Meet the Team
Who We Are
Laura Stielstra (formerly Neese)
Owner of MI DOG
Laura fell in love with the sport of dog mushing and long distance racing at the age of nine, when her family followed the Iditarod as a homeschool project. After five years of learning everything she could about the sport, she started a small kennel in Ohio and began running short races in Ohio and the Upper Peninsula. She graduated from high school at age 16 and then went on to receive an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology through Penn Foster College two years later. In 2014 she moved to McMillan, Michigan, to work at a kennel in the Upper Peninsula and pursue her dream of long distance racing. She worked for that kennel for 8 years before buying her dog team in 2023. She has been blessed with the opportunity to train and race throughout North America for the past 10 winters and has competed in the Yukon Quest, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe, Canadian Challenge, Eagle Cap Extreme, Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm 250, Beargrease Marathon, Gunflint Mail Run, CopperDog150, and Wyoming Stage Stop Race.
MI DOG became a vision of Laura's in 2019 and she quickly started working toward making it a reality. After about 2 1/2 years of working to build the facility, she opened MI DOG to the public in June of 2022. Laura and the dogs are loving this new opportunity to share the sport of dog sledding with the public!
Keep scrolling to meet the incredible canine team members and learn how you can join the team by sponsoring a dog for a year!
Retired Lead Dog
Maple
DOB: 08/20/12
Maple is Laura’s soul mate and before she retired in 2019, she was her main leader and go-to dog. She excelled in both the 2016 and 2018 Yukon Quest and led the team for the majority of both races, never doing anything less than perfectly. She is extremely smart and will do anything for Laura. You can find her anywhere Laura is, especially riding shotgun in the truck or dog bus. Maple loves leading the puppy teams during their first few months of running in harness and taking young puppies on puppy walks.
Sponsored by:
Guy Beck
Retired Lead Dog
Elmer
DOB: 08/20/12
Elmer is a fantastic leader. He’s a steady dog who loves everyone and every dog in the kennel loves to be paired with him. He learned a lot during his time spent in lead with his sister, Maple, in the 2018 Yukon Quest. He and I greatly strengthened our bond during that race and that bond only got stronger with his exceptional performance in the 2020 Iditarod when he became my go-to leader in any situation. He is very patient with young dogs and is an excellent partner for leaders in training.
Sponsored by:
Anonymous
Team Mascot
Cheddar
DOB: 03/05/25
Cheddar first came to MI DOG for "summer camp" as a puppy in spring of 2025. What was supposed to be a 3 month stay turned into forever when Cheddar and Laura became nearly inseparable after just a few weeks. Cheddar is best friends with all of the sled dogs and Laura's constant working buddy.
Team Dog
Witt
DOB: 08/13/17
Witt is a super sweet little girl who has been playing around with her leadership skills also. She ran tours when she was one-year-old, but then as a two year old she trained and raced with Blake Freking and joined my team last minute for the Iditarod. She is a really sweet dog who always contributes to the team and is fun to have around.
Sponsored by:
Davis Lamse
Lead Dog
Line
DOB: 03/15/19
Line is a super goofy, energetic girl. Every time we stop out on the trail she jumps into the deep snow off to the side and sticks her head into the snow. She's a happy girl who is excited to run next to any partner, as long as she gets to run, she is happy!
Sponsored by:
Michael and Kathleen Mathews
Judy Gatewood-Keim
Lead Dog
Fusion
DOB: 08/11/19
Fusion was my number one yearling out of 23 in training during his first year in harness. He inherited all of both parents' best attributes, getting Baker's loud enthusiasm and Jett's natural leadership skills. He is an extremely confident dog who reminds be more of his incredible dad every day.
Sponsored by:
Don Mantey
Lead Dog
Razor
DOB: 08/11/19
A big, long legged girl, Razor is not lacking athleticism! She makes great eye contact, loves to snuggle, and is one of my leaders. She loves to break trail and responds to my commands as soon as they come out of my mouth. She loves to lead the charge!
Sponsored by:
Don Mantey
Lead Dog
Chilly
DOB: 08/11/19
Also known as "Chilly Dog" or "Chilly Bean", he is a very talented sled dog. Chilly is always smiling, wagging his tail, and waiting to give or receive a great big bear hug. He is a super playful dog and loves to play with his ball. Chilly is one of my main leaders and is VERY competitive on the race trail.
Sponsored by:
Sarah Bailey
Team Dog
Atom
DOB: 10/19/19
Atom is a bundle of energy with an enormous appetite and a can-do attitude. He was very immature at the beginning of training his first year in harness, but by the end of the season he was one of my top performing yearlings. He loves the race environment and is very bonded to me. He is my official sleeping bag heater on campouts!
Sponsored by:
Truett Brown
Lead Dog
Woodstove
DOB: 10/19/19
Woodstove is amazing! If he was dumped in a can of black paint, he could easily pass for a black lab. He loves to swim (uncommon for Alaskan Huskies), loves to please his human, and is an all around jolly soul. I had to leave the cabin for about 1/2 hour the day he was born, and he crawled away from his mom and underneath the woodstove, where I found him as soon as I got home. He gained a scar on the top of his head to tell his tale and, of course, he had to be named Woodstove. He is an honest and steady sled dog who's tail never stops wagging and he has become on of my best lead dogs!
Sled Dog
Comet
DOB: 10/19/19
Comet is a little girl, but her heart is enormous! She had a flawless yearling season in 2021 and blew me away with her performance at the Pedigree Stage Stop at 15 months old. She had a litter of 6 of the smartest puppies I have raised in 2021, and is one of my favorites in harness. Comet loves to play with balls and will happily play fetch nonstop for hours.
Sponsored by:
Dave and Karen Glover
Team Dog
Chaney
DOB: 04/26/23
Chaney is a dog that can go from laying upside down on your lap to jumping and barking like crazy to run in a matter of seconds. She is my top cheerleader right now. She LOVES to go! She is starting to lead the team some too.
Sponsored by:
Erik and Andrea Hoisington
Girl Scouts Troop 71692
Team Dog
Coho
DOB: 04/17/24
Coho is a dog who is totally full of life. As a puppy he was the "trouble maker", but as a young dog he is a very easy dog who gets along with everyone. He is a cheerleader and is rock solid in harness... look out for him to show up in lead pretty soon!
Sponsored by:
John and Debbie Hucul
Mike and Cindy Krieger
