Susan Whiton, Willow, Alaska Forty-five year old Susan Whiton was born in Michigan. After college, she came to Alaska in 1977 to teach high school science at the Unalaska Public Schools, where she also worked as a police officer from 1980 to 1982. In 1984 she and her husband, Vern Halter, moved to Trapper Creek to start a kennel. She helped him train his Iditarod team for 1984, 1985 and 1986. Then in 1987, she trained her own team and ran the Yukon Quest, finishing 12th. In 1988, Susan entered veterinary medical school at Washington State University. She graduated with her DVM in 1992. She was part of the Iditarod trail veterinarian crew in 1992 and 1994, during which time she also worked full time at Wasilla Veterinary Clinic. In the fall of ‘94, Susan began her own veterinary house call practice, "The Country Veterinarian," and trained and ran a young team from their kennel in the 1995 Iditarod. This year she will help Vern train Iditarod dogs and plans to run the younger dogs in the race. "This year’s goal is to arrive in Nome in time for the banquet." Susan is a member is the ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association), P.R.I.D.E. (Providing Responsible Information on a Dog’s Environment), and the A.V.M.A. (American Veterinary Medical Association). In her spare time, Susan enjoys running. She and Vern have no children.