SP Kennel Crew

Who is actually at SP Kennel this season?

Aliy and Allen are still here and still have the passion for competitive dog mushing.

Many, many miles have passed under the sled runners for these two. Allen likes to calculate miles in terms of how many times around the globe at the equator (as in… the Earth) they have mushed. After this coming season – Aliy’s 22nd 1,000 mile race and Allen’s 20th – combined, the couple will have traveled nearly two times around the Earth at the equator. That doesn’t include any training miles or races shorter than 1,000 miles. You have to admit… it’s an interesting way to tabulate miles.

Aliy and Allen have been fortunate over the years to involve a wonderful group of people in the SP Kennel family. They have all had one thing in common: they love dogs. The first thing that Aliy says to someone interested in spending any time at SPK is :

We look for people who genuinely like dogs, first and foremost. We can teach you a lot, but we can’t teach you to enjoy hanging out with dogs. Most of our past handlers would say ‘hello’ to the dogs before they would greet Allen or myself. Racing is simply something we do because we are fortunate to have great sled dogs.

For the 2018-2019 mushing season we have welcomed Karolyn back to the kennel. She came to us three years ago as a novice who just simply wanted to learn. And boy has she! After three years of complete dedication to sled dog jobs all around the state of Alaska she agreed to come back and help us here for the season. So… WELCOME back!

Karolyn comes to SPK with three dogs of her own: one Siberian Husky, one Alaskan Husky and a German Shepherd/Siberian cross: Kenobi, Habibi and Rey. Apparently she likes variety.

We also welcome back Moira? (Does she ever really leave?) Our Kiwi comrade will be in Alaska for the 2019 racing season. Moira is SP Kennel’s website expert and sponsor coordinator and dog snuggler. If you want to know anything factual or historical about the kennel, ask her. Aliy asks her all the time! When you notice the website becomes more entertaining, interactive and down right FUN… you know that Moira has arrived!

Also – never really leaving – are Wes and Wendy. Now that they live right down the trail from the kennel in Two Rivers, Wes and Wendy are a permanent part of the family. We even take care of their dog, Mac, when they travel due to work. (I guess that means Mac never really left either!) Sheila is returning for nearly a month to help us at a critical time of the season. She will be ‘January Johnny on the Spot’ for packing food drops and training dogs. Also making time for SP Kennel is Padee – she is always happy to come help with dog chores and sorting booties (two rather critical chores in the thick of the season.)

During the races we have our awesome stand up SP Crew. Mark has driven the Dog Truck for several years now and the dogs seem to LOVE him. Bridgett has been her father’s ‘right hand’ during the Copper Basin and Yukon Quest. Linda is our ‘Southern Pit Crew’ down in Anchorage for Iditarod, the Earle family seems to show up just when we need a few extra hands or a smile and Barb can be counted on for just about anything. There are many, many more people who make SP Kennel special – there is no way we can name you all. For those of you who come see the dogs every so often or stop by for coffee … thanks. For those of you who put your lives on old for a week and help us set up Fire Break Dog Camp … thank you. To all everyone else who we forgot… thank you!

Of course our family is a HUGE part of our lives at SP Kennel. We hope that they all can be an enormous part of this coming season; whether on the sled runners, on the sidelines at the Copper Basin 300, making omelettes Sunday mornings or playing with puppies in the field.

As with many of our handlers in the past that have become part of the Two Rivers community; Jeff – who helped us last season, has started his own sled dog kennel right down the trail from SPK: “Frozen Trident”. Good luck to you! We also still see or hear from handler/friends from years’ past: Chris, Ruth, Spencer, Ryne. Happy mushing – See all of you on the trails!!