Alexander Therriault holds his Alaskan husky, Misty, who is the official “greeter” who loves to be picked up and to play with customers waiting to go for a sled ride. Submitted photo

Alexander Therriault took over his father’s dog sled teams with an idea: Maybe he could turn the sport into a business.

Several years later, the Ultimate Dog Sledding Experience has grown from 20 tours when it began to 360 tours last year. It’s shooting for 500 this season.

For Mainers and tourists who want to see what it’s like to race through the snow for an hour or three, Therriault’s got the sled — and 49 dogs eager to pull it.

Name: Alexander Therriault

Age: 27

Town: Oxford

Job: Owner of Ultimate Dog Sledding Experience on Oxford

How did you get into dog sledding? I was born into the sport. My dad has been doing it for 35 years.

How many dogs do you have? Forty-nine

What breeds are they? Mostly Alaskan husky. Some have a little bit of German short-haired pointer.

Husky, sure. Why pointer? Pointers are known for speed and athleticism, and those are great things to have in a sled dog. The key is only having a little bit so you don’t lose the good traits from the huskies.

What are their names? We name them after themes, so for instance we have a Disney theme, Avengers, presidents, Spice Girls, Lord of the Rings, etc.

Do you have a favorite who sleeps in the house? (Maybe on your bed?) I do have one that lives inside. It started off as a medical recovery and turned into him staying, although he still gets to run.

Tell me about him? His name is Dean, he is a pretty mellow dog. The only time he gets smug is when he is walking around in the other dogs’ spaces. He kind of gives them a look when they try to play with him like, “I don’t play with dogs.”

How much dog food do you go through every month? I’m guessing it’s a lot. It is! We feed about 65 pounds of meat and 45 pounds of kibble every day during the winter.

Do the dogs like sledding? How do you know? The dogs love running, it is what they were born to do! They always get so excited, from when we are loading them up to when we are hooking them up! They can’t wait, and it is pure joy watching how much they want to go.

2020 photo of Alexander Therriault Submitted photo

What makes a dog first string vs. second string? The main things we look for are: speed, endurance, drive and intelligence.

How did you get into tours? When I was 19, my dad got a new job that made it almost impossible to dog sled and he was going to have to give some, if not most, of the dogs away. I told him that I thought I could turn it into a business and that I would take over the payments for the kennel. It took a few years, but the business has grown into one of the biggest kennels in New England.

How many tours do you do every season? Where do you go? We have been increasing the number of tours each season for a number of years now. It started at 20 in the first year. The past few years have grown more than we ever thought, from 168 to 250 to 360 last year, and we are on pace for 500 this season.

How do you make sure everyone gets the exercise they need? The good news with being so busy with tours is that the dogs get to go out at least a few times a week. Most would like to go every day, but we have to make sure we pace them because they don’t want to pace themselves.

Ever consider getting a dog just for a pet? I’m thinking a Pekingese. Maybe a Lab? All of the dogs are pets even if they are working dogs. I love each and every one of them. I am completely in love with the Alaskan husky breed, and even if I get out of the sport I believe I will always have a few.

What is it about huskies that you love? I love how sweet they are, how trainable they are, how loyal they are and how dependable they are. They really do anything you want them to do as long as they understand what it is that you are looking for.

Advice for anyone who wants to go dog sledding? It is easier than most people think and more fun than you can imagine! We are open every day of the year that we have snow.