From grief comes inspiration for Navy SEAL turned dog musher

A few months before leaving the Navy, musher Jeff Reid’s beloved dog Frank, who he had rescued from Afghanistan, tragically passed away in a car accident. In the midst of his grief, Reid found inspiration for the next phase of his life.

“Losing Frank was incredibly difficult, and I felt like I would never connect with a dog in the same way again. However, reading Gary Paulsen’s book ‘Winterdance,’ which centers on the Iditarod, sparked an idea…perhaps I could find that special bond with a team of sled dogs while running this challenging race.”

His transition from a Navy SEAL Combat Veteran to the Alaskan frontier is awe inspiring, choosing a different sort of path very few have ever taken transitioning from the Navy to professional dog musher. In 2017, he and his wife made the decision to turn this dream into a reality, packing up and moving to Alaska. Reid had the opportunity to learn all about dog mushing from famed mushers Aily Zirkle and Allen Moore while handling for SP Kennel.

“After that first season, my wife and I acquired dogs from SP Kennel and purchased property along with 6 dogs from veteran musher Sebastian Schnuelle, giving birth to Frozen Trident Kennel.”

Over the next few years, they have expanded their kennel while growing a family, juggling puppies and babies, all while working toward qualifying for the Iditarod, qualifying last year after completing his final 300-mile qualifying race.