My Dog Race with André Leduc ( 1943-2002)

[Louis et Francine]

Philosophy is talk on a cereal box

Religion is the smile on a dog -Edie Brickell


André Leduc, along with his team of seven hearty hounds, was one of fifty ``gallant mushers`` who gathered on Lac des Sables to participate in Ste-Agathe's Hiver en Nord Sled Race last February.

I met Leduc minutes before the start of the eight-dog competition, while he was busy conditionning his dogs. He was noticeably short one beast.

-``I know`` replied Leduc,`` my eight dog went snowmobiling today.``

Leduc`s c.v. is not one you`ll see at any personel agency. Any one of his occupations over the last 48 years would be the stuff dreams are made of, put them all together and you understand what makes André Leduc tick.


Leduc has been; an alpine skier, a competitive figure skater, a horse breeder, a stock car racer, a Caribbean sailor and a resort hotel builder. If that is not enough, he`s been around the world, mastering five languages in the process.

``Immobility is death,`` says Leduc

When I met Leduc a second time, in the office of the Motel he and his wife, Louise,run in St-Donat, I was stunned by his physical metamorphosis. The sruffy looking, snow-country cowboys I encountered a few days earlier, has transformed into a dignified, sensitive man, eager to talk about subjects as varied as opera, his own poetry and his experience racing stock cars

A Sport and A Mission

After crossing the frozen tundras, the Yukon, Northwest Terrotories, and Labrador, Leduc is gearing up for the longest, most challenging dog sled race to date- the 1049 mile Alaskan Iditarod Race. The two weel long race is considered by many to be the harshest task a man has ever attempted. About fifty rugged dog teams try annually. At times, temperatures plunge to -60 degrees Farenheit. The course crosses craggy mountain ranges and seemingly endless tundra. For this, competitors pay between $ 50,000 to $100,000.

To Leduc, `` It`s a dream come true.`` Fortunately most mushers are sponsored.

Ledu`s love for his dogs and drive to surpass himself, may fuel him to become the first Quebecer to cross the finish- line at Anchorage, Alaska. One would guess it takes a very special breed of person to conquer the Iditarod.

`` Not really,`` counters Leduc,

``Actually mushers live a very simple life. the world best mushers are; a thirty year old woman, an arrogant macho-man from the United States and a 73 year- old veteran who virtually invented the Iditarod.Heck, the is even a team of poodles racing now, so there is room for everyone1.

Money Isn`t everything

The expenses involved in owning sled dogs intrigued me. ``First,`` Leduc responded, `` You should know if you`re the type of person who can handle such responsabilities. It`s a long term devotion. You`re love for animals should be strong enough to see it not just as a hobby, but as a way of life. Then expect to pay between two and five thousand dollars per year for a team of three dogs.

`` Yikes, André, isn`t that a bit expensive,`` I asked.

`` No, not for me.There is an incredible sensory communication between a man and his dog. What I give my dog in time and money I get back twofold in love and enjoyment.``

Louis Patenaude