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The Dog Team Bios


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Written by The Dog Team

Houn' Dog-Tom Sanders, Professor

Houn' Dog is a retired professor who lives in Asheville, North Carolina, the same city in which he grew up. He is now, in 2003, 71 years old and an active member of the Carolina Mountain Club, which assisted Cave Dog in his conquest of the 40 peaks beyond 6000 in the Southern Appalachians. For seven years, Houn' Dog has been a member of the committee of the CMC which sponsors the program for climbing the 40 peaks, and it was in that role that he first encountered Cave Dog, who called one evening to inquire about the possibility of setting a record. Houn' Dog had long envisioned a continuous hiking route from the Smokies to the Roans that would include the 40 peaks, and when Cave Dog came to Asheville, they worked out a plan and scouted several sections of the route together. In addition, Cave and Houn' Dogs were bonded by their affiliation with Brown University.

Houn' Dog was an Eagle Scout in his youth and hiked many of the trails of Western North Carolina, including 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. He ran track in high school and track and cross country at Duke University, finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference two mile indoor race. He continued his studies in Denmark and at Columbia University, where he received a Ph.D. in history of religions in 1958. Also that year, Houn' Dog began teaching at Brown University and returned to running in road races, chiefly 5 and 10 milers, but also finishing 79th and 78th in the Boston Marathon. In 1968, he changed careers, leaving Brown and becoming Associate for Latin America of Universities Field Staff International(UFSI). In that position, he lived in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile, writing in depth articles on Latin America and lecturing in the universities supporting UFSI. After 1988, he was a visiting professor of political science and international studies at the University of Connecticut, Tulsa University, and Earlham College.

In 1992, Houn' Dog retired to Asheville. Being banged up from over 35 years of running he switched to hiking. With his new passion, he organized the weekly hikes for the Carolina Mountain Club and, over the years, section hiked the entire Appalachian Trial, all of the 900 miles of trails in the Great Smoky National Park, and each of the 40 peaks over 6000 feet in the Southern Appalachians.

He is also a frequent teacher and speaker on many topics, especially Islam, the politics of Muslim countries, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his retirement, he has learned Turkish, traveled extensively especially in the Middle East and Central Asia, and is currently studying Arabic. In 1994, he reencountered Mary Lasher, who had been a fellow student at Duke, and with this soulmate, he lives happily in a round house with a view that includes 5 of the peaks over 6000.

Houn' Dog participated in the support team for Cave Dog's feat in climbing the 40 peaks in less than five days. In his opinion, Cave Dog and The Dog Team are fabulous, and he appreciates deeply the pleasure and honor of being part of a project which highlights the distinction of climbing the principal mountains of our country.

Silver Dog-Rob Resnick, Chiropractor

Cheetah Dog-Ronna Resnick,

Rad Dog-P.J. Keizer, Radiologist

Rad Dog is Cave Dog's older brother. They come from a close family of five kids based in Coos Bay, Oregon. Day hikes, skiing, and travel are some of the favorite pastimes for the Keizer household. Their parents gave them an appreciation for the exploration of different regions and cultures at an early age. In addition, when Sea Dog was a small boy, Rad Dog taught him how to swim.

After graduating from Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, in 1979, Rad Dog went on to earn a BS degree from Notre Dame, in 1983. He continued his education with a Masters in Radiation Health at Oregon State in 1986. After working for several years in safety programs at nuclear plants, Rad Dog received his doctorate in medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine, in 1994. He did his residency training in radiology at UMKC, finishing in 1998. Cave Dog joined up with Rad Dog in Kansas City in order to get some high volume inner city EMT experience at MAST ambulance service. Currently, Rad Dog is a radiologist at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Rad Dog is a veteran from the 14er Dog Team, Adirondack, and Catskill Dog Teams. During the Mighty Mountain Megamarathon(M⁴), Rad Dog was in charge of all medical needs. He was also the primary driver of the Kennel. Rad Dog put the chaotic financial accounting to some order. In addition, he took charge of vehicle maintenance of the four vehicles and the videography.

During the Marshall Mountain Madness Ultramarathon(M³ ) and the Crazed Catskills Ultramarathon(C²), Rad Dog was in charge of all medical needs and videography and also help out with the hiking support.

During the South Beyond Insanity Ultramarathon(SBI), Rad Dog helped out with hiking and car support and was once again incharge of all medical needs and videography.

