2 women ejected from runaway dogsled near Brainerd

BAXTER, Minn. (AP) — What started out as a 75th birthday celebration turned into a wild ride for two women taking a sled dog excursion on the Paul Bunyan Trail near Brainerd.

The women were aboard a sled pulled by 15 dogs when their owner stopped to adjust a harness. As she was heading back to the sled, the dogs snapped a line and took off Friday.

Passengers Dianne Lindvall and Shirley Connolly were pulled by the unmanned sled before being thrown off. Both women were injured but not seriously, and Connolly — who was celebrating her 75th birthday — was taken to a hospital.

The Brainerd Dispatch reports officers stopped the dogs by grabbing their lines and jumping on the sled. The pack was halted nearly three miles from where it took off.

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The Brainerd Dispatch report can be found at: http://bit.ly/fuNqJl

Tags: pets, brainerd, baxter, minnesota, beargrease, lindvall, connolly