She moved to Alaska in the fall of 2005 and started working for a sprint racing kennel in Salcha, a small community outside Fairbanks. She spent 5 months there and every minute of every day was spent with those dogs. This is where she learned about the important bonds formed between dogs and mushers. She explains her difficulty in leaving after the first season; "Leaving that place was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I spent everyday for 5 months with those dogs and loved every one of them."
After her season in Salcha she got a job at Chena Hot Springs Resort, a popular destination 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks where she found her way into the dog kennel giving sled rides to guests. The kennel manager there at the time was veteran musher Brent Sass, owner and musher of Wild and Free Mushing. It was through this relationship that she became fully immersed in the world of distance dog mushing and has not looked back since. Mandy took over the kennel manager position after Brent left and remained until the fall of 2008. Since leaving Chena, Mandy has worked closely with Brent and Wild and Free Mushing. In 2013 and 2014 Mandy trained, qualified for, and finished the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest. Later in 2014 she aquired many of the dogs she ran during the previous three years and took the year off from serious training to help build her homestead with Matt.