Good Dog-Jason Goodson, Middle School Teacher

As Good Dog grew up he always had a fascination with the outdoors and working with people. His interests resulted in the maturation of a young man who liked to go backpacking all around the western portions of the United States. During middle school, high school, and college, Good Dog discovered two of his best friends. Those two people are Cave Dog and Sea Dog. When called, Good Dog perked up his ears, and leapt at the opportunity to support Cave Dog in his efforts to break the Adirondacks record of climbing the 46 peaks over 4,000 feet and again now in the Southern Apppalachians.

Good Dog continues to appreciate the outdoors and currently lives in, and teaches near, Cave Dog and his hometown of Coos Bay, Oregon. Subjects such as Language Arts and Computer Science are the disciplines that Good Dog offers for his middle school students to investigate. Curious inquiry into these topics has created a web of knowledge and personal understanding for each student. When educating our youth, or thinking about life, Good Dog tries to remember that one should never stop learning and wondering about the world that surrounds each and every one of us.
During the Adirondack challenge, Good Dog was the navigator for the driving support. He also was Cave Dog's massage therapist during and after the event.

During the SBI, Good Dog did some of the more remote hiking and car support.

Lady Dog-Tanya Dix, High School Teacher

Lady Dog did not grow up in any particular place. She has lived in Utah, Queensland, Australia, Greeley, Colorado, and a short time in Oviedo, Spain. In 1991, she moved to Myrtle Creek, Oregon. After graduating from South Umpqua High School in Myrtle Creek, she went to Willamette University where she earned a degree in Philosophy. It was at Willamette University that she met Good Dog, a very close friend of Cave Dog. In 1997, Lady Dog and Good Dog got married. In the fall of 1997, they moved to Philadelphia where Lady Dog did postgraduate studies in Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. They currently live in Coos Bay, Oregon. She has recently finished her Masters in Education from the University of Oregon. She has plans to teach high school English.

In the intervening years, Cave Dog has gotten to know Lady Dog not just through Good Dog but as friends in their own right. Good Dog and Lady Dog have always extended an open home to Cave Dog in his frequent visits to Oregon and they have done many interesting excursions together.

In 2000, Lady Dog joined The Dog Team in their record breaking challenge of the M⁴. She was in charge of the website design and updates. She was also the primary driver of the backup four wheel drive vehicle. In addition, she helped Scurv E. Dawg with making sure that nothing was amiss with Cave Dog's pack.During the M³, she was the base camp manager and spokesperson for the media. She organized the support teams and kept track of the overall project. She kept particular care to make sure everyone had plenty of food and drinks. Everyone has Lady Dog to thank for working hard to keep the website updated as soon as information came out from the field.

During the C², Lady Dog helped D Dog as cobase camp managers. She was in charge of the website updates, answered the phones, compiled and recored times, and helped out with the cooking.

During the SBI, Lady Dog was the basecamp manager. She updated the website, organized the chaotic inflow and outflow of Dog Team members coming and going from hiking and car support, and cooked up some delicious trail food.

Ski Dog-Vikki Finnan, Student

Ski Dog was on the summit of Mt. Marcy in the winter before her first birthday. (On dad's back in a child carrier.) This marked the beginning of her love for crosscountry skiing, enthusiasm for adventure, and appreciation of nature. She is an avid crosscountry ski racer, earning several gold medals at the Empire State games in the high school category as a freshman. Skiing is augmented with hiking and mountain bike riding. She is also a devotee of karate, presently at the rank of brown belt with the prospect of earning her black belt by the summer. Ski Dog is an honor student at Keene Central School and is fortunate to live year round in the beautiful Adirondacks.

Ski Dog helped out with the hiking support during the M³ and C².

During the SBI, Ski Dog was an incredible help with the night shift. Each night, Ski Dog hiked and ran with Cave Dog, helping keep Cave Dog oriented in those long fog clad and sleep deprived nights.

Iron Dog-Vivian Beer, Graduate Student

Iron Dog grew up in Ellsworth, Maine, where she enjoyed hiking and camping in the Maine Woods at a young age. One of her preferred retreats was to Baxter State Park. In 2000, she graduated from the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine, with a degree in sculpture. After college she worked as a blacksmith in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This year she is attending Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, studying for her Masters in Fine Arts.

Iron Dog met Cave Dog while they were both guiding sea kayaking tours in Bar Harbor, ME, in 2001. They used to jog together on the carriage roads of Mount Desert Island before their paddles. Sea kayaking continues to be a favorite pastime for both of them.

During both the Adirondack and Whites challenges, Iron Dog helped out with the hiking support and provided the support vehicle.

In the Southern Appalachians, Iron Dog helped out in the hiking and car support. She also assisted Cave Dog in the difficult night hikes.

