Dog of the Week

Joe

Sarah · October 27, 2012 ·

Joe is the energy, and enthusiasm in our dog team. When we were evacuating the dogs for the flood, all the dogs were calm: they knew, somehow, that they were not going for a dog run. Not Joe! He started barking and screaming his excitement. When we unloaded him, he was clearly disappointed that we were not hooking him up to go running.

Joe at his house, excited to have his picture taken.

He is strangely delicate: his long wirey legs are propped up by four of the tiniest dog feet I’ve ever seen. Most of our puppies have feet bigger than his. But perhaps it’s those tiny feet that make him move so effortlessly. His brown, beady eyes protrude from his rather pointy head. He looks like he was built for speed. He’s fast, but that’s not why we are honoring Joe. Joe is the cheerleader. He’s the one that gets the team going. Every team needs a dog like that (or two or three!).

“Joe you ready,” we’ll ask and it doesn’t matter how far we’ve run or how many times we’ve been around the trail, Joe will lunge into his harness with all get out. He is one of the most excited dogs I’ve ever seen. Most dogs settle down after running for a little while. Most dogs, don’t continue that enthusiasm day after day after when they are running the same 2 mile loop over and over again. Most dogs, but not Joe. When we’d stop out on the trail to take pictures during tours for our guests, Joe would always be the first one to start barking as if to say “Alright already, they got their photos, what’s the hold up!”

“Why does he bark so much?” Guests would ask. We’d explain he was excited and often say something along the lines of “he’s too stupid to know any better,” but really that couldn’t be further from the truth. Typically, Joe runs at the back of the team. We like to tell our guests that’s where you put the blockheads, the dogs without brains who will just go! go! go! but lumping Joe into the category would be unfair. He is a very intelligent dog who, for the first time, ran lead last night. He is a good trotter and an excellent pace setter. Enthusiasm is important — attitude is everything — but so to is the physical ability to do the work. Joe is a powerhouse: smoothly gaited, efficient and beautiful to watch — but he also knows his limits. He finished Iditarod last year and will be a great addition to this year’s team.

Apache

Sarah · September 14, 2012 ·

“That is not a sled dog,” folks will say when they come in to our yard, pointing at Apache. “What is he?” is inevitably the next question that comes from their mouths. The perplexed look on their faces when they see him secretly makes me giggle.

“Not a sled dog you say? Well, hate to break it to you but Apache IS a sled dog. In fact, he’s one of the best dogs in our yard.”

People always look stunned. “But he has floppy ears.”

“Well dogs don’t run with their ears do they?”

“But he has spots!”

We then talk about what we DO look for in a sled dog because what type of ears they have or the color of their coat doesn’t concern us. Yes we like to make sure our dogs have a nice thick coat to keep them warm through the rough Alaskan winters but what that coat looks like doesn’t matter. Look at any ski shop and you’ll quickly learn: it’s not what the coat looks like on the outside ,but what makes it up that matters. Sled dogs have two coats: a dense heavy undercoat to keep them warm in the winter which they then (hopefully) shed as summer approaches and an outer coat, called guard hairs which help keep the snow wind and ice out.

Well what about the whole floppy-eared thing? Here at Turning Heads Kennel, we run Alaskan Huskies. Basically an Alaskan Husky is just a fancy condensed way of saying “a northern breed mutt that likes to pull.” Sled dogs come in all different colors and sizes. The one in important thing is their build. We look for a nice lean, athletic build. These guys are the marathon runners of the dog world (not the weight-lifters as some mistakenly think.) We want our dogs tall, long-legged, and to some extent big-chested. To that extent Apache fits the bill perfectly.

So meet our newest dog of the week: A P A C H E

Apache is one of those easy to distinguish dogs because of his great work ethic. He is a dog that is truly fun to hook up. As soon as Apache sees that you have a harness in your hand, a big smile rolls across his face and he is lunging to go. After all the grief everyone gave him this summer about not looking the part, it was always fun to hook him up and see people’s attitudes change.

“Wow! I guess he is a sled dog!” They’d say after the run.

Although a very sweet, loving boy with Travis and myself, Apache is timid around folks he doesn’t know and so serves as a good doorbell. We know if someone has pulled in the driveway to come say hello because Apache (and his brothers) who live at the front of the kennel will let us know.

Like all our dogs, Apache has enjoyed time inside our house during the winter. He may be one of the funniest dogs when he comes inside as he enjoys collecting items. After making a bed for himself, Apache roams the house looking for tiny treasures to take back to his nest: A tin can, dad’s sock, a book, two envelopes, a penny, a pen. He never chews on the items, in fact he treats them very gingerly as if he’s afraid of breaking them or hurting them and simply lays them around his bed, looking quite pleased with himself. He’s a truly funny dog with a great disposition!

Age: 3
Position: Lead/Swing Dog
Interesting Fact: Apache enjoys collecting items. His niece Bonnie is his twin and when she gets to play, she always chooses to play with Apache.
Relations in the Kennel:
Mother: Hope
Siblings: Bud (m), Weiser (m), Zema (f), Guinness (f), Amber (f), Madori (f)
Nephews through BUD: Micah (m), Chumley (m), Big Hass (m)
Newphew through WEISER: Captain (m)
Nieces/Nephew through MADORI: Bonnie (f), Clyde (m)
Grand Nephews through MICAH: Levi (m), Wrangler (m), Carhartt (m)
Total Relations in Kennel: 16

Top photograph courtesy of Albert Lewis.

