Paul loves to sing, said Knik musher Hunter Keefe.
It’s not surprising given his name. Paul is part of the “the Beatles litter” and he’s named after Paul McCartney, Keefe said.
Paul is four years old. This is his and Keefe’s second Iditarod. Paul usually runs either in swing — the position right behind the leaders — or in the team, the dogs behind swing.
Keefe described Paul as loud, enthusiastic and, honestly, “a little much.” He said Paul has as much energy before a 40-mile training run as he does after. Keefe has to make sure to put Paul next to the right dog when racing down the trail.
“Paul has got to be with someone who can handle somebody who’s really loud and in their face,” he said.
Enter: Paul’s brother George aka George Harrison. Keefe said Paul and George often run side-by-side because George also has a ton of energy and barks nonstop.
“Kind of the whole litter is that way and I really like that about them,” he said. “They are a handful 90% of the year, and then when you get in the race, they’re exactly what you want.”
Paul is part of our “Dog of the Day” Iditarod series. We will publish a new dog profile during each day of the race.
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Tegan Hanlon is the digital managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at thanlon@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8447. Read more about Tegan here.
