The Copper Country’s biggest celebration of winter starts tonight as residents and visitors descend upon downtown Calumet for the start of the Copper Dog race.
While waiting for teams to head out at 7 p.m., many will enjoy warming up with Big Annie at the Elks Lodge, meeting with friends at the block party and meeting this year’s racers.
As volunteers head out to road crossings Saturday, more activity picks up around Laurium with the Copper Pull and Copper Dash setting up outside the Gipp Arena.
The Copper Pull was introduced to the Copper Dog race weekend in 2024 and saw a Jack Russell terrier come out on top. The Copper Pull is a sanctioned World Wide Weight Pull Organization event.
Chris Kivi, owner of CD Kennels and a W3PO official, says it’s incredible to see the strength many dog breeds have.
“It kind of fell out of favor a little bit and now it’s coming back. I’m a member and judge with a worldwide weight pull organization or what we call W3PO. This is a sanctioned event, dogs earn points,” Kivi said. “If you’re familiar with the professional tractor and truck pulling circuit, this is very similar to that.”
Kivi describes the impressive power these dogs can generate during competition.
“We just did a snow pole here a couple of weeks ago. And if I remember correctly, we topped out pretty close to 800 pounds and it was taking two of us to break, which the person behind the sled is called the breaker. It’s our job to stop the cart when the dog stops pulling, make sure that we don’t want fluffy getting run over and you get up 800 pounds on that sled, takes two of us to stop it,” Kivi said.
Kivi says the competition is something all dogs can take part in. W3PO organizes events so that dogs are classified into categories, often based on a dog’s weight and age. Senior dogs can show their strength, though participants will need a veterinarian’s permission. Pups can also join the activity.
“We weigh them and once they reach a certain percentage, well then we stop them. That’s it. We won’t let them pull more than what they’re capable of. And then from one to 12, it’s open as long as they’re healthy. We have had dogs over 12, but if your dog is over 12, we do require a vet’s permission slip,” Kivi said.
The Copper Dash for kids will take off in the afternoon Saturday.
“It’s awesome to be able to bring a different sport and add another layer to an already great event. Plus, we do the kids run in between the matches on Saturday. Literally, we have something for everybody. If your dog, you get a little tiffed because they won’t stop pulling when you’re trying to take them for a walk, bring them down, we’ll put a harness on them and we’ll see just how much they want to pull,” Kivi said.
The Copper Dog will also hand out the first awards of the weekend when the Copper Dart and CD15 finish in Copper Harbor. Sunday’s final leg of the Copper Dog 120 travels down to Laurium to end the weekend.
The public and volunteers are invited to join Copper Dog’s racers at the Sacred Heart Church for the awards banquet. Tickets to attend the banquet cost $25. Find more information about event start times on Copperdog.org.
