Talkeetna family finds malnourished dog team

In a sad holiday saga, three northern valley residents are hoping to find homes for a tangled dog team they found on Monday.

On December 20^th, Nancy Claypool’s husband Sam, was headed out of downtown Talkeetna with his brother in law, Charles Treadway, when they spotted a team of 5 dogs tangled on the railroad tracks.

Sam was an avid amateur musher in the 70s and 80s, and although no longer mushing, knew something was dreadfully wrong with the dogs.

The dogs he spotted on the tracks were in harness, but tangled up. The dogs were not on a true gangline, but roped together with nylon rope. Treadway says they were in a malnourished state.  Claypool said that whoever had been mushing dogs didn’t know what they were doing as there were no D rings or clips, instead the harnesses were tied together with rope.  The men picked the dogs up and took them to their home on the Parks Highway, just north of Talkeetna.

The team is made up of 3 adults and 2 6-month old puppies.  Claypool says they are all well-behaved, trained,  NON-aggressive sled dogs, but were dehydrated and starved.  Sam, Nancy and Charles, are slowly nursing the dogs back to health and at the same time reaching far and wide to the mushing community to find the owners.

Their efforts have failed so far.  Claypool says although the dogs are beautiful, they have no room in their home for 5 dogs.  They hope that mushers and others will take on one or all dogs for foster care until good homes can be found.

Two dogs have harnesses marked with black magic marker. One reads CALLISON and the other SOPTICK.

The Claypool’s and Treadway have asked that anyone willing to help can call 733-5227. Alternatively, Claypool works at the Sunshine Health Clinic and can be reached there.