Sea Dog-Ross Workhoven, Sea Kayaker

Sea Dog and Cave Dog have been friends ever since Sea Dog moved next door to Cave Dog when they were both two years old in Coos Bay, Oregon. They were often found mixed up in some shenanigans with the other neighbor kids. Sometimes it seemed that they lived atop the tall pine trees between their homes. In Junior High, they shared many of the same classes. In addition, Sea Dog was instrumental in helping Cave Dog in his many political campaigns to come. By Junior year in high school, Sea Dog, Cave Dog, and Good Dog began to pal around and the ties between the three of them would be formed into a life long friendship.

After high school, Sea Dog went to College at Western Oregon State for a year, and finished his Outdoor Education Degree at Northland College in Wisconsin. Throughout his college years, Sea Dog built upon his love for the wilderness. He took jobs as a backcountry ranger in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, guided in the Oregon Caves, and spent two months backpacking in Kenya with Good Dog. However, it was in Wisconsin that Sea Dog found his true passion, sea kayaking. Since that time he has been employed as a kayaking guide in both Lake Superior and on the coast of Maine. Like Cave Dog, Sea Dog is a constant wanderer, but he currently lives in Bar Harbor, Maine. His love for the water has renewed his appreciation for the outdoors.

During the Mighty Mountain Megamarathon(M⁴), Sea Dog was the primary driver of Myrtle. He was also in charge of all electronics and photography.

In the summer of 2001, Cave Dog lived with Sea Dog in Bar Harbor, Maine. Cave Dog joined Sea Dog guiding sea kayaking trips for a local outfitter. Bar Harbor is a mecca for sea kayaking and a great place to improve one's skills. It has become a regional base camp for Cave Dog and home for Sea Dog.

That fall, the two of them moved out to the Adirondacks to scout out the High Peaks region for the upcoming challenge. Sea Dog was Cave Dog's constant hiking companion and helped him consume a can of Spam at the culmination of every summit victory. Sea Dog gained a great appreciation for the Adirondacks and has enjoyed coming back. During the Adirondack challenge, Sea Dog was in charge of driving support. He also did some hiking support in the Great Range.

In Southern Appalachians, Sea Dog did some of the more remote hiking support and helped out with car support. Sea Dog was also in charge of the photography. Sea Dog also ran about sixteen miles with Cave Dog to help break up the monontony of Cave Dog's marathon road run between the last two mountain ranges.

Bone Dog-Murray Greenspan, Chiropractor

Lap Dog-Carol Greenspan, Registered Nurse

DEW Dog-Don Walton,

Love Dog-Les Love,

Inn Dog-Chuck Brown, Innkeeper

Inn Dog is the Innkeeper for South Carolina Home, a guest lodge in Montreat, NC. Inn Dog is a native of North Carolina and was raised in church camps and conference centers his parents directed in Virginia and Florida. In 1977, he graduated with an associates science degree from Montreat-Anderson College. Since college, he worked in the chemical industry, mostly in the Tampa/Saint Pete area, also spending a year in Saudia Arabia, before moving back to the Montreat area, eight years ago. Inn Dog enjoys hiking, biking, and cooking on a regular basis with the local dogs, Bone Dog, Lap Dog, and especially Zen Dog.

Inn Dog helped host The Dog Team at base camp and was with Sugar Dog, Good Dog, and Zen Dog as Cave Dog made his way along the Mountains to Sea Trail at Craven Gap and Rattlesnake Lodge. Inn Dog was honored to host a Victory Brunch for The Dog Team in Montreat.

Zen Dog-Barbara de Loache, Operating Room Nurse

Zen Dog was originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but has also spent time in Orlando, St. Louis, Vancover, Canada, and Johnson City, Tennessee. She now loves hiking and biking in the mountains of Western North Carolina near her cottage in Asheville. She attended Georgia State University and East Tennessee State University with a degree in nursing. Zen Dog encourages others to be their Best Selves through Artist’s Way creativity courses which she facilitates. When not working in surgery or enjoying nature activities, Zen Dog loves cooking, and gardening with Inn Dog, adventure travel, art, and anything related to water. Zen Dog has two grown human pups, Michael and Kathleen. She met Cave Dog through Bone and Lap Dog, who provided base camp for The Dog Team.

Zen Dog helped with the hiking and car support at Craven Gap and Rattlesnake Lodge. Zen Dog is an enthusiastic supporter of Cave Dog and The Dog Team, finding their energy and love of challenge very inspirational.

