It was hard to hear rookie musher Jed Stephensen over the barking of his dog Boomer at the Iditarod ceremonial start on Saturday. That’s pretty normal for the 3-year-old.
“After doing a 300-mile race, he still had the same energy,” said Stephensen.
Boomer’s piercing blue eyes, tawny muzzle and elegant white stripe from his nose to his forehead belies the fact that he’s a bit of a klutz, quick to break things in the house, said Stephensen. He described Boomer as 68 pounds of pure muscle.
“He’s like a bull in a china store,” said Stephensen. “His name is very fitting for him, he’s just a constant explosion.”
That energy serves him on trail, where, despite his large size, Stephenson said he’s incredibly durable and hard-charging.
Boomer is part of our “Dog of the Day” series. Each day during the Iditarod, we’ll feature a new dog making the 1,000-mile dash to Nome. Earlier, we met Dusty and Moose.
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Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.
