About the Can-Am Races

Photo by Paul Cyr

Veterinarian Director

Dr. Nick Pesut graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He has practiced at the Presque Isle Animal Hospital in Presque Isle, Maine since 1984, and he and his wife Andrea have owned the practice since 1991. Nick has worked at every Can-Am Crown as a trail vet, and this will be his sixteenth year as chief veterinarian. He has also worked the Eagle Lake 100 since its inception. Nick's greatest enjoyment at these sled dog races has been meeting and working with some wonderful people from the volunteers to the mushers and the veterinary staff.

Nick is a member of the AVMA, and MVMA. Veterinary medicine has been a great profession for Nick, and the Can-Am Crown races have been among his most enjoyable veterinary experiences.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Jen Mirecki grew up in southern Maine and promptly came back to Maine after spending 4 years in the Midwest earning her veterinary degree from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She has experience in farm animal medicine, general practice, and ER.  Dr. Mirecki currently works as an emergency veterinarian and medical director in the midcoast area of Maine. She attended her first CanAm race in 2017 as part of the veterinary team and was hooked! With the guidance of Dr. Nick Pesut she transitioned into the role of Chief Trail Veterinarian for CanAm and plans to continue serving on the veterinary team annually. Dr. Mirecki is a member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA), Maine Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS), and the American Veterinary Association (AVMA).

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Anne Tareila (Dr. Annie) is a small animal veterinarian who lives and works in Aroostook county. She has been in the area for about five years and this is the third time she is helping with CanAm.

She is originally from Connecticut, spent some time in Pennsylvania for college and attended LSU SVM in Louisiana for veterinary school. She has taught veterinary medicine overseas in Thailand through Loop Abroad and in Honduras through Christian Veterinary Mission. Her interests in trying new things in veterinary medicine and meeting and working with new people helped lead her to sled dog races.

When she is not working she enjoys spending time with her husband and young son on their property, participating in events with their local church, and traveling to visit family and friends.

Trail Veterinarian

Charlie grew up in the Chicago area before studying wildlife biology at Minnesota and veterinary medicine at Tufts. He has completed an internship in zoological medicine at Louisiana State University. In addition to being a veterinarian, he is currently a PhD candidate and researcher interested in, among other topics, the medicine of animal athletes. He is looking forward to his first Can-Am Crown.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Morrissey graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983 with B.Vet. Sci. and DVM degrees. A small animal practitioner, she has owned the North County Veterinary Clinic in Greenfield, MA since 1991. Dr. Morrissey has a special interest in canine reproduction and canine sports medicine. She gets great enjoyment seeing dogs do the jobs for which they were bred and trained for. She is interested in all aspects of dog sledding from driving her dogs recreationally to working on race vet teams. Dr. Morrissey has been part of most of the Can Am veterinary teams since 2000 and has also worked the 2009 Beargrease and the Great Trail sled dog race and has been the Chief Vet for the Sandwich Notch 60 races and in 2010 was the Chief Vet for the South African Dryland Sledding Association’s Inaugural Sled Dog events in Colesburg, South Africa. A member of the ISDVMA and AVMA. She is the Eastern Representative of the SHCA's Working Pack Dog Program and she is the past Board member and the Genetics Chairman for the Siberian Husky Club of America (SHCA), having served for over 10 years in both capacities. She is married and has two sons. In her spare time as well as running her dogs recreationally, she hikes with her dogs and shows them in obedience and rally obedience and her older son shows them in breed competition.

Trail Veterinarian

Laurie Dunbar is a small animal general practitioner and surgeon in Montréal, and a Certified Rehabilitation Practitioner with over 20 years of experience. Laurie has a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of pain and musculoskeletal disease in dogs. With her rehabilitation team, she treats sporting and pet dogs for a variety of conditions in order to improve not only their performance but also their quality of life. Laurie has a passion for sled dogs and the North, and takes every opportunity to learn from mushers and other trail/race veterinarians. A member of the International Sled dog Veterinary Medical Association, she has worked as a trail veterinarian in the Défi Taiga, the Can-Am Crown, the Purina Stage Stop and the Yukon Quest and is the lead veterinarian for the Chic Chocs race in Québec. She is excited to work once again with the terrific Can Am team.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. McConnell lives down south these days, but their northern roots mean a trip to the valley most winters. Dr. McConnell is coming back for their tenth Can-Am this year. As a member of the ISDVMA, Dr. McConnell enjoys working with mushers and their dogs on the trail as well as practicing their French when they can.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Jennifer Fletcher Eckenrode, CCRT is excited to on the trail for her first Cam Am race. She attended Colorado State University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology (2006) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (2010). In 2017 she found her true passion and became a certified canine rehabilitation therapist (CCRT).  She loves working with sporting/working dogs and patients with neurological conditions. Originally from Boston, Dr. Fletcher lives in Pennsylvania with her husband (also a veterinarian!) and their children, their Heeler-Lab mix, Colbie, Great Pyrenees-Anatolian mix, Murray, and their three cats—Goose, Darby, and Mac. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA), the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV) and the International Association of Veterinary Pain Management (IAVPM).

