Borough approves unique rules for sled dog kennels

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough has created a special class of kennel license specifically for dog mushers.

The license, approved at the Mat-Su Borough Assembly’s Nov. 19 meeting, defines a sled dog as, “a member of the genus and species Canus Familiaris that is domesticated, owned and used to pull a sled or vehicle under the control of a Musher.”

Mushers who apply for the special mushing kennel license have to have first had a regular borough kennel license for three years. They also have to be involved in some form of mushing, be it sprint, distance, freight, or recreational. They will be expected to adhere to a specific standard of care for their dogs — failing to do so carries a $200 fine.

But, if they get the new license — which is good for three years — they are entitled to some eased restrictions on things like ordinances prohibiting excessive noise from dogs.

The ordinance, “acknowledges that sled dog kennels are naturally places of noise and commotion. Routine activities such as feeding and watering the dogs, hooking up and unhooking teams, loading and unloading teams, commotion caused by wildlife and the simple fact of tourists visiting all cause noise. An active sled dog kennel cannot be turned ‘on and off’ like a machine,” a memo accompanying the ordinance states.

The ordinance also specifically protects tethering — even tethering briefly in a spot that would put the dogs in reach of roadways. Tethering is a practice common in sled dog kennels that has come under fire from some animal rights groups nationally. The main author of the ordinance, Assemblyman Vern Halter — himself a musher — said a tethering ban would “kill” the sport.

Another piece of the ordinance puts in place modest fines for the infraction of “interfering with a mushing facility or interfering with lawful mushing activity.”

Members of the mushing community were all in favor of the rules change at the Nov. 19 meeting.

“I really appreciate this opportunity to share with you guys how much it means to me that the borough would be attempting a unique opportunity to protect and advance the treatment of sled dogs in our borough,” said Willow’s Dee Dee Jonrowe, a longtime Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race fan favorite and reliable finisher of the race from Willow to Nome.

Cym Smyth, another Willow resident and frequent Iditarod finisher, also spoke in favor.

“There’s a lot of regulations out there, very few are positively supporting our sport,” he said. “It’s a major hobby for a lot of people but it’s also a major business in the state for a lot of people… I pay my taxes with money I make racing sled dogs, raising sled dogs.”

People objecting to the ordinance included local veterinarian Sabrieta Holland, whose concern about rules relating to letting un-tethered dogs train on public land drew a promise from Halter that he would tweak the regulations, and Patty Rosnel, who — as is frequently the case in her testimony — raised a concern about the budget.

“How much would this cost and where would the funds come from?” she asked, pointing out that there was very little funding for code compliance in the budget. “How would we insure compliance?”

Halter said he thinks holders of licenses would require less regulation instead of more regulation.

“This ordinance will make good solid kennels well into the future as the population grows,” Halter said. “I want to see kennels survive and this is my way of trying to craft an ordinance that will allow that.”

His ordinance passed unanimously.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.