BUTTE – A couple months ago, the International Weight Pulling Association (IWPA) made Butte the home to its first competition of the season in the Mining City. The IWPA is just the correct term for the sport of dog pulling.
For dog lovers everywhere, you can now see dogs competing this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. in front of Murdoch’s on Harrison Ave. in Butte. Competitors include dogs from Washington, Colorado, Wyoming and Canada all making the trip to Butte for the weekend-long event.
What differs in this event is that the pull is now done on sleds in the snow as compared to carts with wheels on dirt like it was back in November. Points earned by each competitor this weekend will go into their total points tally that will help them try to qualify for the national tournament. Event organizer Darwin Lumbattis touched on what makes this weekend’s event different from November’s.
“Well, the main difference is that this is a snowed event, so it’s going to be on sleds, as compared it was a dirt track on the last one and that was a wheel event. That’s the biggest one,” Lumbattis said. “The second thing is, ‘Hey, we’re in Butte, Montana. We got snow and 90 percent of the country don’t.’ Well, I can’t say on the east coast right now, but around here we got the snow to put on a pull.”
Lumbattis and the whole IWPA would like to especially thank their sponsors — Murdoch’s, Best Western Plus, Comfort Inn, MacKenzie River Pizza, City Brew, Bob Ward’s, Thriftway, Walmart and Harrington Bottle Co. — for all their support
