The Big Question | What Makes a Top Dog?

If it were up to Polly Mahoney, she’d work for the rest of her life. “A lot of people count the days until they retire,” says the 58-year-old Maine native, who began dogsledding in northern British Columbia in 1979. “I’m counting the days I can keep doing this.” With her partner, Maine Guide Kevin Slater, Mahoney runs Mahoosuc Guide Service, which leads dogsled trips in the winter and canoe trips from spring to fall. We recently caught up with Mahoney at her home, which she shares with Slater and 36 Yukon huskies, in Newry, Maine.

I came from a family that loved the outdoors—it was just a part of our lives. I’d go out into the woods by myself, on my horse, and I’d find peace out there. Being close to nature, not being around any kind of clutter, having a connection to something bigger than myself. That’s still the case. I don’t go to church; I go outdoors.”

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“As soon as I graduated from high school, I headed west. I wanted to be outside and I wanted adventure. I worked as a ski bum in Wyoming and guided trail rides at Point Reyes National Seashore in California. I eventually ended up in Alaska, where I met my first husband, who introduced me to mushing. We later settled in British Columbia. I worked as a cook and guide at a big-game hunting camp. But after six or seven years the isolation got to me. I wanted to be around more people, to share my experience working with dogs.

“Then an old high school friend told me about this Maine Guide, Kevin Slater, who mushed. He was trying to scrape together enough money to start a dogsledding school and needed a helper. I applied, and he hired me. I decided to come back to Maine for just one winter to work with him and see my family. That was 1990. I never left.”

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“These dogs are like my family. It’s a labor of love, but they’re great company and I love the connection I make with them. They have this intuition that’s really amazing. Some can read my mind even before I’ve issued a command. They know where to go. Sometimes in the morning, I’ll be lying in bed, and they’ll just start howling. I haven’t made a noise—I’ve only opened my eyes—but they somehow know I’m awake.” 

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“The dogs have an incredible enthusiasm to pull. It’s in their breeding. When you tie them up, they’re jumping and barking. But as you take off, it becomes totally silent. That’s an incredible thing to experience. All you hear is their breathing and their feet on the snow. That’s why I always tell people not to talk on the sleds: First, it’s distracting to the dogs, but I also don’t want them to miss this very primitive feeling.”

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“You’re never certain what kind of dog you have until they’re in harness, but you can tell early on who might be a good leader. When they’re puppies, we’ll start taking them out for walks in the woods. If we get to a log they can’t climb over, the smart ones will immediately go around it rather than sit and whimper. When they’re older and we’re running them through the woods, the ones who have the will to keep up—that’s another sign. I’ve got a pup now who is only 3 months old but already reminds me of Amber, one of our main lead dogs, who has a lot of drive and is smart and devoted. That’s the thing about our dogs: Their bloodlines go back to the old Yukon dogs. They’re big, hardworking, and long-legged, but steady, calm, and very friendly.”

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“When you’re out there, you don’t think about home, you don’t think about bills. You’re exactly where you are. You’re on the sled. You’re mushing across a lake. You’re at camp. You’re chopping a hole in the ice to get water. You’re collecting firewood to be warm that night. There’s a simplicity to it all. When I do get stressed, I try to go back to that mode. Am I hungry? Am I thirsty? Am I warm? The basics.”

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“The No. 1 lesson is to not let go of the reins, or else the dogs will keep going. Years ago we had two women, both lawyers, whom we took out on Richardson Lake. It was cold and icy and they fell off their sled. These two sophisticated women from the city were dragged across that lake on their bellies. Talk about a raw experience! But they never let go, and they were so proud of that. I bet they still talk about it.”

For more information about Mahoosuc Guide Service or to book a trip, go to mahoosuc.com.