The Village of Calowrie, Manitoba is located about four miles south of St. Malo and is home to a world champion dog musher.

Dave Hochman says he and his mom used to live in Winnipeg where he and a friend delivered papers door-to-door. He notes his friend had a German Shepherd and he used the dog to pull a sled and help him in his deliveries.

"I wanted a husky or a dog that looked like a wolf and I wanted to do the same thing."

Hochman says he convinced his mom to purchase a Samoyed at the Festival De Voyageur, where they used to hold sled dog races.

"That's how I started, with one dog. That Samoyed, I taught how to pull me on my ten-speed [bike]. She used to pull me around at 12 miles an hour because I had a speedometer on my bike. She was no good at delivering papers because she wouldn't stop. My friend's dog would stop and he could pick up another bundle of papers and then cross a bunch of people's yards. My dog, as soon as you stopped she would just scream to go."

He notes while at the Festival De Voyageur purchasing his first dog, he quickly discovered there was a three-dog class race.

"So, I figured if I convinced my mom to get two more dogs then I could enter the race."

In 1980 Hochman says he competed in his first race with his three dogs. He notes there used to be quite the sled dog race circuit in southern Manitoba including in Seven Sister Falls, Selkirk, and Winnipeg adding there were also circuits in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. He says he's also raced in Quebec, northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Anchorage in Alaska, and Laconia in New Hampshire.

He notes after a year-and-a-half, he and his mom moved to Ile des Chenes where his race team grew to nine dogs. Some municipalities have a limit on how many dogs a resident is allowed to have, however, Hochman says in the Animal Control Act it states that sled dogs are exempt as a commercial enterprise.

Hochman notes the longest race he's ever done was in Yellowknife where he raced three 50-mile heats.

He says the next race he will be participating in is the Winter Carnival in Vita on January 13/14.

"The dog races that we put on are a mass start which means all the teams are lined up at once and a flag goes off and sometimes there are 100 to 250 dogs that take off at once. They're yappy at the start and once that flag goes off you won't hear a peep. Imagine standing on runners that are two-inches high at 20 miles an hour and the only thing you hear are the sounds of the runners hitting the snow and the panting of the dogs. Very exhilarating."

Hochman says he would like to see the sport of dog mushing grow, adding he would most like to see the sled dog races reinstated at the Festival De Voyageur.

"I think it's part of the French-Canadian heritage. The country was developed on mail runs and RCMP posts were all run by sled dogs back in the day. So, I would like that to continue."

He notes he also likes to mentor people who want to get into the sport of dog mushing.

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