Veterinarian shows CopperDog 150 mushers how to care for working dogs

LAURIUM — Working dogs, like sled dogs, have about as much in common with ordinary dogs as most of us have with a professional athlete.

Because they are so different, they need specialized care.

“Working dogs are different from lap dogs,” veterinary internal medicine specialist Dr. Michael Davis said. “They have different problems. They need to be examined differently. They need to apply a different knowledge base, and so, the purpose of this set of lectures is to provide the attendees with that sort of knowledge base on select topics.”

At a special training seminar in Laurium, dog enthusiasts, including mushers in town for this weekend’s CopperDog 150, learned how to care for working dogs. But you don’t need to be racing in a 150-mile sled dog race to benefit from the teachings of Dr. Davis.

“Even if you are not a veterinary professional, even if you’re not a professional musher a professional dog trainer, still, there’s going to be a lot of information in there that’s is just good carry around knowledge for you to know,” he said.