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Turning Heads Kennel

Alaska Dog Sledding Tours

The Flood

September 25, 2012 by Sarah

The dog lot is empty and when the wind blows, you can hear the lifeless chains banging. There are no dogs outside barking or playing — the only thing to be heard is the sound of heavy equipment trying to fix the damage. The damage. There seems to be lots of that. The dog lot is caked in mud and the gravel we had moved in all summer was either buried under heavy sticky silt, or washed away with the rising waters.

It’s still hard to believe any of this happened.

One moment we were feeding dogs, scooping them, playing with them in a very wet dog lot,  and the next moment we realized that we were going to flood. We’d taken a trip in our car up river and seen the evidence first hand. It seemed like no one believed us at the time, but we knew the water was coming. We called our neighbors, The Seavey Family, who had just vacated their summer dog lot and asked if we could take our dogs there. They agreed.

 

The dogs had no idea what was going on when the trucks came. We loaded the dogs one by one into the Seavey’s dog truck — our own truck has has great timing and is in currently in the shop — the whole time the dogs were going nuts with excitement. They, of course, thought they were going to be going on some sort of dog run and adventure. Well, it was an adventure, just not the one they were hoping for.

We even gathered the puppies: Pinky, Brain, Pickles, Porkchop and even little Bonnie & Clyde. Everyone made the mass exodus.

No sooner had we gotten the dogs secured in their new spot, did the water come. It came as a slow oozing brown stream. Travis and I had already moved much of our important belongings out of the basement — 1 ton of dog food, all our power tools, our Turning Heads Kennel merchandise — and begin fortifying the house, building baricades and walls.

Our legs couldn’t move fast enough. Our arms weren’t strong enough. We simply couldn’t keep up.

When it was all over, the basement had flooded. We didn’t know it then but we lost some valuable things: pictures, Travis’ yearbook, and most of all a certain peace of mind. Two feet of water came into the house. Several more outside. For as far as the eye could see, our house was surrounded by water. It was as if we were a castle floating on a lake. Our driveway turned into a raging river with the power to move just about anything.

Dog houses started floating off because the water levels got so high. Travis and my father (my parents choose the worst week imaginable to come visit) hurried outside and begin stacking them and chaining them down.We had to open part of the fence enclosing the dog lot to let water rush out.

And all the while we kept thinking: is it going to come higher? and Are the dogs ok? We watched for many hours as the water slowly started rising only to suddenly recede. Once, when we thought the worst was past we began frantically cleaning up the layers and layers of silt in the basement — only to wake up to another foot of water.

The dogs were and are, still ok. It was hard to believe. During the worst of it, we had water up to our knees just about everywhere outside and deeper in other places. It was impossible to think that the dogs didn’t have the same, but they didn’t. We were unable to get to them for two days, during which time Danny Seavey texted us updates saying that the dogs were fine and that they were being fed. It was comforting, yet hard to imagine.

When we finally got to see the dogs for the first time, it was total relief. I walked through the Seavey’s dog lot on the verge of tears as I walked up and down and greeted each dog. The only part of the Seavey’s dog lot that remained unscathed was where we had put out dogs. Someone was watching out for us.

Although the rain has stopped now, our dog lot is still empty. Walking through it is like stepping onto quick-sand and your likely to sink when you least expect it. Crossing the yard this morning, I unexpectedly sank up to my knees in mud. There is a lot of work ahead of us and it will certainly not be easy. The physical damage can be remedied: holes can be filled, gravel can be brought in, and mud can be removed, but the psychological damage will linger for some time. There is something eery about an empty dog lot full of water.

If you didn’t see it, check out Travis’ interview with the Anchorage Daily News.

We will continue working hard to bring our dogs home. Until them, please, pray for sunshine.

 

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turningheadskennel

Turning Heads Kennel
An absolutely incredibly dog team coming into the An absolutely incredibly dog team coming into the Kalskag (inbound) checkpoint of the Kuskokwim 300.

🎥 by Abby Klager

#TurningHeadsKennel #kuskokwim300 #k300 #bethelak #alaska #dogsledding #iditarod #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #huskygram #huskylife #optoutside #kuskokwimriver #dogsled #mushing #sleddogs #sleddogsport #sleddogsofinstagram #alaskalife #alaskaoutdoors #alaskaadventure #alaskaliving #alaskanhusky 

@thealaskalife @kuskokwim300 @dogsleddingdaily
Travis putting booties on the dogs as he gets read Travis putting booties on the dogs as he gets ready to depart the halfway checkpoint of the Knik 200 sled dog race. 

There were hurricane force winds throughout the race. Semi trucks got blown off the road. Planes parked at the airport were flipped over.

Still, the dogs and Travis persevered — even when they had to go through waist deep overflow.

The team came to the finish line happy and healthy and in 2nd place. Travis also received the Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Dog Care.

We are so proud of him and Braxton, who ran the B team, and also had a strong finish.

