ATAO is a sled dog kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska, just outside of Fairbanks. It is made up of humans Will Troshynski and Shawn Goggins, and their 28 dogs.
What does ATAO stand for?
It can mean a lot of things! It started by being an acronym for “All The Doors are Open.” Well, as you can see, I forgot a letter! But that’s okay. I like the way “ATAO” sounds. And I keep finding new meanings for its letters. Some of them are: “Adventure. Truth. Accountability. Onward” or “And They Adventured Onward” or “Overcoming Adversity Through Adventure” (that one is backwards!). You can see there is a theme here. Adventure and Onward are really the keys. That’s our philosophy about going forward, even when things are tough.
We keep a small kennel because we believe this allows us to focus on each dog and help them reach their best potential. Our dogs are family: they know their ways around a couch as well as winter trails. And of course we let them do plenty of what they love to do best: running!
Our aim is to participate in the premier distance and mid-distance races of Alaska and the Yukon.