“We all share the trails and we want everyone to be safe” Mushers and snow machiners fundraising for lighted dog collars

Alaska is a place for adventure seekers, outdoor lovers, and people wanting to experience a different way of life. Whatever the reason, the last frontier calls to people from all walks of life.

For Cherie Lovely, the draw was a lifelong dream of becoming a dog musher and even competing in the Iditarod. Seven and a half years ago, she and her husband left Washington State behind, in hope of making that, and a few other Alaskan dreams come true.

But life decided to throw a few curves her way, and health issues have forced her to put her dog mushing dreams on hold. But she found a way to still be a part of the mushing world.

“I was blessed to go to work in 2022 doing mushing tour bookings for AK Sled Dog Tours & Alaska Helicopter Tours. I was working on gaining strength and mobility in hope of finally getting on the sled rails. Sadly, this past June, my blood disease relapsed and I was told I may not survive another relapse so I needed to make the best of every day I have,” Lovely says.

She had to take a medical leave from both jobs and not long after that, Josiah (Liebe), one of their mushers who was driving a sled for Dallas Seavey on the Denali Highway, was involved in an accident with a snow machiner that tragically killed two dogs and severely injured three other dogs. Lovely felt compelled to do something.

“I felt so strongly that I had to do SOMETHING to help lead dogs be more easily seen on the trails, but I had no clue what to do. My heart was broken for the lost and injured dogs on our team. I started reaching out to musher friends and asking what would help and reflective tape or lighted collars kept coming up.”

After a second accident involving a dog mushing team and a snow machiner earlier this month, in nearly the same area of Denali Highway, Lovely says she saw a post suggesting lighted collars and she knew that was what she wanted to do.

She says that the Light-Up Collars were suggested by multiple mushers, and after doing some research, they were chosen because of their ruggedness, guarantee, brightness, usability, and the fact they are made by a small business.

“I started out by buying collars for a few mushers and then decided to see if anyone would donate so I could buy more.” From there, it became a family affair. “My daughter helped make a Facebook page, Venmo, Instagram and videos to get information out, and people have been so supportive of my dream to provide as many collars as I can to any musher that asks.”

That is also when Michelle Stevens, President of the Alaska Snowmachine Alliance, and the Petersville Community Nonprofit, stepped in to help.

“We want to bring the two communities together. There’s been so much misinformation out there, we knew we had to get involved, because in the end, we all share the trails and we want everyone to be safe,” says Stevens. She was also able to bring her nonprofit experience in, and together she and Lovely have created a fundraiser to provide Light-Up Collars for the lead dogs of dog mushing teams.

“None of us wants to see the dog teams hurt. It truly scares us that we might injure a team, hurt someone out there,” says Stevens.

The partnership has helped raise just over $1400 of the $5000 goal, and together, there are plans to produce a trail safety and awareness brochure. The fundraising is a grassroots effort with no corporate or other backing, simply being accomplished by donations from throughout the different communities.

“We all use the trails-mushers, machiners, snowshoers, fat-tire bikes-and we all want a solution. And we all want to raise the awareness of the multi-use trails,” says Stevens.

“These collars ensure that these incredible canine athletes can be seen and stay safe on the trails,” says Lovely. “It is about keeping the dog teams and youth mushers safe. They both are the heart and soul of this sport and we need to do everything we can to help keep them seen and safe.”

“We can’t always see at night out there. And while a single headlight or reflective vest is good, with the windy conditions, snow, and trails that haven’t been groomed for a while, that one headlight from a dog team could be mistaken for another snow machine, and steps might not be taken if it looks like another machine out there,” says Stevens. “These collars have colors and provide a steady light that will help everyone out on the trails.”

For Stevens, a lifelong Alaskan and lifelong snow machiner, her groups take trail maintenance to heart, working to make sure the trails are groomed and safe.

“A lot of the clubs fund grooming, sometimes scraping together pennies to help pay for the grooming.” She says that just to groom the trails out in Petersville once a week costs $90,000. “It’s not enough. We’d love to do it more, two to three times a week, but we just can’t fund it.”

For now, the fundraising campaign remains a labor of love. Each collar costs $33.00, and the collars are donated to mushers.

“Absolutely no collars are sold. These are gifted to any musher that wants them. 100% of donations go to ordering more collars. We have committed to providing collars to each Jr musher in both the Jr Iditarod and the Willow Jr. 100. A sponsor has stepped up and covered the cost of those 50 collars. Every penny that comes to us goes into purchasing lighted collars to gift out,” says Lovely.

“Together, snowmachiners, dog mushers, and all user groups of our multi-use trails can make a difference in keeping the trails safe.”

As for what happens once the campaign is over, Lovely said that she would love for it to grow into something that supports youth dog mushers, focuses on trail safety, and makes the trails safer everyone.”

“I never thought it would become what it is growing into, and it gives me so much joy.”

For more information about Light Up the Lead Dogs, please visit their Facebook page.

For more information about the Alaska Snowmachine Alliance, visit www.alaskasnowmachinealliance.org

To donate to the campaign, visit the Light Up the Lead Dogs Fundraising page

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