Gary McKellar, 47, was born in Michigan. He studied welding in Michigan and was a logger there for 29 years before coming to Alaska in 1987 to fulfill a lifelong dream. He says he has always had working animals in his life, beagles, coon dogs and draft horses. Growing up in logging, he said they broke draft horses to work with them. He saw his first Iditarod re-start in 1987 doing the Iditarod would be an awesome “adventure.” “It started sinking in in 1999 when Dean Osmar gave me my first official sled dog. The seed was planted and now I have 42 dogs.” He and his wife, Tambra, have two adult children, Patricia and Rachael, and Garry, 13. Gary is currently a truck driver and a member of Aurora Dog Mushers and the Boy Scouts. He says he enjoys fishing, hunting, mushing and other outdoor activities.