young age, and never looked back.
The Magnusson name is a well known one in the working dog world, as Bruce comes from a family of dog lovers. His father Roger has been training competitive field trial retrievers for 65+ years, owning & training the first Michigan titled Labrador retriever, who Bruce grew up with as a kid. Laura and Bruce are lucky enough now to enjoy both sled dog racing with their 52 huskies and field trial competitions with their black lab, Anka. All year long their days are full of dogs, whether it’s the sled dogs or the lab, they’ve built their life around these incredible canine athletes and wouldn’t have it any other way. Laura and her lab train 7 days a week in the summer, and while Field labs are much different than Alaskan Huskies, the importance of trust, love, and mutual respect in the human-canine relationship is the same. Both Bruce & Laura have learned so much from the sled dogs that gets put to use on a daily basis with the Labrador, and training Anka has taught them a lot about how dogs learn and think.
Most summer days are filled with dog/puppy socialization, trail & kennel maintenance, and training, but if they’re not in the kennel you can find them enjoying nature in the beautiful UP of Michigan. Picking blueberries, watching a Lake Superior sunset, bird hunting, hiking, spending time with each of their families.
Each fall they host a “Rig Session” event where mushers from all over North America come to train dogs together. Rig session attracts all sorts of mushers with all sorts of dogs, from long distance pure bred teams to canicross house-pets, and usually 8 or so different stage stop mushers! We believe that the best part about sled dog racing is the relationships mushers build with their dogs, but another perk is the friendships between mushers. It’s a great weekend to learn with and from each other, and is always their favorite weekend of the year.
Laura works seasonally at a local Veterinary Clinic where each day she learns new techniques and new products to help keep the dogs in tip-top shape. Bruce owns and runs a Forging Manufacturing company, Lincoln Forge. Lincoln Forge is a family business employing ~40 people and makes forgings for the heavy truck, aerospace, and automotive industries. Bruce is thankful to his family and employees there for being such a great team which allows him to travel to come to races like Stage Stop each year.
Bruce & Laura would like to thank the Mars family for their continued support of the pedigree stage stop race.

05/13/2026

Part 5 of the series. Our 1st K9 in the spot light is John Deere. He comes from Rivest/Malo Family. He was featured in a few interviews. Here is some information that was provided from an interview.
John Deere was born in our kennel in 2015, August the 31st. He’s out of Alvin, one of our main leader and line breeding and Cleo, a female that was trade by Raymond Cook. We have bred together speed and endurance and our goal with that combination was to have puppy's like Alvin but with a hairy coat. John Deere was a shy puppy and kind of independent. When we harnessed him for the first time, he showed us already that he was going to be special…. Not that he had a super friendly attitude or anything like this, but John Deere was already a serious and strong worker. We used to write comments in our training book for every puppy training runs so we know their abilities and learning. John Deere was given “number 1” for each runs he did like everything he did was perfect. As a yearling, John Deere kept his way. He was learning fast because “work” seems to be what he like the most. He ends up his yearling season in the Copper Dog 80 with Tristan and placed second on swing for that long and hilly race. He had raced some shorter races prior to this one. He was then in a small group of yearlings that were promising for the years to come. No need to say that he was already showing endurance and speed skills. After his yearling season, we start to teach John Deere to lead the team. That process was quite long as he is an anxious dog. He was always worried about everything on the trail and our older leaders made a great job teaching him to stay calm and believe in himself. At 2 years old, he led in training runs and raced on swing or team position in our main team in 4 big events of 3 days over 30 miles (The Pas World Championship, Cross Lake dog race, Copper dogs 150 and Canadian derby Yellowknife). He took a step forward and became a shining star….always working hard and fast and tough. At 3 years of age, John Deere reveal his skills as a leader. He still was nervous with things on the trail but with him on lead, the team was gaining in speed and constancy. The gap we made was wide enough that I was feeling that he could wear out all the dogs with ease. Also, he is a ferocious competitor: If John Deere get to see a team in front, you can be sure that he will get it no matter what. In his way, he seems to coach his teammates so the whole team was performing better. He was now more than a leader but a KEY dog to win races by increasing the quality of the team. He also took his place in the kennel. I mean he took THE main spot. In all my musher career, I never had a leader that became a real leader of the pack like he is, and his behavior is noticeable. EVERY time we drop dogs on the trailer (they are always loose) he will make circle around the pack, smell and listen to anything that could be a danger. If he find something, and believe me it can be a mile away, he will complain and draw faster circle around us. The other males will also show respect to him by gently biting his lower jaw and never play with him if he doesn’t start it. “Big red” is THE LEADER of the pack, a gentle, a wise and a serious one. For Rivest Kennel, John Deere is an achievement of long years of raising sled dogs. In him, we have reached our goal finally regarding physique. He is perfect to us: long legs with good angle, long and strong back, muscled shoulder and thigh, compact foot, and straight wrist and finally hairy coat. He also has a smooth and long gait that is so Cook’s characteristic. John Deere sure has a strong personality, and he is super wise. He is a master in reading feelings. His sixth sense is particularly important so that if he trust you, communication is possible.
In the kennel and on the road, John Deere is a sweetheart. He likes to be pet, never look for trouble… we never have to say his name for anything. He’s not that kind when strangers are in the place though, barking and hiding behind his doghouse or the trailer.
Can I say that John Deere is the best dog with had raised so far in our Kennel? Well, in 30 years of mushing, we had the chance to share our life with a lot a super dogs and great personalities. He is for sure a perfect athlete in our standards, a key dog in our kennel and a precious member of our family. John Deere is 10 years old now and he can’t wait to jump on the trail….
As the main leader, he won Pedigree Stage Stop Race in 2019-2020-2021-2022-2023, The Pas World Championship 2019-2022-2023, Cross Lake Championship 2019-2020-2022-2023

