Region 9
Mack
Owner/Handler: Terry Reed
Mack came to the Reed home at about 4 months of age. He almost immediately began his long health journey. By 5 months old Mack was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and spent 6 days in an oxygen kennel at an Emergency Vet Hospital. The vet thought they may need to remove part of his right lung but he fooled them and recovered. Near the end of his first year of pulling he had surgery on his right knee for a luxating patella. He had to have the left knee done a few years later.
Off the track Mack became quite the IWPA Ambassador. He appeared in Dog Fancy Magazine after the 2012 Championships in an article on weight pulling.
In September 2013 Mack was invited to Fort Benning Georgia with Terry and Robbie to train the 75th Regimental Rangers K9 Corp about strength conditioning. After Terry and Robbie's presentation and Mack's demonstration the Rangers were so impressed they began building a program immediately. Part of that program was purchasing freighting harnesses. The procedure of removing wounded soldiers from battle was also changed from soldiers dragging the skidco (a plastic roll out gurney) to training the dogs to drag it instead. This allowing soldiers the ability to maintain their safety by enabling them to have use of their weapons.
From the beginning of his career in the 2010-2011 season until the 2017-2018 season Mack earned a total of 16 Regional Medals; 3 Gold, 9 Silver and 4 Bronze and 8 Championship Medals; 2 Gold 2 Silver and 4 Bronze.
His personal best pulls were 550 # on carpet, 635# on dirt, 155# on natural snow and 110# on artificial snow.
Mack's health once again became an issue and he was laid to rest on March 8, 2018 because of an irreversible untreatable heart problem. He is now teamed up with other great pulling dogs across the Rainbow Bridge.
