Envelopes from many past mail Runs are still available at the issue price, other are rare indeed. For this year's dates, to buy 2000 and past envelopes, T Shirts, Hats and other Dune Mushers Mail Run items and other information, please contact:

Bev Meyers

Oregon Dune Mushers
P.O. Box 841
North Bend, OR 97459.

Umpqua River Lighthouse as seen from the beach.
click above thumbnail to see full-size version

About the Mail Run

(From their 2002 Flyer)

Oregon is known for it's pioneering spirit.  That spirit is still alive in the dog musher of the Oregon Dunes.  We all know that this country was originally developed by the strength of the men and women and the muscle power of the animals they trained to help with developing the land.

The Mail Run salutes all of the aspects that make up our early animal powered history.

The Oregon Dune Mushers' Mail Run from North Bend, Lakeside, Winchester Bay and to Florence commemorates that period of time when sailing ships and horse drawn coaches provided transportation along the Oregon Coast until about 1914 when the railroad tunnel was completed to the Gardiner area.

Note:  In Oregon, the beaches were used as highways along the coast and still come under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Department of Transportation from low tide mark to mean high tide mark.

The Mail Run is a non competitive endurance run.  It is believed to be one of the world's longest organized dry land run for dog teams and takes place each year the first or second weekend of March.

The event, including dog teams of 3 to 10 dogs traveling in different class groups, will cover a distance of 72 miles in 3 or 2 day time periods.  The trail takes the participants over roads, trails, beaches and huge sand dunes.

Every Mail Run is a new adventure and is filled with challenges for both the musher and the dogs.  It requires both to work together as one to overcome the challenges from quicksand to fording streams and climbing high sand dunes.

Each Mail Run musher carries commemorative envelopes, signed by that musher and carried over the trail of the dunes.  Each stamped envelope is canceled in North Bend, Lakeside, and Florence and is sold as a fund raiser of the Oregon Dune Mushers.  In the past, we have sponsored Oregon Mushers to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race in Alaska and will sponsor mushers to other long distance races.

Pictures are "thumbnails" - 
click on photos to see full-size version.

Oregon Dune Mushers

(From their 2002 Flyer)

Whether this is your first introduction to sled dogs, or you have visited a sled dog kennel or attended a sled dog sporting event, you may be interested in some of the facts about sled dogs that mushers (dog team trainers and racers) don't seem to have the time to explain because of their preoccupation with their dogs.  This is especially true at sled dog races where the driver's entire attention is on his dogs. . . prior to, during and following the race.  They come first, last and always.

Although many sled dogs make good pets, they are not exactly like other domesticated breeds.  They come from a long tradition of running in harness.  Being a part of a team fulfills their "pack" instinct, and to the sled dog's way of thinking, this is the most important, most exhilarating part of his life.

Other sled dogs are a sled dog's "best friends," and he enjoys nothing better than running with his friends.  He and his teammates naturally accept the leadership of the dog which has proven its capability at the front of the team.  Unlike old tales that would have you believe that lead dogs fight for their superior position . . . they don't.  They earn it in training runs by exhibiting their enthusiasm and intelligence. 

The "ultimate" leader of the dog team is the human being on the runners of the sled . . . the one who cares for the dogs, protects them, houses them, feeds them and best of all, takes them out as a team for training and racing runs. A team of dogs is much stronger than any single person can control physically, but by being fair, consistent and considerate, the driver earns the respect of his dogs which willingly respond to his every command.

In order to earn a dog team's trust, the driver must truly love and appreciate dogs and share in their joy as "partners" on a running sled dog team.  Otherwise, the responsibility of maintaining and training a team of dogs can be pure drudgery.  Even for the most conscientious dog driver and kennel owner, there are no guarantees of glory and awards awaiting him at the end of the trail.

There are sled dog teams all over the world, some composed of as little as one dog. Others number in the teens and twenties, and whether it is a one-dog team or a twenty-dog team, each animal demands individual attention and care.  Only the person who admires and respects dogs can provide the time and dedication it takes to make a dog team.

Everything that the driver does for his dogs will determine what they will do for him on the trails.  If he does not earn their trust as their leader, the dogs will elect "their own" leader . . . one of their own kind.  When that happens, the dogs become a "pack" instead of a "team," so it is the wise trainer who does all that he can to maintain a healthy kennel of happy dogs that can place their confidence in him.

Competitive sled dogs are among the best housed, trained, fed and conditioned canine athletes in the world.  They receive veterinary care that compares with the medical care offered to Olympic athletes.  Each dog on the team plays an important, individual role, so every effort is made to keep each one in top physical and mental condition in order to keep the team together.

All rules governing sled dog competition - whether it is team racing, skijoring, weight pulling, or cross country trekking - are designed to maintain the well-being of the dogs as a top priority and secondly, to provide a fair contest.  All competitors belong to one sled dog organization or another, and all of them were created to promote humane contests where "the best team wins," but actually, none of them are losers.

As you look at all the sled dogs in kennels and sports arenas, you are looking at some of the best, most cared for athletes in the world.  And unlike many other dogs who don't have a choice, they can do what they like to do most under the safe supervision of a "good master."

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