05/06/2026

Part 4
We the Tetzner family (Michael, Doreen and Leonie) live together with 60 dogs next to the Nordic-Baltic-Sea-Channel in Burg/Germany, 40 minutes north of Hamburg. Our house was built in 1892 and was formerly the lock keeper`s house when the town was connected to the channel, to transport coal and firewood into Burg. Michael has been involved in sled dog racing for 40 years, has competed in and won countless races. Doreen has been racing since 2008. Leonie is 16 years old and is already a 9-times world champion and 10-times North American champion. Since 2011, we have had our own petfood company called Icepaw for dogs and cats , which we supply throughout Europe. Outside of the season, we go road cycling and go-karting. Michael drives his Porsche, and Doreen loves Formula 1.We also do a lot of other sports like running ,swimming and climbing. Every year when planning for the upcoming race season, it begins in August . 32 dogs have to be flown to Canada ,then we travel to the Stage Stop and afterwards we are headed to Alaska. It is always a big challenge because, in addition to all the organization, the business also has to run smoothly. Summer is playtime with the puppies. The adult dogs have a large free-running area to enjoy. All the dogs live in kennels with insulated doghouses.The dogs take turns living in the house, to improve their socialization.Leonie is in high school and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.Michael has done the stage stop four times now , and Leonie has done it twice .

I am sorry Leonie, It would not allow me to tag you in this post..

04/29/2026

Part 3
Life Between Racing Seasons in the Rivest/Malo Family
The Dog Athletes: Training and Daily Life
Between two racing seasons, the Rivest/Malo family’s daily life revolves around their sled dog athletes. Throughout the year, the family dedicates themselves not only to caring for their dogs, but also to developing a variety of skills essential for their sled dog careers. The dogs are taught socialization, good manners, walking on a leash, responding to recall commands, staying close when off-leash, and learning all the physical and mental skills necessary to become successful sled dogs.
The family ensures that the dogs have time to simply enjoy being dogs as well. Activities include playing with puppies, taking them on walks—both leashed and loose—, teaching them how to behave around people and just goof around like dogs. Yearlings are trained to remain well-behaved on the line, acclimate to harnesses, practice leash walks, and get used to trailer trips. Adult dogs continue their harness training and are allowed to play freely with their companions. Altogether, the family spends about eight hours each day, with two people working seven days a week, from the end of racing season until the start of their annual three-month trip.
All the family is totally involved in the dog’s world as both son’s are born in it. Their 2 girlfriends are too, Capucine and Molly are working in the kennel as well and Molly is studying in vet school.
The Family Business: Environment and Landscaping
In addition to their work with sled dogs, the Rivest/Malo family operates a family business specialized on environmental services and landscaping. Founded in 2008, the business runs seasonally from April to December. The team consists of ten members, including biologists and wildlife technicians. More information about their work is available on their website, www.abfr.ca. Although the site is in French, the images provide insight into the company's activities. Tristan and Capucine, both biologists, are actively involved in the business.
On the Environmental Side
The environmental department is responsible for surveying wetlands, plants, and wildlife, which involves spending considerable time outdoors and conducting office work for reporting purposes. Anny serves as the CEO of the department. Each morning begins with a team briefing, after which members pair up to carry out surveys according to established protocols. At the end of the day, data is entered into the computer and used to prepare reports that help clients make informed decisions.
Over the years, the department has developed expertise in wetland habitats and brook trout, while also gaining experience with various wildlife groups. Their work includes bird surveys, snake population studies, mammal monitoring, and research on different fish species.
On the Landscaping Side
Marco leads the landscaping team, which is responsible for tasks such as landscaping, removing dangerous trees, maintaining roads by cutting brush with a tractor, and operating heavy machinery including a mini excavator. The job requires both physical strength to handle the equipment and manual labor, as well as artistic skills to design and create attractive outdoor environments.
But also…
Tristan is also a hunting guide for various game species. He has traveled in Newfoundland, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Yukon to gain expertise. His guiding experience covers moose, ram, caribou, white-tailed deer, and grizzly bears. Despite not having a lifetime of experience, Tristan is recognized as a highly successful guide in the hunting world. We all are hunters and fishers. Every summer we spend 7 days on a huge lake all the family to get part of our fish for the year. It's the only vacation we have in our busy seasonal work. It's an important time of the year where we reconnect with the nature in camping with no cell service just silence
Also, we produce all our meat ourselves, raise and butcher it witch is not common: beef, pork, chicken and eggs too!!

WE JUST LOVE TO BE OUTISDE WITH ANIMALS PARTICULARLY DOGS!!!!

02/12/2026

Wyoming's Alix Crittenden "Loves the competition"!

Dogs on the starting line of the 31st Wyoming Stage Stop race on Feb. 7 made a wide array of noises.