Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Mar 17/03) - Shannon Hessian has taken a year off from her job as a school teacher to dedicate her time to dogsledding.

With a team of 10 dogs she is out on the land almost every day and she says she loves it.

Shannon Hessian poses with Larry, one of her sled dogs. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

News/North: When did you first get interested in dogsledding?

Shannon Hessian: In 1991 I came to Iqaluit and I've had my own team since 1998. I did an Outward Bound course and we did it with dog teams and skiing. I just thought it was an interesting way to travel. I met Matty McNair of Northwinds and I just started helping her with her dogs.

N/N: What is Outward Bound?

SH: It is an outdoor leaders school. It's an international school that started in the early 90s and it used to offer programs here. Youth would come from across the Baffin region and some would come from the South.

N/N: What is your interest in sledding, are you a racer?

SH: It's purely recreational. I had a snowmobile and was into snowmobiling. Then I was so inspired by the Inuit sled dog and what a dynamic dog it was. They never give up. I was also so inspired by the number of women in town that were running dogs, like Matty McNair.

N/N: What does it take to run your own team?

SH: It takes a lot of time and a lot of dedication to work with them and raise them and get on the land. It's a daily job. That's why I like to have jobs cause you get out every day. If I didn't have the dogs I'm not sure I'd be motivated to get outside and you have to get out every day to feed them and you have to run them.

N/N: What's it like being out on the land with your dogs?

SH: It's just you and the dogs. It's a sense of peace and it's an incredible feeling to be able to look and see the landscape and see forever. It's a sense of being independent, it's just you and the dogs.

It's so exciting to know these are the descendants of dogs traditionally in the North for the Inuit people were just such an important part of their life. I like to go out with other people and share that with them.

NN: How many dogs do you have?

SH: I have 10 dogs.

N/N: What are their names?

SH: Rosie, Nunatuq, Pingo, Larry, Curly, Mo, Napouq, Tawaga, Pjiumimi and Tigawaq.

N/N: How did you put your team together?

SH: We inherited part of the team from a friend that was leaving town. He gave us eight dogs. Some of those dogs have passed away so we have built them back up.

N/N: What does it take to maintain a sled team?

SH: In August we start to collect seals. We buy seal from local hunters and start putting it away for the winter. Recently I spent three days replacing the runners on the bottom of the sled. We haven't had a lot of snow so I ran them down to the wood.

N/N: How often do you run the dogs?

SH: It's a bit rockier out on the trail but I'm out at least five days a week.

The winds have been a little rough but it hasn't been too bad.

N/N: What do you do for a living?

SH: I am a teacher. I teach at the middle school. I'm on a year leave to run the dogs and for a change of pace.

N/N: Why did you decide to take a year off work?

SH: I just wanted to take the year and work with the team and see what it would be like to spend that much time with the team. I'd also like to start doing a little outfitting.

N/N: Are you licensed for that yet?

SH: We're getting one, we're in the process of getting one.

N/N: Have you noticed a difference now that you can work with the team more?

SH: They are more settled. I feel so much more confident. I've tried going different ways and going overnight. I really feel like we're a team. It's not just me and then the dogs, we are together.

N/N: What else do you like about running the team?

SH: I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean (Nova Scotia). You can look and see forever. When I'm out on the land it's the same feeling of openness. It can also be an unforgiving place. The storms can come at any time, the same as on the ocean.

N/N: Do you plan to go back to teaching?

SH: My plan is to go back to teaching. I've always tried to incorporate dogsledding into my teaching.

Every year I try to take my students out with the dogs. They've interviewed elders on traditional dogsledding. They've got to go out on a dogsledding trip.

N/N: Do you do any racing?

SH: Every year I look forward to the Toonik Tyme race and we usually come in near the end. I'm inspired to hear about the race that's called the Nunavut Quest. They run between two Baffin communities. It's all these dog teams run in a very traditional way. I don't know if it's in the cards for me to race there, but I would like to go and see and find out how these Inuit drivers run their dogs.

N/N: Any other plans?

SH: Right now I am just happy to run my dogs and be out there.