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February 1, 2000
Wonderfulwinter for devoteeof dog sleddingBy SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- When Pat Lang, of Lafayette, began dog sledding he found an enjoyable form of recreation and three good friends for life -- Akia, Manitu and Bullet, his three faithful sled dogs. Akia and Manitu are Siberian huskies. Bullet is a boxer, but he has the will and the speed necessary to be a good sled dog. "Dogs are cool. They can do some amazing things," said Lang, "They get to know their masters. They can tell if you're excited or angry by the tone of your voice. If you're excited -- they're excited and they'll run all day. If you're in a bad mood or if things aren't going right, they can tell that, too." Dogs are very smart, and they are a lot smarter than people give them credit for, Lang said. Lang became interested in sledding after he bought his first black and white Siberian husky and he started training the dog. "I've always liked huskies," said Lang, "The blue eyes are cool. The huskies just want to run -- that's what they love to do. Bullet he's just out there to play,he doesn't have the stamina the other dogs have, but that will come." Lang usually takes the dogs out sledding every other day depending on the weather. Anywhere between zero and 20 degrees is good weather for dog sledding. When there is not enough snow on the ground, he will either take the dogs out running with his bicycle in the summer or running alongside his pickup when there isn't enough snow in the winter. "If it's over 80 degrees, I don't run them at all," said Lang, "A lot of sled dogs have the summer off." Lang began training his dogs when they were young pups by hooking them up to a bicycle and running with them. In 1996 he got his sled, a Klondike-type sled. It has runners and is mostly used for recreational activities. It's approximately 6 feet long and 20 inches wide. The bed of the sled rests 6 to 8 inches off the ground. Lang can be found dog sledding on the streets of New Ulm, Flandrau State Park and at his cabin near Brainerd. He sometimes takes his two children Courtney and Samantha with him. "I usually get a lot of stares from people," said Lang, "A few people will stop and ask or say 'Cool'. Some people we must scare the heck out of when they turn around and see these dogs running towards them. All in all, I've had a lot of good luck and a lot of good experiences with them. It's just fun and it's peaceful -- relaxing in a way. I'm one of those people who love the winter -- I don't mind the cold too much."
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