Justin’s team
Justin had an impressive rookie Cooper Basin 300. The dogs worked great and despite catching a bit of a stomach bug were still able to perform strongly. Justin finished with 11 dogs in a time of 40 hours and 54 minutes.
Here is an overview of Justin’s team! We are very proud of Justin’s accomplishments and the excellent vet care he had along the trail.
Flo 2 years old, female,
We knew Flo had heart because when she was four months old she almost died. In fact, everyone expected her not to make it including the vet. But she had the heart of a champion and an unyielding determination. Somehow, she made it.
Now, just over two, it was a real treat watching this little girl compete on Justin’s team. Justin reported that Flo was incredibly bouncy and energetic and ran in lead for the first 100 miles of the race. She ended up developing a sore wrist and because she is one of the top dogs’ in contention for Travis’ Iditarod team, Justin chose to drop her. She was a real asset while in the team and we look forward to a very bright future for this young lady.
Fergie, 2.5 year old,female
Forget was absolutely incredible on this race. She ran the entire race in lead – 200 of those miles she ran alone in single lead. I can still remember her as a young puppy sleeping in my file cabinet as I did my paperwork. It was really awesome seeing how great of a race she had with Justin. Justin reported that she ate every meal on every run and was always eager, upbeat, and happy. You really couldn’t ask for more from a dog.
Mongoose, 2 year old, male
Mongoose is a terrific athlete. Last year he was one of the few young dogs to make Travis’s Iditarod team. He only made it about 600 miles in Iditarod but for young dog that is still a remarkable achievement. During this race, Goose, as he is affectionately known, ran the whole race in swing – which is the position right behind the lead dogs. He drove hard up the hills and was a fantastic eater. Justin reported that whenever he whistled The team up mongoose was the first to start driving hard. He was very loud and all of the checkpoints and was always one of the most eager dogs. With his loud high-pitched bark he has a very distinctive eager cheer that helps rouse teammates.
Krum, 3 year old, female
Krum ran and finished in the 2015 Iditarod in 11th place with Travis. This was not her strongest performance as she got sick. Despite not feeling well, she powered through. Her performance was still admirable and even though she had a bit of a stomach bug she always ate every meal. We are really proud of Krum for pulling through and working as hard as she did.
Teddy, 3 year old, male
Teddy was another dog that finished on Travis’s 11th place 2015 Iditarod team. on this race, Teddy was the invisible dog. By that Justin meant that Teddy was always happy, he always ate, and he always moved smoothly – Justin never had to worry about him. Because of his strong performance, he was very easy to overlook. He performed well and fit in great with the team. Teddy is always a strong performer and a great eater. Justin reported that it was very nice having a dog is capable is Teddy that he did not have to worry about while racing.
Kip, 2 year old, male
During this race, Kip was ravenous. He got a little soreness in his wrists but with the vets help and good dog care, Justin was able to work him through it. In Sourdough, Kip got a little tired leaving – this wasn’t too surprising as he was 150 miles into his second race. He quickly warmed out of it and as the race progressed he became one of the most energetic dogs. Leaving the final check point, Kip’s loud yodeling wail could be heard as Justin exited the checkpoint.
Bruce, 2 year old, male
Bruce was a very rowdy and a very happy dog. Although he got a little sick, he was still very energetic. He was one of the main cheerleaders in the team and always helped other dogs get excited. Throughout the race he kept a very tight tug and never slacked. He had an impressive performance and is in contention for Travis’s main race team.
Cuervo, 4 year old, male
Cuervo joined our kennel 2 weeks before the 2014 Iditarod from Dallas Seavey’s kennel. He has finished the last two Iditarod’s with Travis. His best finish was 11th place last year. Justin described him as a “mini-tank” as well as the horniest dog in the team. We weren’t surprised. Cuervo has always worked hard in the team and has worked even harder chasing down the ladies. Cuervo was was, according to Justin, another one of those invisible dogs that you simply never have to worry about – unless he is around a girly dog. Cuervo does his job and always gives 100% of himself to the task at hand.
Thunder, 7 years old, neutered male
Thunder is an older dog with lots of racing experience. His best Iditarod finish yet was with Pete Kaiser in the low teens a few years ago. He had a great performance and was barking up every hill. Thunder was sort of the oddball on this particular team as he had not trained with this group of dogs before. He had primarily been training at a slightly slower pace with many of Sarah’s dogs. Because of this, we weren’t surprised to see that he got a little tired the last 2 miles of the race. He had a little trouble with his feet but otherwise was great. One thing about Thunder is that he likes to roll. Anytime he thought the team was not moving fast enough, he gave some great motivational barking.
Thor, 2 year old, male
Thor was great. He’s really come along way since his last race, the Knik 200 in 2015 where he also ran with Justin. Last year Thor was easily distracted and not the most mentally tough dog. He often would stop pulling for miles on end and would need a verbal “wake up” call to get back with it. Justin was really happy to report that for had a very great race and was really on point. He pulled the entire time, had great energy throughout the race, and was steadfast and happy. We are very pleased with Thor’s development.
Wrangler has finished every Iditarod with Travis. He was the hardest worker in the team and ran in wheel the entire time. He was, without a doubt, the powerhouse of the team. He was one of the few dogs that never caught a stomach bug and was always eager, excited, and working his butt off. Justin voted him the team MVP. We can understand why, as Wrangler has always been one of those dogs who just gets it done.
Marlow, 2 years old, male
When Marlow was a puppy, I knew he would be special. That’s why I named him Marlow. I had to name a dog I knew would make the team because it was a tribute to one of the dogs that permeated my childhood. Growing up, my best friend and his family owned a huge blue Great Dane and she was named Marlow. She was a beautiful dog and her tail used to thump with excitement on kitchen cabinets and could be heard throughout the house. She was not “my” dog, but I spent so much time growing up at my friend’s, that I loved her like my own nonetheless. Honestly, I would have never thought to name a dog after another dog, but this somehow just felt right. I gave our Marlow, big shoes to fill.
So far, Marlow has lived up to the expectations I placed on him. He has been great in tours, training, and performed exceptionally well during his second race.Justin never had a problem the entire race with him.
Justin never had to worry about Marlow and he was always ready to go. Anytime Justin would approach the team, he reported that Marla would pop up with excitement hoping to get back on the trail even if the rest of been relatively short and there was still more rest to take. At the kennel, Marlow is a quiet low-key kind of dog so we were surprised when Justin reported that he was very loud and excited out on the trail.
But this doesn’t surprise me either, his name sake was a rather mellow dog until she got excited too. Kindred spirits, perhaps?
Justin
Justin reported that some of his highlights were were simply being out on the trail and learning a lot of new vet care. He enjoyed watching the team recover from being sick to healthy and how that affected how they raced. His favorite part was the checkpoint hospitality, where he was always able to get a great meal. Justin said he really learned a lot and was very pleased that he was able to take such a capable teen out on the race trailer full of seasoned veterans with a few younger dog sprinkled in. Some of the tougher moments for Justin was his time coming into Sourdough when he made the decision to unexpectedly camp for an hour along the trail. It was only a 40 mile run from the previous checkpoint, but the dogs had not been feeling well and have been moving very slow. They seem to have recovered well and Justin finished on a real strong note with a team of 11 barking and screaming dogs.