Luther Buhr

How many years have you been running dogs?

7 years

Tell us about your dogs, particularly some stories or facts about dogs running the 2020 race with you

My YQ300 team will be a mix of Riley Dyche's yearlings and a few of my own yearlings, so I'm very, very excited about that!

How did you get started running dogs?

I had a canoe guide who was also a musher when I was 15. Speaking with him about mushing sparked my interest in the sport. I dabbled with mushing a little in 2012. In 2013, I made the move to Fairbanks to chase my mushing dreams. Since then I've handled for Sven Haltmann, Matt Hall and Riley Dyche, plus I started to breed my own team!

What do you love most about running sled dogs?

The dogs plus their love, passion and enthusiasm. I love watching young dogs develop into top-tier athletes.

Why did you enter the Yukon Quest? What are your goals for the race?

I entered this race to give these yearlings a quality learning experience. My goal is to get 14 happy wagging tails across the finish line!

How did your dogs get their names?/ How do you choose names?

Riley's yearlings consist of the "Lord of the Rings" litter and "The Triple Crown" litter. Riley loves the Lord of the Rings books and The Triple Crown pups were born around the time Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018. My personal yearlings are the "Canoe Brand" litter (Old Town, Wenonah and Seliga). I've always had a strong love of being on the water.

What music do you listen to on the trail?

Everything from Tupac and Biggie to The Black Keys and Trampled by Turtles. Audio books are also a staple to my training season.

Share a quick story about one of your indispensable Handlers

I am the 'indispensible handler'...haha...that has a nice ring to it!

Tell us about your favourite experience with a volunteer on the trail

I've been involved with the Yukon Quest for a few years now and I've never had a bad experience with a volunteer! Everybody has always been super happy and helpful!

List recent sled dog races and/or best performances

2017 Two Rivers 200 - 11th place; 2016 Copper Basin 300 - 25th place.

Musher Question & Answer