Resa Johnson, Chiropractor and Nutritionist

Backpacker Dog-Mike Lanza, Magazine Editor

Backpacker Dog grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts, earned a B.S. in photojournalism at Syracuse University, then worked 10 years as a newspaper reporter and editor in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before becoming a freelance writer and photographer. He's now the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine, author of four guidebooks, and has contributed to several other magazines. He is an avid hiker, climber, skier, and cyclist, and has adventured all over the U.S. and Canada. He lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Penny, and their son Nate and daughter Alex.

Backpacker Dog joined The Dog Team for the South Beyond Insanity challenge on assignment for Backpacker Magazine to write a story about Cave Dog. He pulled an all-nighter hiking the last 12 miles of the challenge with Cave Dog, including an exciting two-hour bushwhack on Roan High Bluff in a pea-soup fog.

Sugar Dog-Ann Sulzer, Eighth Grade English Teacher

Sugar Dog grew up in New Jersey and went to college at Northwestern University, where she majored in English and got her secondary teaching certification. After graduating from Northwestern in 1998, Sugar Dog went on to teach seventh and tenth grade writing and English at a private school in Boca Raton, Florida for two years. For the past three years, Sugar Dog has been teaching eighth grade English at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA. In addition to teaching, she is also the head of the middle school outdoor education program, coordinating trips to Big Bear, Joshua Tree, and Big Sur for the students.

Sugar Dog met Cave Dog through Silly Dog and Chili Dog while teaching in Pasadena. As close friends of Cave Dog from Brown, they introduced Sugar Dog and Cave Dog, though they claim they had no intentions of matchmaking. However, their introductions were successful, and Cave Dog and Sugar Dog have been as inseparable as Cave Dog's schedule will allow ever since.

During the South Beyond Insanity challenge, Sugar Dog compiled the Daily Log and helped Lady Dog maintain her sanity. She also did hiking and car support along the trail. Sugar Dog is Cave Dog's main supplier of cookies, love, and other necessities.

Cave Dog-Ted E. Keizer, Bum

Cave Dog grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon. He graduated from Brown University in 1994 with degrees in Geology Biology and Political Science. While at Brown, he was elected Student Body President. He was also voted by his class to lead their graduation procession. After college, Cave Dog was tracked for a life in politics when he decided that he needed to experience life before he could write and vote on laws. So, he set out to do his own study of society, people, and nature. Since that time he has visited all of the states, all but two of them multiple times. He has lived and worked in fourteen states, Indian country, the inner city, and the woods. Hot air balloon pilot, hotel accountant, steel construction, shoveling snow off roofs, enumerator, moving man, high school teacher, and ambulance driver are just a few of the means of employment he has tried. His only restriction is that he never does the same job twice. Being an outdoor enthusiast from an early age, he has visited 145 National Park sites and hiked and climbed in 38 states. In addition, he did a 31 day solo in Glacier Park, Montana, under winter conditions and paddled the 325 mile Maine Island Trail with Groove Dog. He loves all forms of hiking from the peaks to the canyons, from the swamps to the desert, from the woods to the tundra. Most of all he loves the wildlife and the wildflowers.

Cave Dog has also broken five records: the Mighty Mountain Megamarathon(M⁴ ) by climbing all of the Colorado 14ers in 10 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes; the Marshall Mountain Maddness Ultramarathon(M³ ) by climbing all of the Adirondack 46 High Peaks in 3 days, 18 hours, 14 minutes; the Wild Whites Ultramarathon(W²) by climbing all of New Hampshire's 48 White Mountain Four Thousand Footers in 3 days, 17 hours, 21 minutes; the Crazed Catskills Ultramarathon by climbing all of the Catskill High Peaks(C²) in 2 days, 15 hours, 24 minutes, and setting a course record for the Barkley Marathons of 2 days, 8 hours, 57 minutes.

During the Southern Appalachian challenge, Cave Dog climbed, and that is all.

The Dog Pound, Base Camp

During the South Beyond Insanity Ultramarathon(SBI), Lap and Bone Dogs provided their home as a base camp. All support was run from this location to the field. The Dog Team members came to base camp after their rendevous with Cave Dog for sleep, rest, food, and resupply before going out into the field again.

The Kennel, Base of Operations and Sleeping Quarters

During the SBI, Lap and Bone Dogs let The Dog Team members use their fifth wheeler as a base of operations and a sleeping quarters. Many Dog Team members slept also in vehicles or tents nearby.

The Dog House, Support Vehicle

During the Southern Appalachian challenge, Cheetah and Silver Dogs donated their van as a support vehicle. The Dog House was used by the team to run errands and to get Dog Team members into the field. It was also the vehicle that Cave Dog used to take his dognaps at night.


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