Dog Musher Combines Love of Sled Dogs with Art

The Sled Dog Sanctuary located south of Talkeetna offers nurturing homes for sled dogs in need. Raven Vinter and her partner, James Langston are passionate dog mushers that filled a niche to re-home sled dogs that require special attention. On their 40 acres, there is a lot of work in the upkeep of a dog yard, maintaining trails, and feeding 22 dogs. A special bond develops in the process of nurturing these dogs. Raven Vinter uses her artwork to capture the essence of these dogs so that she can remember their unique personalities beyond their years.

KTNA’a Katie Writer spoke with Raven Vinter about the therapeutic aspect of her art.

The Iditarod attracts a lot of worldwide attention that displays the iconic Alaskan Husky teams mushing across the wilderness. While much of the focus is on the racing aspect of the sport, there are inevitably dogs that need re-homing. Two mushers of the Upper Susitna Valley have focused their lives

providing homes for dogs in need.

While there is an adoption option for some of the dogs, many of them do not do well with re-homing. As a non-profit, Sled Dog Sanctuary has set up a way for people to adopt a dog online thru offering a monthly or yearly financial contribution.  The dogs of Sled Dog Sanctuary can be viewed at: www.sleddogsanctuary.com and artwork seen at: www.NordicNightStudio.com