The 4th of July holiday is a time for American families to get together. Things are no different here at SP Kennel this weekend. Mickey and Doug have been in Two Rivers for several weeks. Bridgett and Scotty have flown in from Nome, along with cousin Drew. And Scotty’s folks, Pam and Joey, are up for a visit as well.
Along with the human reunion, “Grandma Girlfriend”, the Alaskan Husky, has come to town for the holiday. Girlfriend retired from sled dog racing in 2008. Since then she has been a couch potato and occasional jogging/skiing buddy with Bridgett and Scotty in Nome. She flew into Fairbanks yesterday and will spend 10 days here with Bridgett and black lab friend, Remington.
Girlfriend had a significant impact on SP Kennel for nearly a decade. She came to the kennel as an shy, unwanted 6 month old pup with lice and skin problems. By 2002, she was becoming a super star sled dog and was one of the youngest dogs to compete in the Copper Basin for us at age 13 months. Later that year, she went on to compete in the Iditarod at 15 months. Girlfriend was a primary force at the kennel and went on to lead SP Kennel Iditarod teams for the next 6 consecutive years.
Girlfriend was not only a racing super star, but also had two fantastic litters of puppies for us in 2002 and 2003. All of her puppies raced and succeeded here at SP Kennel. Oddball, her first born blue-eyed pup in 2002, has become a super star in his own right and fathered two litters of puppies in 2007 and 2008. These Girlfriend grand puppies are now the future of our kennel. The oldest litter will be two years old this racing season and we look forward to watching their progress. They include: Ranger, Beemer, Rambler, Scout, Hummer, Viper, Malibu and Olivia. The younger pups will only be yearlings for the racing season, so their training will be limited. They include: Bubba, Scruggs, Waylon, Lester, Hank, Willie, Reba and Boondocks.
Happy 4th of July, USA!
