A dog that has been missing since Wednesday when a truck ran into a dog sled team owned by Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race musher Jaye Foucher returned home Friday.
The dog had taken off after a truck struck the team as it was crossing a road in Alaska while Foucher was training for an upcoming race. One dog was killed and three others were injured.
Foucher of Sibersong Sleddogs in New Hampshire was mushing near the Matanuska-Susitna Borough community of Willow. The truck didn’t slow down or stop, she said according to Alaska’s News Source. Foucher has been in Alaska getting ready to run the Iditarod.
Foucher has been coming to northern Aroostook County from New Hampshire to compete in the Can-Am Crown race for several years and was even the designer of the Can-Am’s new website. Foucher’s first race in the Can-Am was in 2005 with the 60-mile race. Her first 250 was in 2007. She has been doing the 250 since then but had to scratch her last race due to a personal injury in 2016. She plans to return to the Can-Am at some point.
Sled dogs Kona and Flint underwent surgery on Wednesday and stayed in the hospital overnight. Both have returned home and have a long road ahead of them for recovery, Foucher said.
The musher had said on Thursday that the missing dog named Felicity would come back on its own, which is exactly what happened on Friday afternoon when the dog showed up at Foucher’s front door. Unsure of Felicity’s injuries, Foucher and her sled dog headed straight to the veterinarian’s office.
In an effort to help support veterinary needs and animal care, Can-Am Crown officers are making plans to make a donation toward Foucher and her team. The support does not end there though as people from all over the country have reached out to offer assistance in any way possible.
One generous benefactor from Foucher’s home state of New Hampshire even DoorDashed doughnuts and coffee to the staff at Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center where Foucher has been taking her animals for their emergency care.
“The outpouring of support from everyone is so humbling,” Foucher said. “I feel very loved right now…. I can’t even tell you how much this all means.”