Liz Failor loves dogs. 

Most of all, she loves Alaskan Huskies.

But Failor, a former television news anchor, never thought she'd be surrounded by them daily.

We'll come to that story in a minute.

Failor, who owns and operates Alaskan Husky Adventures with her husband Matthew, says Alaskan Huskies are "super dogs," basically mutts that have all of the positive attributes of Malamutes and Siberian Huskies.

Alaskan Huskies are faster than Siberians and Malamutes but just as hardy, hard-working and playful.

"Alaskan Huskies capture the best traits of the other dogs," she said. "The Alaskan Husky is the biggest one of the mutt mix. They're unparalleled in the animal kingdom."

The dogs are more than just kenneled beasts to the Failors. They're like family, and they get all the love and affection from Liz and Matthew that anyone's family dog would get.

Of course, you always have to ask a Husky owner one silly question: Which pooch is your favorite?

"Favorite dog? That's a trick question," she protested. "We have 56 fur babies. You can't ask which kid is your favorite."

But, when she thought about it a little more, she confessed a fondness for one particular dog.

"The best dog and dog of honor is 'Cool Cat,'" she said. "Cool Cat is the matriarch of the kennel. She has her own little bed at the foot of our bed. She's like my shadow around the house and a big part of our welcoming committee."

To be fair to the others, though, she loves all the dogs.

"They all have their own personalities," she said. "You know the troublemakers; you know the teacher's pets. It's a lot of fun because they're pack animals, and they are so family oriented. That's really special."

Alaskan Husky Adventures is located on 75 acres in Willow, Alaska, with its own private trails that allow visitors to experience the quiet sounds of Alaskan wildlife. You won't run into other parties out on the trails when you go for a dog sled ride at Alaskan Husky Adventures. It's just you, your sledding companions, the musher, and the dogs.

Guests also get a behind-the-scenes look at how the kennel operates. They'll even meet a few dogs—especially "Ambassador" Cool Cat.

The dog sled rides were voted the 2021 "Best of Alaska" winter activity by the Anchorage Daily News, and the company has also attracted attention from The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and Boy's Life Magazine.

On an Alaskan Husky Adventures trail, you and your small group of eight to ten get a taste of the fresh, bracing (depending on the season, of course) air that hits the face of every musher who has ever run the world-famous, 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

"We think the coolest part of mushing is just being out there in nature with the dogs and hearing the natural sounds of Alaska," she said. "So often, we don't hear those sounds because they're drowned out by other noise. But on the trails, you have so much silence around you. You can hear the dogs breathing, the ravens calling. It's very special and peaceful.

"We want to preserve the magical part of mushing, the intimacy."

It was at the 2018 Iditarod that Liz, an Anchorage native, met Matthew, an Iditarod competitor, at the finish line, which brings us to Liz's story of how she came to be surrounded by Alaskan Huskies. Her TV station had assigned her to cover the Iditarod. It was there that she met the handsome Matthew. They wound up getting married and starting Alaskan Husky Adventures.

"I was a news anchor in Anchorage, but my station closed in 2020," she said. "It was a blessing in disguise. I probably wouldn't have left of my own accord, but it led to me starting this company with my husband, and now we have a rewarding and fulfilling business. We have a shared love of dogs.

"But I had never been dog sledding before I met my husband."

Matthew had worked for other tour companies, and when they got married, they decided to start their own company.

Liz Failor stressed that the dogs at Alaskan Husky Adventures are treated with the utmost respect. For the past seven years, Alaskan Husky Adventures has won humanitarian awards for their treatment of their dogs.

"That's the highest honor we could receive," she said. "Those are honors we are most proud of."

Meanwhile, the pair is also heavily involved in promoting Alaska tourism.

But for the Failors, the primary focus is on their business and, of course, the dogs.

"I could never have imagined this for myself, but it's better than I could have imagined," she said. "I always thought I'd be in the news business, but that experience has really helped me prepare for this moment and Alaskan Husky Adventures."