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Jess Eisenbarth grew up in Kansas and got her veterinary degree from Kansas State University. Currently, she is a resident veterinarian in emergency and critical care medicine at Tufts University. She has a special interest in treating critical illness and injuries of working dogs and athletes. She has been on the veterinary team for the Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon the last two years. This is her first CanAm and she is very excited!

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Ken Fisher grew up in Stamford, CT and attended college in New Hampshire where he learned to love the winters. He graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. He and his wife then moved to Pittsburgh, PA where he co-founded the East End Veterinary practice in 2007. Ken is thrilled to be returning to Fort Kent for his third Can-Am Crown. He really enjoys the camaraderie on the veterinary team and can't wait to see the dogs run again. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA).

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Cindy A. Fuhs is a recently retired large animal veterinarian who owned and operated her own practice, Still River Veterinary Services, in the Bolton Massachusetts area. Dr. Fuhs provided general medical and surgical and emergency services to her equine, bovine, small ruminant and camelid patients for 17 years until she sold her practice in 2019. Cindy has a long-standing keen interest in the sport of sled dog racing, and has been volunteering as a Trail Veterinarian with the Can Am since 2002. She looks forward to returning to Fort Kent every March as the highlight of her winter season. Dr. Fuhs is also a past President of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association and an avid fundraiser for cancer research through her annual participation in the Pan-Mass Challenge, the single largest bicycling charity event in the United States dedicated to supporting work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Trail Veterinarian

• 1983 graduate of Auburn University and has been practicing integrative medicine since 1992. She incorporates acupuncture, chiropractic, Chinese herbal medicine, homotoxicology and nutrition into her small animal practice. She owns and operates Kowaliga Whole Health Pet Care in Eclectic, Alabama 
• IVAS certification in acupuncture -1994
• Chinese herbal certification in 2000.
• Dr. Battistella has published an Atlas of Scalp Acupuncture of the Dog, Cat, and Horse with contributions from Dr. Buxton of Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine. 
• Work with agility and sporting dogs
• Married for 43 years, have 2 children and 1 grandchild
• Enjoy kayaking, hiking, scuba diving, gardening, knitting, crocheting, jewelry making, travel.
• Looking forward to joining the CanAm Veterinary Staff this year

Trail Veterinarian

Jennifer Allan, DVM, is a 2016 graduate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal. Jennifer practices at small animal practice in Montreal for the last 6 years and is currently working towards her Canine Rehabilitation Certification through the University of Tennessee, with a particular interest in sports medicine and canine athletes. While studying for her Masters in Environmental Microbiology at McGill University, she developed a passion for the Arctic and the North. Jennifer is looking forwards to being part of the team again this year and expanding her learning from both the mushers and the other race veterinarians.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr Melanie Donofro is a small animal general practitioner who also practices veterinary chiropractic, veterinary acupuncture and is especially interested in sporting dogs and senior dog and cat care. She started her practice in Tallahassee, Florida soon after she graduated from Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. What brings a Florida Veterinarian to the far north? She loves the sport of sled dog racing and sled dog care! Dr Melanie has been involved in sled dog care since 1998. She has worked with the Iditarod, Yukon Quest, Race to the Sky, the Siskiyou 200 and the Can Am Crown which of course is her favorite race! Dr Melanie concentrates on preventing injuries and treating hard working sled dogs to get them to the finish line in good health. She loves to teach dog care and is an open book for Musher’s questions. Dr Melanie looks forward to her yearly adventure in the North with the Can Am Veterinary Team, Mushers and Dogs. There is no place she would rather be and is honored to be invited back.

Veterinary Technician

I am a veterinary technician from southern Maine, have been in the field for 19 years . When not working in the veterinary setting I run my own small business working on horses, dogs and cats and even some people providing Magnwave PEMF.  This will be my 4th Can-Am race. I have really enjoyed the races in the past, the dogs and mushers make it all worth doing! I am so excited to be back for another year and look forward to the long weekend in the Maine woods.

Veterinary Technician

Anne has been a veterinary technician since 1993. She is Lead Tech at East End Veterinary Medical Centre in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. This is her first time volunteering at the Can Am Crown and she is very excited to join the veterinary team!

Veterinary Technician

Dollie has been working as a technician for 7 years and just got accepted into veterinary school. She lives in Lewiston with her boyfriend and their pack of animals, including their less than 5 lb pup Pip (pictured)! Dollie is still fairly new to the sled dog world. Her first race was CanAm in 2020. She loved the experience and all the new friends she met, so she’s been coming back since!

Veterinary Technician

Mike Santasieri is the first Hospital Technician Development Coordinator at the Tufts University Cummings Veterinary Medical Center in North Grafton, Massachusetts. He previously worked as a technician in both the Dialysis and the Emergency and Critical Care departments and has worked at other emergency and general practices throughout Massachusetts since 2006. He earned his Associate of Science in Veterinary Technology and his Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Mike is a Level 2 Fear Free Certified Professional, a Human-Animal Bond Certified Practitioner, a certified RECOVER CPR Instructor in both BLS and ALS, and is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid.

