Gerry Willomitzer

In mid-January Gerry and 16 dogs headed up the Alaska Highway again — wait… That should read “headed down.” This time around the BlackJack dog rig took the famed highway heading south towards Alberta and across the line into Montana and Wyoming to compete in the Eukanuba Stage Stop Race.

The mission for the first 10 days has been to “make red blood cells.” As the race course is at elevations between 6,000 and 9,000 feet, the athletes (including Gerry) need to acclimatize and adjust their bodies to perform in thinner air. It will also be an opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of “Cowboy Country,” which Gerry still remembers well from his previous visit to the “Wyoming Stage Stop” as a handler for William Kleedehn in 1997.