In 2011, the rescue efforts of Sass and his then-lead dog Silver at American Summit in blizzard conditions led to the introduction of the Yukon Quest's Silver Award that recognizes sled dogs that have performed acts of heroism on the trail.

[2][3] In 2012, Sass participated in his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

[6] During the 2016 Iditarod, Sass' dogs refused to leave the White Mountain checkpoint, 77 miles (124 km) from Nome.

Sass did not want to force his dogs to leave, fearing the decision would negatively impact his team.

The Yukon Quest declined to investigate and Sass went on to win the 2024 Alaska 300 race in February.