Goodbye Antie!

Sarah · September 14, 2012 ·

We regret to say that on September 5th, our beloved Antie passed away. Antie was 17 years old and had a fighting spirit until the bitter end. Those who visited our kennel this summer, saw her teetering around the dog yard and a privileged few actually got to see her run. No, we didn’t hook her up to the team but Antie got to run loose in our dog yard and when she was feeling spunky she would run out with the team. On one occasion, she even passed the team.

“She ran by the team,” Travis told me after one of his runs, “and then she slowed down and ran in front of the leaders, like she was leading the team in single lead just like she used to.” Antie is 17 years old and one of Travis' very first sled dogs. This picture was taken in the winter of 2012.

When Travis first started running dogs, Antie along with a miniature cocker spaniel named Chewbacca led him around the neighborhood on a red flyer radio wagon. You can only imagine the adventures they had together.

Antie was the mama-dog of the yard and enjoyed “doing her rounds.” Often times we’d see her pacing the dog lot, visiting each dog. Her favorite was a large male named Pilot who seems to be the dog everyone else in the yard looks up to. In the winter, despite having her own house, Antie would crawl into Pilot’s house and they’d stay warm together. No matter how hard we tried to get her to come inside and be a house dog, she just wouldn’t do it. She was a true sled dog.

It’s been strange not seeing her face in the dog yard — Not having her follow us while we feed, not having her bark with the team pacing up and down the line like a coach or a cheerleader, not having her curious, independent spirit watch us as we move about the dog yard.

Rest in peace old lady! Your strength of spirit and will to live will never be forgotten. You were a great friend and a true inspiration.

Zema

Sarah · August 24, 2012 ·

Enough good things cannot be said about this amazing little girl. Zema is one of our main leaders. She also happens to be one of the spunkiest, happiest dogs in our yard. Zema is currently on vacation. She was spayed last week — but don’t let that fool you, she has quite the maternal instinct. At the end of a busy day, we turn the dogs loose from being hooked up and teach them to run back to their house. Zema used to be one of the best at this, but in recent months has gotten distracted by the young pups in our yard. She beelines it for the puppy pen, whenever she is loose. If she can’t find a way in, she’ll attempt to nuzzle the pups through the fencing or, if she gets really anxious, she will start digging her way in.

After seeing her love and devotion to puppies, especially to ones that weren’t even hers, we had to admit we felt a little bad getting this special girl spayed. However, we firmly believe that if we do not intend to breed a dog, that spaying or neutering it is the best option. Besides eliminating any chance of accidental matings, it is also healthier for the dogs. Both females and males keep better weight when fixed and females are no longer susceptible to uterine infections.

Zema earned her distinction for dog of the week by continuing her peppy attitude despite having had surgery last Friday. You wouldn’t know by her attitude that she’d just gotten spayed. We recently put her back in the yard as she, along with the other dogs that got fixed, lived inside and our guests kept asking us to hook her up because of the sheer enthusiasm she was displaying at her house. Unfortunately for Zema, the doc said she still has quite some time before we can put her back in the team.

Keep up the good work Zema! We can’t wait to have you back in our team!

Age: 3
Position: Lead/Swing Dog
Interesting Fact: Zema is obsessed with puppies and small dogs.
Relations in the Kennel:
Mother: Hope
Siblings: Bud (m), Weiser (m), Apache (m), Guinness (f), Amber (f), Madori (f)
Nephews through BUD: Micah (m), Chumley (m), Big Hass (m)
Newphew through WEISER: Captain (m)
Nieces/Nephew through MADORI: Bonnie (f), Clyde (m)
Grand Nephews through MICAH: Levi (m), Wrangler (m), Carhartt (m)
Total Relations in Kennel: 16

Moe

Sarah · August 9, 2012 ·

Moe will be turning two years old in September and he holds a very special place in our heart. Travis got Moe as a young puppy and Moe spent most of youth inside. He’s a wonderful dog. When Travis and I were first getting to know each other, Moe was one of the first dogs I met. He came on many hikes with us. We once went for a walk out near Kenai Fjords National Park with him and Travis got very nervous because Moe wanted to go swimming.

“He doesn’t know how to swim,” Travis told me.
“It’s fine, all dogs know how to swim.” I said.

“You don’t know Moe,” he said.

I watched as Moe looked curiously at the river moving swiftly past his feet. He stuck his head in the water first and took a long drink and then plunged in after a large stick I threw for him. I was right. He didn’t sink, but swam gracefully back to shore.

Moe still enjoys the water and going for hikes but also enjoys romping around the yard with our other dogs. He’s done well in the team so far and we’re excited to have him trying out for our Iditarod team.

Moe received the “Dog of the Week” distinction for his wonderful attitude both in and out of harness. His happy-go-lucky attitude, his pretty boy charms, and his jovial spirt make him a guest favorite. He was also awarded this distinction for his skills as a drummer. Moe will often play with his dog bowl in the yard, jumping on it, pounding it — doing just about anything a dog can do really — to his bowl. His favorite game seems to be pushing the bowl around as quickly as he can throughout his entire circle without letting it get out of bounds (where he can’t reach). Travis and I often catch him at play and he must know we’re watching because he’ll always stop, stare at us as if saying “What? I’m having fun!” and then go back playing.

Age: Moe will be 2 in September.
Position: Team Dog
Interesting Fact: Moe has been swimming in Lost Lake! (Lost lake is at the top of a mountain just outside of Seward and is a rather long hike)
Relations in the Kennel: None.