Besides renal replacement therapies, therapeutic apheresis, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, his other areas of clinical interest include mechanical ventilation, pain management, and palliative care. When he’s not working, Mike enjoys hiking, sampling new beers and cocktails, and amateur woodworking. He shares his home with his wonderful fiancé, Ashley, their adorable rescue dog, Gingersnap, their cantankerous geriatric turtle, Ethel, and their small flock of chickens, Liz, Kassandra, and Darlene.

Veterinary Technician

I have a bachelors in science (Biology); became a licensed vet tech in 2011 and have been working in ECC and more specifically running hemodialysis treatments in cats and dogs since 2017. I have a 14 yo husky , a 15 yo son and a 8yo daughter who I love with all my heart. I like doing DIY projects at home on my free time. This will be my 4th year at the Can-Am and look forward to many more!

Veterinary Technician

Fayth Weed is a Certified Veterinary Technician who has been with the Can-Am since 2012. Fayth has volunteered at sled dog races all over the country both as part of the veterinary team and as a handler working with racing sled dog teams. She worked in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care as a Certified Veterinary Technician for many years and transferred her skills into human nursing and now is a Registered Nurse working with a helicopter service that flies all over New England and specializes in critical care and retrieval of patients. When Fayth is not volunteering as a veterinary technician or working she is a recreational musher helping to train sled dog teams and assisting sled dog kennels. She lives at home with her three Siberian Huskies and loves hiking and adventures with her dogs.

Veterinary Technician

Jordin Tillison LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC), CWR, CCFP has been in the veterinary field for 28 years. She has a passion for emergency and critical care medicine as well as education. This will be her 6th year on the veterinary team at CanAm, and will keep coming back for more. She loves this race and the community around it!

Veterinary Technician

Kelli is a VERY proud 2005 graduate of the Michigan State Vet Tech program. She has experience in private practice, emergency medicine and sales. Kelli currently manages mentorship and scholarship programs serving current and future Veterinary Technicians for Mission Veterinary Partners. She has volunteered with organizations like Vets Across Borders and Canine Companions For Independence. Last year was Kelli's first CanAm Crown. She quickly fell in love and is excited to be back for 2023!

Veterinary Technician

Marah has worked in veterinary medicine for the past 11 year.  She currently is the Assistant Director of Rehabilitation Therapy at Animal Hospital of Dauphin Co.  Marah graduated from Shippensburg University with a bachelor's degree in biology.  Also, she has obtained her veterinary technology degree and has completed the Canine Rehabilitation Certificate Program from the University of Tennessee. Currently, she is working toward completing the Certified Canine Manual Therapy (CCMT) Certificate Program. 

When not working, Marah can be found hiking with her husky mix Jethro or snuggling up with a book and her 13 year old husky mix Mika.

Veterinary Technician

I am a licensed, certified and registered veterinary nurse. I attended Becker College with degrees in Animal Care and Veterinary Technology. I’ve worked in Emergency and Critical Care for many years and decided to take some “me” time. We recently began several social media platforms with hopes to start a non-profit, “Big Dirty and Company” working toward helping pets in need of emergency care. I volunteer internationally as a veterinary nurse for ocean conservation and spay and neuter clinics when I can. I live at home with my special needs pets, "Toby," a Moluccan cockatoo, "Ginger," a Triton cockatoo, a “temporary” squirrel, 7 parakeets all named “Ben,” "Marcus", a 3 legged dog from the Caribbean, "Margaret", an electrocution survivor, and three Sphynx cats… “Big Dirty, Nathaniel and Karen." I am working on starting a technician branch of the ISDVMA! I am dedicated to my family and love my pets more than life! My first Can-Am was in 1998 and I'm looking forward to another year! I'm in this life for the animals!

Veterinary Technician

Clara is a CVT and Hospital Manager for a Veterinary Urgent Care center in Massachusetts. She previously worked as a CVT in Emergency/Critical Care and Surgery departments for over 12 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Animal Health and Behavior from Unity College and is certified in RECOVER CPR, Fear Free, Low Stress Handling, and Veterinary Cannabis use.

Clara has a special interest in pain management, as well as palliative care and animal stress reduction. She also enjoys reading fantasy novels, hiking, snowboarding, biking, and spending time with her two senior dogs Whiskey and Porter.

Clara has a strong connection to Maine, growing up in the Midcoast area near Camden. She and her husband have family ties to Allagash, and make a trip up to the river at the start of every summer in addition to their annual trip up for the Can Am.

Veterinary Technician

Ashley has been a veterinary technician for more than a decade with a primary focus on ECC and inpatient nursing. Recently she made the switch to specialty medicine, splitting her time between medical and radiation oncology. As a New England native, when not at work she enjoys hiking, camping, horseback riding, sewing, and experimenting with new wine and food pairings. She lives happily with her fiancé Mike, their rescue pup Gingersnap, their cantankerous elderly turtle Ethel, and their three hens Kassandra, Darlene, and Liz.