Laika

SPONSORED BY JULIA HAYNIE

Laika comes from Kelim Siberians in New Hampshire. She was a very smart pup: quick to be house-trained and crate-trained. She mastered walking on the leash within a few minutes.

Laika’s biggest quirk is her fear of strangers. I’ve never had a dog that was this timid with new people. It can be difficult to see her cower and hide any time I have guests over. She generally warms up to women quickly, but takes much longer to trust men.

Unfortunately, Laika’s shyness has impacted her racing career. She is very selective about who can handle her at the starting chute and will back out of her harness if she’s scared. She struggles with large groups of people and does not like busy dog yards at events.

Despite her shy nature, she was a fairly good sled dog in her early years. She is capable of leading, but hates the crowds and photographers at finish lines. As my team grew and changed, I noticed she had a harder time keeping up. In 2026, I decided that she would primarily be a “B Team” dog. I’ll see how far she gets in training with the race team, but I expect her to be on the sidelines at events and sticking to shorter runs by mid to late season.