Snickers, howling to go, will retire from racing this summer.
The thermometer sits below freezing at SP Kennel this mid April morning.
Spring chores seem to fill our day. Cleaning the ever melting dog yard. Finding gear that was covered by several feet of snow and is only peeking out now as it melts. Sorting through used dog booties, harnesses, sleds, gear and tents. The return bags “returned” from the various Iditarod checkpoints across the state. They were full of dog gear, booties, blankets, gloves, snacks, tosses – either unused or wet and stinky. It is not like Christmas when opening them up!
We will run a team of sled dogs today – not training for a race, not traveling the Alaska wilds, simply to run. The dogs are still energetic and excited. The mushers, honestly…. a little less so.
We are busy answering Fan Mail as well. If you don’t hear back from us right away, be patient, you will.
All in all the SP Kennel sled dog season is slowing down. As so many of our faithful followers already know, SP Kennel is a year round, sled dog operation. No…. we don’t mush in the summer, but we enjoy our dogs and our musher lifestyle 365 days a year. All SP sled dogs and mushers will be at home, in Two Rivers, this summer. Though we might have limited time to run the dogs in harness (since the warm weather precludes it), we enjoy ALL of our dogs, just the same.
We will update the website weekly through out May, June and July. And just like that…. August will be the start of a new exciting season.
So, we are all home, happy and resting. Feel free to drop us a note anytime.
I was just up to Fairbanks for the first time with my jazz band a few days ago– got home yesterday. If I hadn't been in charge of 21 kids and had my own vehicle, I would have driven out to Two Rivers to say hi in person! Hope you guys enjoy the "wind down" from the winter. You're right– at this point in the winter I think most mushers are getting a bit tired and ready for a break! We packed all our gear away last weekend, cleaned the straw out of the dog box, raked the yard (well, that part continues), and called it a winter. It's been fun following along with you guys!
I was wondering which dogs, if any, completed both the 1000 mile Yukon Quest and the Iditarod.