#dogsledding #sleddogs #alaska #dogsofinsta #doglife #alaskalife #huskylife #instahusky
💯 #dogsledding #alaska 💯 #dogsledding #alaska
Getting out and enjoying the sunshine together. #d Getting out and enjoying the sunshine together. #dogsledding
Happy Birthday Travis 🥳 Happy Birthday Travis 🥳
Two by two⁠ 🐕🐾❄️⁠ ⁠ Trail breakin Two by two⁠
 🐕🐾❄️⁠
⁠
Trail breaking :)⁠
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#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska⁠
#denalihighway #cantwell ⁠
#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs
BB is a rock star⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #instadog #dogsofinst BB is a rock star⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska
Baby Skunk 💕⁠ ⁠ Skunk is now almost 17 mont Baby Skunk 💕⁠
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Skunk is now almost 17 months old and is working hard at being a sled dog.⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky
We were blessed with some gorgeous skies this seas We were blessed with some gorgeous skies this season. Here's just 1 of the many we enjoyed 💕⁠
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#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska⁠
Time Warp! A look back at early season fall traini Time Warp! A look back at early season fall training using the side by side. ⁠
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(Also, what smells so good in the grass 🤣)⁠
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Right now, the snow is melting and spring is well on its way here but we are already thinking about this coming fall and the adventures it will bring us. 💕⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska
Dolly & Blue. 💕⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #turningheadskennel Dolly & Blue. 💕⁠
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#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska
Old man Boston 💕⁠ ⁠ Our time left with Bost Old man Boston 💕⁠
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Our time left with Boston is slowly coming to an end but this geriatric sled dog is full of heart. He is the dad or granddad to many of the dogs in our kennel. ⁠
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Each day we have together is a gift. ⁠
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📸 by Kalani Woodlock
Travis and the dogs are in FINGERLAKE on #Iditarod Travis and the dogs are in FINGERLAKE on #Iditarod 2021 🥳 and OUT of FINGERLAKE.

Although his stats haven’t been updated as of this posting, it looks like he got there around 5:10 this morning, making it about a 4.5 hour run for him and the dogs. He rested about 3 hours and is now headed down the trail towards RAINY PASS

Here’s a fun video from one of the last training runs this year. 

🥳🎉 Go Team Go 🎉🥳
Well, he’s off! We’d hoped to livestream the s Well, he’s off!
We’d hoped to livestream the start of #Iditarod but because of the new location, we unfortunately didn’t have coverage!

The starting line up this year:
BB - Blue
Spartan - West
Krum - Granger
Melissa - Queen
Skiff - Jovie
Ohmer - Mongoose
Delta - Tug

Go Travis go!
The countdown to race day has started. Travis is g The countdown to race day has started. Travis is getting in the last few training runs before #iditarod to determine the final few dogs on the roster.

Our trail has one minor road crossing that we usually have no problem with —  as it’s in a wide open area — so we have plenty of opportunity to see cars and vice versa but with it continuing to snow day after day in Willow, the berms have gotten quite high. 

Because of this, after Travis and the team take off I drive down to play crossing guard.

Here’s a glimpse of the team from yesterday. #dogsledding #turningheadskennel
Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #id Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #iditarod trail for mushers and dogs. 

A big thanks to Caleb & Dave for helping cut meet, Victoria & Richard for letting us post up at their house, and a huge crew of human volunteers who helped cook Travis’ meals for out on the trail. @dlwalkerak for cooking and organizing and: @zudyscafe @akcarlyn @lonechicharron @woodysthaikitchenak @bakingthyme and Cristian McClain for cooking @majormarinetours for some great snacks and Portage Transport for delivering.

It’s not small feet getting a team ready to go 1,000 miles but this year— with little indoor access —- it really took a lot of careful planning to make sure Travis stays warm and well fed.

Thanks team!
A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs. It’s more practical with a lot of dogs in training. That being said, there is something magical about breaking things down and working with the dogs one on one in smaller teams. This is especially true for our youngest teammates!

In this video, 16-month-olds Keister and Tucker are working as a lone pair. With no one else to guide them, the pups get their first experience taking commands without the pressure of having other dogs “chase” them. They also get to practice lining out and staying forward oriented.

Working at night with young leaders, a headlamp also becomes a great tool as we can easily show the trail we want the dogs to take. 

#dogsledding #mushing #iditarod #alaska
Under the pine boughs we go. Fresh snow makes fo Under the pine boughs we go. 

Fresh snow makes for fun runs and acrobatic mushing as you dip and dive to dodge the low hanging branches. On occasion, we use our axes to cut out trees too low to safely pass under. These momentary stops are an opportunity for the dogs to cool off and for us to stop and enjoy a warm thermos of tea.
Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 💕 Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 💕
Sunshine, mountains, and snow in the not so distan Sunshine, mountains, and snow in the not so distant future.🤞🏻

#turningheadskennel #dogsledding #falltraining #iditarod #mountains #optoutside #instadog #husky #huskygram #instahusky #mushergram #alaska #seward #dogsofinstagram #iditaroddogs #mountainlife #fall #falltransition #winteriscoming #oneteamonedream #trainhard
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Turning Heads Kennel
31722 Herman Leirer Road
Seward, AK 99664

Info@TurningHeadsKennel.com

Recent Posts

  • How Mushers Get Home After Finishing The Iditarod
  • Scouting Our Glacier Dog Sledding Camp
  • Turning Heads Kennel is Featured by The Seward Chamber!
  • The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod
  • Travis Beals Finishes the 2018 Iditarod
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