The 4th Annual Dawg Daze took place at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge on March 2, 2024. Dawg Daze is an event that celebrates winter, trails, and dogs and is associated with the annual Copper Dog Festival. Even though the main races of Copper Dog were cancelled this year due to snow, we were able to still hold Dawg Daze at the Lodge.
In keeping with the traditions of past Dawg Daze, three main events were held for dogs who brought their humans out to celebrate the day. The Forest Dog Derby, The Dog Costume Contest, and the Best Trick were open to the public. This year, due to the Perimeter Trail being closed due to inconsistent snow, we modified the derby track to be on the forest trails (a 1.1. mile track). This provided a different experience for the participants — humans and dogs.
The winners were awarded a certificate and a Pooch Pouch containing 6 dog biscuits made in house by the kitchen team.
The 2022 & 2023 Perimeter Dog Derby champion team Bobbi and Thor held on to their winning streak again this year with a skijoring time of 6 minutes flat. Second place went to Kay and Milford with a time of 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Kristen and Tak came in for third place with a time of 12 minutes and 25 seconds. Team Blaze (Milford and Rex, and Tom) won first place in the costume. Second place in the costume contest went to Bat Dog and Bat Woman (Thor and Bobbi). Third place went to Bugs and Monica who were dressed as Gamers. The most impressive trick was done by Bugs. All the contestants were very good dogs and everyone walked away with treats for coming out to celebrate.
The weather for the event was sunny and unseasonably warm with temperatures in the upper-40’s. The forest trails were well groomed and offered a smooth race course for the skijoring teams. Considering the warm weather, the trails did start to get soft with each pass.
After conclusion of all the events, everyone was smiles and drools as awards and treats were presented and photos were taken.
We look forward to seeing our human and dog friends again next year for the Fifth Annual Dawg Daze in 2025. Keep an eye on our calendar for future events.
