Dog of the Week

Thor is one of the biggest, happiest dogs in our kennel. He is a hard working athlete who completed the Northern Lights 300 and the Copper Basin 300 this year. Although he didn’t run Iditarod, Thor has tremendous potential and we are so excited to watch him continue to mature and grow into his big gangly legs. A work horse in wheel, his exuberance is always noticed by his teammates and is often infectious.

In the kennel, Thor is a gentle giant. He loves playing with his neighbors and is always keen to say hello to other dogs. Thor has been working over the last year on overcoming his shyness with visitors to our kennel and has made tremendous progress. Thor is still funny around strangers. He still isn’t sure whether or not he wants to hide in his dog house or come out and give them kisses, watching him try to figure out what to do is always fun. With a little coaxing, Thor is now confident around visitors to our kennel.

We are excited to see his wagging tail greet guests and help show them the joys of mushing!

Lena is a superb young athlete and has been the youngest dog in our kennel to finish both the Copper Basin 300 and the Northern Lights 300. Lena has been a dog that seamlessly fits into the team and always just does her job. 

Although shy at first, after warming up Lena is a real sweetheart. In the checkpoints, she curls up into a tight little ball to sleep but is always excited to get a belly rub, eat a meal, or have her booties put on.

Lena works hard in the team and has done a truly impressive job, most likely earning herself a spot on Sarah’s Iditarod team! 

 

Bensen for a long time was the punk in the dog yard. He thought he was tough stuff — and why wouldn’t he? With parents like bossy know-it-all Tamere and rough-and-tough lead dog Boston, we expected him and his brother, Coda, to have a bit of attitude.

A bit of attitude however turned out to be a little too much. In June of this year we made the decision to neuter Bensen. Neutering sled dogs is often done when a musher feels that the dog would perform better. In Bensen’s case, a little less testoterone went a long way. Once neutered, Bensen went from being a feisty dog who had a hard time fitting in the team to being one of the superstars up on Godwin glacier.

His hard working attitude, beautiful trot, and loving personality make him a favorite amongst our guests. He has inherited Tamere’s terrific smile.

We love you Bensen! Keep up the good work and you’ll be on the race team in no time.

Coda. What a long way this little boy has come over his short life! Coda recently finished his first (2) 300 mile races, The Copper Basin and The Northern Lights, with impressive performances and many miles run in lead.

This little man is a hard working dog who is fun, happy-go lucky, and loves to parade down the trail in from of the team.

As a pup, Coda was an obnoxious puppy. He picked fights whenever play time came about and caused a problem whenever he could. To be honest, his future in our kennel did not look bright. His scrappy attitude was not welcome in our friendly and loving dog lot. But there was something about this little fighter and his puffed out chest that made us stick with him. So, we neutered Coda in May of 2015.

He went from being a punk to a sweet cuddle bug. His scrappy attitude turned into pure determination on the trail and he has worked hard to become a valued member of the team and kennel. His transformation has been incredible and truly inspiring. I am so excited I get to take this little spitfire to Nome!

  

I find that I have little epithets or sayings  for each of the dogs. For Check, it’s “Check marks the spot.”

Check is a reserved dog. He is slow to show his excitement but is a steadfast worker. He is a happy dog who lives to eat and run. He is beautifully gaited.

He isn’t much of a socialite when compared to some of the other dogs in our kennel, including his brother. He is happy to be pet and may come up to you asking for a scratch on the head but he’s not a jumper. He is never, it seems, out of control with excitement.

To me, Check seems to be a very methodical dog. Watching him develop as an athlete has been especially interesting. He enjoys his job but seems, to me at least, that he also enjoys figuring things out.

   
 He is a dog who likes to know what is going on. With that attitude, running him up front had been a no-brainer but with so much talent he hasn’t spent a lot of time up there.

He is one of those dogs that you know will lead but is still trying to find himself so the continual stress of being in charge seems unnecessary.

Honestly, Check is already an out standing dog. That being said, I think Check has only begun to scratch the surface of his talent.

I think the best of this dog is yet to come. He has that slow burning confidence. When he truly comes into his own, this dog is going to be unstoppable.