When we first started talking about creating this new category, we wondered who we should introduce first. But to be honest, there was only one answer to that: Gaga. One of the most outstanding lead dogs of all time.
SHE WAS ALREADY WITH ME BEFORE I STARTED WINNING
It was in 2014 when the then 3-year-old Gaga joined Petter’s racing team for the first time. For Petter it was the second time to participate in the Finnmarksløpet, the longest sled dog race in Europe. “It was a very tough race. We rested a long time extra over the mountain to Levajok.” In the end, they finished in 7th place. Like many mushers at the beginning of their careers, what Petter lacked most at that time was good lead dogs.
We grew together. We developed together.
Gaga didn’t show much promise as a leader either. “She didn’t like to lead and wasn’t a reliable leader at first,” says Petter, adding, “But I didn’t have the knowledge either.” But at the Finnmarksløpet 2016 they had no choice. After Petter had to drop several dogs early on and Gaga had to lead over several stages. And she did a fantastic job: Petter and his team won the Finnmarksløpet for the first time, a success never before achieved by a non-Norwegian team.
Gaga
- Gaga
- born in 2011
- Finnmarksløpet 2016, 2018
- famous offsprings: f. e. Hog
- retired from racing
- today puppy coach and tour guide
She knows she is good
From then on, she continued to develop as a lead dog. What makes her so special? “She has the super skill of knowing the way, it is extreme compared to others. She always knows where she is.” But she also has her own mind. “Gaga knows she is good, and sometimes she thinks she is better than me at knowing the right way. She has her own idea of where we are going. And if we don’t have the same idea of where we are going, she can be very stubborn.” This has also led to some struggles during races…
The final sprint of Finnmarksløpet 2018
“There was this camping place in Alta where we used to stay before and after the Finnmarksløpet, which is about 10 km behind the start as well as 10 km before the finish line. So in 2018 we started out and after 10 km she decided to go there instead of continuing on the trail, so we had to argue a bit about which direction to go,” says Petter. “But that was also good because then I knew already that this would also happen on the way back to the finish line.” And so it did.
After an unexpected stop, Norwegian musher Birgitte Næss overtook Petter’s team on the final leg of the race. Petter went from being the hunted to the hunter. But his team was much more rested and quickly caught up with her. “Now I had to think about where to overtake her, before or after this camping place. I knew Gaga would want to go there.” Another problem was that right behind that place, the so-called Nomansland begins. This is a zone just before the finish where the right to the trail rule is suspended. In this area, the slower team doesn’t have to make way for the faster team. “I knew it was a risk to overtake Birgitte before the camping place because when Gaga would stop to go there, I would lose time and Brigitte could catch up, and I would have to give her the right to the trail. But I decided to do it anyway and also got a bigger gap between us so it didn’t affect us too much, even when Gaga stopped to go to that place.” Petter was in the lead as they reached Nomansland and finished 7 minutes ahead of Birgitte. After 1200 km…
Rewatch the spectacular scene here:
Gaga is the base of the kennel
What particularly characterizes her is her calm personality. “She is always very relaxed, likes to take it easy. It doesn’t matter if she is in the race or at home.” Most of the time she is lying in her dog house and sleeping. “She is the base in the kennel, one of the cornerstones.” This is also evident in the fact that more than half of the kennel consists of Gaga’s descendants, some in the fourth or fifth generation. Her talent for knowing the right way has clearly been passed down, as seen in champions like Hog or Ace.
Overall, Gaga participated in the Finnmarksløpet with Petter five times, winning twice (2016 and 2018). In 2020, she traveled with the team but did not start in the race due to an infection. At that time, the veterinarians were unsure if she would make it, but Gaga once again proved her strenght and showed everyone otherwise.
Today, she is 13 years old and far from thinking about retirement. Although her days in professional sports are over, she plays an essential role in training the next generation and regularly works with our puppies. She also enjoys to join our guests on their 5-day tours, where her calm and composed nature quickly makes her everyone’s favorite.
This is the story of a champion, a leader with an incredible sense of the right decisions, but sometimes also the story of a stubborn head.
2016 Finnmarksløpet
award ceremony 2018
Petter & Gaga
