Instead, she asked for money to buy dogs and equipment. She earned money playing the bagpipes at weddings and pet-sitting. And when she finally did buy her first two dogs in October of 1998, she began training them every day, for hours. She had to teach them the voice commands. She rode with them down her dirt road on a bike, since there was no snow yet.
Sled dogs live outside year-round.
Liz's dogs stay in a pen her father, Scott, built. There's a shed where they sleep, and wooden platforms where they eat or perch to stay out of the snow. On the rare occasions they do come inside the house, they act skittish, jumping up on tables and chasing other pets. She can't wait until she can have eight dogs. Her hobby has taught her much more than just how to race dogs.