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.

Chief Veterinarian

Dr. Jen Mirecki grew up in southern Maine and returned home after earning her veterinary degree from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She attended her first Can-Am Crown race in 2017 as part of the veterinary team and was immediately hooked. Under the mentorship of Dr. Nick Pesut, she transitioned into the role of Chief Trail Veterinarian and continues to serve on the race’s veterinary team annually.

Dr. Mirecki spent several years practicing emergency medicine in midcoast Maine, serving as Medical Director at Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic. During her time there, she helped lead clinical operations, mentor veterinarians and support staff, and provide high-quality emergency and critical care to the surrounding communities.

She is now the founder and owner of Atlas Veterinary Urgent Care in Augusta, Maine, where she is proud to serve pets and their families by bridging the gap between general practice and emergency care. Built on her core values of strength, compassion, and trust, Atlas reflects her commitment to accessible, same-day urgent care and strong collaboration within the local veterinary community.

Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Mirecki enjoys strength training and competes in strongman events, along with gardening and spending quiet time at home with her husband and their many pets. She appreciates the balance these pursuits bring and the perspective they offer beyond the clinic walls.

Dr. Mirecki is a member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association (ISDVMA), the Maine Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Chief 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

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. Jennifer Eckenrode, CCRT, has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 15 years in Pennsylvania. In 2017, she became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT), further advancing her focus on rehabilitation therapy, sports medicine, and pain management. She has a special passion for working with sport and working dogs, as well as patients with neurologic conditions, helping them return to peak performance and quality of life.

This marks her third year serving on the veterinary team for the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Races. Dr. Eckenrode values the opportunity to combine her expertise in veterinary sports medicine with the unique challenges and camaraderie of the sled dog racing community, and she greatly looks forward to supporting these exceptional canine athletes each year.

Trail Veterinarian

Ken Fisher,DVM hails from Pittsburgh, PA where he has practiced for over 20 years as a small animal veterinarian. This will mark his fourth year volunteering with the Can-Am Vet Team. When he’s not working with animals, he enjoys winter sports, hiking, and playing guitar.

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

Dr. Blakeley Murrell-Liland followed her father into veterinary medicine graduating from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada in 2003. In 2006 she decided to return to her roots and the small animal veterinary practice her father founded in Woodstock, Vermont, where she has been ever since.

Blakeley has a passion for sled dogs and all things northern. A member of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association, she was on the Vet Team at Chic Chocs in 2023 and has been in Fort Kent every year since 2018 - she is very excited to return to work with the amazing Can-Am team.

When she is not practicing veterinary medicine, she can be found outside biking, hiking or snow shoeing, in her kitchen preparing something to share with others, knitting and reading or planning her next adventure with her two sons - the further north the better!

Trail Veterinarian

This is my third time coming to the Can-Am and am very excited to be back. I graduated from Cornell in 2012 and have work in small animal general practice since then. I obtained my canine rehabilitation certificate in 2021. I love trying to help people find ways to keep their dogs active. Last winter I did a course on exercise physiology of working canines which focused on some of the unique physiologic things seen in sled dogs and military dogs.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr Carine Bourrellis is a small animal veterinarian based in Montreal, Quebec. She has owned and operated her practice for more than 25 years.

She discovered the world of sled dogs in 2014 and has, since then, worked as a trail vet at Defi Taiga, Can-Am, UP, Copper Basin, and Chic Choc.

She is happy to come back to the fantastic Can-Am race after a couple years of absence.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Julia Berger is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She works primarily with horses, small ruminants, and camelids at the Tufts Veterinary Field Service. Dr. Berger was introduced to the world of sled dog veterinary medicine by Dr. Cindy Fuhs (also on the Can Am Vet team!) who is a longstanding mentor and friend. She was honored to have the opportunity to join the Can Am Veterinarian Team last year and is excited to return for a second year in a row. When not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Berger is an avid hiker and enjoys running and cross-country skiing with her husky mix.

Trail Veterinarian

Dr. Elizabeth DiVito earned her DVM from the University of Minnesota in 2024, after completing a BS in animal science at North Carolina State University in 2020. While in veterinary school, she served as president of the Student Society of Veterinary Surgery and developed a strong interest in sled dog medicine, volunteering at multiple races across Minnesota. Following graduation, she completed a small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at VCA South Shore (Weymouth) Animal Hospital and then stayed on as a member of their general practice team. In her free time, Dr. DiVito enjoys spending time with her Mini American Shepherd named Kevin.

Veterinary Technician

This is my 8th year volunteering with the Can-Am Crown Veterinary Team, and I’m honored to be part of such a dedicated group supporting these incredible canine athletes. I currently work part-time in veterinary medicine, specializing in behavioral veterinary visits at Blackbird Animal Health in Brunswick. I also own and operate Coastal PEMF of Maine, a business I’ve been running for the past 4.5 years, providing supportive care for animal athletes and companions.

Veterinary Technician

Michael “Mike” Santasieri is a licensed veterinary technician. He currently works as a Simulation Laboratory Manager and Teaching Technician at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. 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 Fear Free Certified Professional, a Human-Animal Bond Certified Practitioner, and a certified RECOVER CPR Instructor in both BLS and ALS for veterinary professionals. He has almost two decades of experience in veterinary medicine and has held roles in primary care practice, emergency and critical care, dialysis, and as a member of hospital administration overseeing veterinary technician learning and development. His clinical interests include cardiopulmonary resuscitation, renal replacement therapies, therapeutic apheresis, pre-hospital care for military and police working dogs, and sled dog medicine.

When he’s not working, he’s an avid hiker with a penchant for bourbon and craft beer, and is an amateur woodworker. He volunteers as a Nero’s Law trainer, training EMS providers in Massachusetts how to treat police K9’s injured in the line of duty. He lives with the love of his life, Ashley (also on the Can-Am vet team!); the world's best rescue dog, Gingersnap; his cantankerous geriatric rescue turtle, Ethel; and a small flock of chickens, Kassandra, Darlene, and “the Kates” (Kate, Katie, and Katy).

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

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.

Veterinary Technician

Hi my name is Beth and I have lived in Maine my whole life. I have almost 5 years of experience at Portland Veterinary Emergency and Specialty care in the emergency room and ICU and surgery. I currently have my own sled dogs with my partner at home.

When I’m not working I enjoy being with my dogs and long walks in the woods. I love the snow and the fresh air.

Veterinary Technician

Sarah is a vet student at Tufts. She began her veterinary journey in 2015 volunteering as a kennel tech at various animal shelters in her free time while she was active duty in the U.S. Army. In 2021, she left the military and worked as a veterinary assistant at a single doctor practice in Colorado. From there, she worked as a medium duty diesel mechanic before matriculating at Tufts. She has always loved huskies. She had the privilege to volunteer as a student at Can-Am beginning in 2023 and was completely hooked and so grateful to be mentored by the veterinarians and techs on the team. She was also part of the Wilderness Sled Dog Race vet team in 2024, and spent time in the summer of 2024 externing at a rural veterinary practice in Alaska where she got to visit Mitch Seavey’s kennel. Outside of school and volunteering, Sarah spends time with her two rescue mutts, her partner Dan, and enjoys cold water scuba diving in southern New England.