Anna Rauk Mitchell and Dart in the Boundary Waters. Photo: Anna Rauk Mitchell
Anna Rauk Mitchell is a veterinarian at Birch Lake Animal Hospital whose dogs, Babs and Dart, have unique backstories from Up North. Mitchell, in addition to her seven years at Birch Lake, has served in the Peace Corps, Veterinarians Without Borders and as a vet at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon race.
The following answers from Mitchell have been condensed for space.
Dogs: Babs and Dart
Ages: 8 and 15
Breed: Alaskan Husky
How you met: I used to work up in Ely at the Ely Vet Clinic. One of my coworkers up there was a musher. I found them both through her. Dart, I got at age 3 because she just didn’t want to be a sled dog. Babs actually ran the Iditarod the year before I got him, and then he was on the winning team of the Beargrease. He was 70 miles into the UP 200 race, and the vet team at one of the checkpoints heard an arrhythmia and pulled him from the race. I heard through the grapevine that this had happened and ended up adopting him and having him assessed by a cardiologist and getting the right treatment.
Favorite traits: They definitely aren’t for everybody because huskies, as a breed, can be stinkers. If they don’t get enough exercise, they look for other ways to utilize that energy. We’re blessed to have a large fenced-in area where they can chase each other around, and my husband and I are both runners, so they work really well for our family.
More to know about former sled dogs: They very much have an on/off switch. Although Babs has run some pretty elite races, they learn that when you’re relaxing you’re really relaxing. And then when you’re on, you’re really on.
