(Photo Supplied: One of Christina Traverse’s lead dogs, Odi, needed veterinary attention this morning during her race. Christina Traverse/MushMcMurray).
A Fort McMurray Musher quit a 500 km race to be with one of her dogs.
Christina Traverse was competing in the 2015 Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Trail, from St. Albert to La Ronge. According to its website, Traverse was without one of her dogs when she arrived at the MacLennan River checkpoint this morning.
“As she pulled in she yelled for [a] vet to check Odi one of her main leaders. With a heavy heart she said ‘I’m dropping him’ We all knew this was very emotional. This leaves her with one lead dog Gogi,” wrote her mother Cassandra Slade in a Facebook post this morning.
Odi will be transferred to a vet clinic in Prince Albert or Saskatoon. The dog was reportedly having breathing problems and “not doing well at all.” At about 9:40 a.m. this morning the MushMcMurray team announced it dropped out of the race.
“She said nothing is more important to her now than making sure [Odi] gets the proper care he needs,” wrote Slade.
Traverse and her 12-dog MushMcMurray team have been training for months for the competition. Another Fort McMurray musher, Randy MacKenzie, is still in the race. He was in 6th place at the checkpoint this morning, right ahead of Traverse.
