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Turning Heads Kennel

Alaska Dog Sledding Tours

Travis Beals

Travis Beals

Travis Beals was mushing dogs even before he was born — his mom joked with friends that her expected child provided excellent “weight training” for her kennel of 14 sprint dogs. Once Travis was born, he was put in a car seat, strapped to the sled and was allowed to tag along with mom as she trained the team. Travis has been hooked on mushing ever since.

As a young child, Travis often wandered the dog lot, baby blanket dragging behind.  His parents would often have to remind him not to share his bottle with his companions, but he proved to be a poor listener. Whenever Travis was upset, he’d visit with the dogs. His parents once thought he’d run away, only to find him asleep with one of the dogs inside its dog house.

When Travis got older, however, his mother decided to move on from mushing. Travis, however, couldn’t. He’d caught the bug. He begged his mother to help him find a local musher to help mentor him. Fortunately for Travis, there was a prominent musher in the area who was willing to step in: Rick Tarpey. Travis Beals worked with Rick for a number of years before deciding, at the age of 15, that he wanted to start his own kennel. His mother warned him, from years of her own experience, that it would not be easy. Owning a kennel and feeding a long distance dog team is no small task financially and requires lots of time and energy. But Travis was driven.

Using dogs he bought and bred on his own, Travis began entering a number of local junior races. He quickly found himself at the top of the podium including a rookie of the year and second place performance in the 2009 Jr. Iditarod. Having outgrown the junior races, Travis then competed in a number of other races placing well and taking recognition in some of the top distance mushers in the world. People began to notice that Travis Beals was going to go places.

Although Travis is now too big to fit in a dog house, his devotion to his dogs hasn’t changed. His sled dogs often experience nights in the house and he still experiences nights out in the dog lot.

Travis met his fiance and kennel partner Sarah Stokey in the fall of 2010 through a mutual friend. He soon realized she was just as devoted to dogs as he was: they’ve been running dogs and Turning Heads Kennel together more or less since.

With a lot of training, a little luck, and a ton of support from his friends and family, Travis Beals signed up for the 2013 Iditarod. It was his first 1,000-mile race. The race proved a true test of endurance and was a remarkable experience. At the finish line in Nome, Travis asked Sarah to marry him and she said yes.

 

2014

Travis Beals 2014 Iditarod Fundraiser by The Alaska Dispatch

2013

Coming Together by Brian Smith of the Peninsula Clarion (this is a terrific article.)
Local Iditarod Musher Celebrated by The Seward Phoenix Log
Travis Beals & Matt Giblin Help Musher Jodie Bailey by Terrie Hank for the Iditarod
Engaging Race by Terrie Hank for the Iditarod

Travis Beals Crosses Norton Sound by Alaska Photo World (this is just a really cool photo)
Tuesday News From Unalakleet by Terrie Hank for the Iditarod
Travis Beals Youngest On The Trail  by Terrie Hank for the Iditarod
How Kid Rock Saved a Rookie’s Race by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News
2013 Iditarod Sled Dog Race Begins (video interview) by The Anchorage Daily News
Iditarod Rookie’s Dog Truck is His Home on Wheels (video interview) by The Anchorage Daily News
Mushers Take On A Challenge by The Seward Phoenix Log
Musher Undeterred by Seward Flooding (video interview) by The Anchorage Daily News
A Rookie’s Race To Nome by  Josh Divoky, Iditarod Educational Journalist
Travis Beals Enters 2013 Iditarod by The Seward Phoenix Log

2013 Iditarod Insider Clips Featuring Travis *You Must Be An Iditarod Insider Member*

Travis Beals Into Nome; Proposes To Girlfriend
Travis Beals’ Feet Pay The Price
Travis Beals Happy With His Team

2012 and Prior

Local Mushers Share A Dream by the Seward Journal
2010 Video Interview for Seward City News

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
Learn About How we care for our Sled Dogs at Turning Heads Kennel
Help Booty The Sled Dogs of Turning Heads Kennel

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turningheadskennel

Turning Heads Kennel
Sun’s out, tongues out! . . . #dogsledding #sled Sun’s out, tongues out!
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#dogsledding #sleddogs #iditarod #alaska #sewardak

📸 @its_kris_fish
Happy trails & wagging tails. We are back for anot Happy trails & wagging tails. We are back for another for season of sharing our sled dogs and passion for #dogsledding here in beautiful #sewardak 

Thanks to Azura and @its_kris_fish  for the awesome photo!
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
 🐕🐾❄️⁠
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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.
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☎ (907) 362-4354

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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