Couple who moved to Alaska to open a dog-sled business says it's all-consuming work

A couple who have followed their dream of opening a dog-sled business have said that you have to dedicate your life to the sport and that they struggle finding suitable dog sitters when they want to go on vacation.

Alyssa, 34, and Rohn Buser, 33, instantly bonded over their love of dog sledding, because they had both trained teams for races.

While Rohn grew up around the unique sport, Alyssa, originally from California,  was first exposed to it when she watched the 1995 film Balto, aged three. 

The couple - who have an eight-month-old son named Kaladin - met in Alaska when Alyssa flew out to watch annual thousand-mile Iditarod dog sled race.

Teams tend to be out sledding in freezing temperatures for ten or more days, and have to navigate tough terrain, such as mountain ranges.  

Alyssa, 34, and Rohn Buser, 33, instantly bonded over their love of dog sledding, as they had both trained teams for races

Alyssa's advice to anyone who wants to get into the business is that you have to be willing to dedicate their life to both the dogs and the sport.

She told Insider: 'This is our life, which we're stoked on. But we've literally dedicated our entire life to having the sled dogs.'

She says that the pair sometimes struggle to find a suitable dog sitter who can look after their 32 dogs while they go away on vacation.

They now own Susitna Sled Dog Adventures in Susitna, with 300 people visiting their business last year, but it hasn't always been easy.

In 2019, Rohn, who grew up in Alaska, moved to California to be with Alyssa and the couple were then working seven days a week as they tried to fit their sport around full-time jobs.

The sport means that when the dogs are not out sledding, they are constantly practicing all year-round.

Sled dogs can often require around 10,000 calories a day, depending on the breed and their exercise levels.

The pandemic then sparked their move to Alaska, as Rohn wanted to be near his family, but they also wanted to start their own clan.

Alyssa's advice to anyone who wants to get into the business is that you have to be willing to dedicate their life to both the dogs and the sport

They up-sized and went from owning an acre and a half of land in California to a whopping 40 acres in Alaska, which meant they could train and add more dogs to their pack.  

The couple doubled their pack, jumping from 11 sled dogs to 32 and the dogs all range from six months old to 13 years old. 

They pair up the older, more experienced hounds with younger ones so that they can follow in their footsteps.

Interestingly, researchers found that modern sled dogs are all related to an ancient Siberian sled dog that lived nearly ten millennia ago — near the end of the last ice age. 

Rohn has said that the pups must master the commands stop, go, left and right (often to referred to in the industry as a 'Gee' and 'Haw'). 

Although he grew up around sledding, Rohn was reluctant to take the sport up at first.

Alyssa told the outlet: 'He had to figure it out on his own that it was his thing, and not because it was what he was raised with.'

But it seems their son, Kaladin, may grow up to love sledding too, as Alyssa says that has already shown an interest in the sport. 

She added that it's normal for children to do their own dog sled at two years old. Therefore, the pair are planning to get Kaladin his own sled and harness so he can follow in their footsteps.