Door County Sled Dogs offer rides at Whitnall Park



FRANKLIN (WITI) -- It's easy to tell that Bonnie Ulrich and Rick Desotelle love dogs.

"The dogs always come first that is our mantra," said Ulrich.

Once the two educators retired, they combined their passion for dog sledding and teaching to begin the nonprofit Door County Sled Dogs.

"The public kept engaging us, 'what are you doing? Can I take pictures? How is this?' And we realized this was really something people wanted to know about. So we wanted to share that with them," said Desotelle.

Seven years ago, they began a partnership with the Milwaukee County Parks offering dog sled rides at Whitnall Park.

"It's incredible. It is just absolutely heartwarming and bringing people together," said Ulrich.

The majority of the 29 Door County Sled Dogs are rescues, including Happy who is a special needs dog who always sits in the front with his doggles on.

"They all have a different story. They come from different places they come from Washington County Humane Society, the Fond du Lac Humane Society, and from as far away as Ohio," said Ulrich.

You can do a whole lot more than just go for a ride with the Door County Sled Dogs, they also offer lessons on how to be a musher.

"It's totally addictive. You know it can be an extreme sport but it doesn't have to be it can be what you want it to be," said Ulrich.

And the dogs love the cold.

"They are the rock stars of winter. The optimum running temperature for a sled dog is -5 to -10," said Ulrich.

Adding lots of fun to a long winter.

The Door County Sled Dogs offer rides Saturdays and Sundays at Whitnall Park from 11 am until 1 p.m.

It costs $15 per person, but call 414-967-9677 ahead of time because the rides are weather dependent.

They also have a benefit on March 29th from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. at Serb Hall.

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