Meredith Mapes: fearless, fun and defying our expectations

Some people like dogs.

Others “paw-sitively” love them! If you happen to visit Meredith Mapes’s home, you will instantly know which camp she falls into.

That’s because her fur family consists of not one or two dogs, but a whole pack. In fact, her pets include a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a Dutch Shepherd, three Border Collies, a three-legged sled dog, plus 20 racing sled dogs.

Wow!

Yes, for this Licensed Veterinary Technician and Iditarod dog musher, every day is filled with dogs, dogs, and more dogs.  

Meredith Mapes is by far one of the most adventurous staff members at Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center (Alaska's largest privately owned veterinary hospital) and we are so excited to introduce her to our readers!  

From Sled Dog Racing to Primary Veterinary Technician

Originally born in Texas, Meredith is as rooted in the Alaskan wilderness as they come. When just a baby, her parents decided to swap out hot and dry weather for a more remote and northern climate. Instantly, she took to her new Alaskan life.

She even participated in the Junior Iditarod.

Meredith shares:

“It's a 150-mile sled dog race for kids aged 14-17 years, that is basically unsupported. You must be self-sufficient enough to take care of your 10 dogs and yourself for 24 hours in the literal wilderness of Alaska. Running that for the first time at 14 was entirely life-changing. I wouldn't be half the person I am today without that experience. And then I did it three more times as a kid and each year was a different challenge to overcome.”

From there, she worked as a sled dog tour guide for ten years.

And while she continues to run tours part-time, ultimately Meredith Mapes says that her heart lies with the veterinary community. Nowadays, she is a Primary Veterinary Technician extraordinaire at Tier 1.

Meredith credits perseverance, dreaming big, and striving to learn at all times for her success.

“I like to work in a place where I feel like I'm always learning, even if the work is hard and even if I feel like I might not be qualified to be there,” she explains.

“But I would never have finished the Iditarod in 2018 if I had given up at any point in my mushing career previously. I had every opportunity to turn away and say Iditarod was too hard, there was no way I'd ever make it to the starting line with my own team, or I could have quit at any point during the race when the going got tough. But I kept mushing and crossed that finish line proudly! I love to push myself and I love learning. Which is why I'm excited to have stepped into an oncology position at my clinic this year. I feel like I'm learning so much every day.”

We agree!

Being a lifelong learner is important in the field of veterinary medicine.

More Peace and Less Hate

Above all, Meredith admires compassion for people, animals, and the world around us.

Some say society has never been more divided. Yet in times like these, compassion acts as a compass that points us forwards and helps solve many of the big issues humanity is faced with today.

Mapes points out, “I would love to see more peace and less hate. I don't have any good answers as to how to get there. I think everyone needs to work on themselves first. But if we take care of mother nature and everything around us, everything flourishes in a good way.”

That includes looking after family, pets, neighbors, the local community, and yourself too.

Meredith’s final words of advice?

“Take the leap, do all the things you want to do while you can!”