More Retirement Updates

We thought we’d give you another update on dogs who have retired and moved house from SP Kennel. There is a lot that goes into retirement decisions and our philosophy of the right dog to the right home, at the right time is always in mind. It is bittersweet for the humans of SP Kennel but the dogs are all very happy in their new lives. Read more about our dog retirement philosophy in this post or our About The Dogs page (click links), or type ‘retire’ in the search box on the top right and see all our retirement stories.

Chevie and Five

Chevie and Five have had a big adventure! They are both now at SP Kiwi in New Zealand, with Waylon, Torch, Daisy and Felix along with five other canine housemates and two humans. Chevie and Five had three months of strictly timed vet checks, blood tests and vaccinations to undergo to meet the import requirements of NZ – thanks to the team at North Pole Veterinary Surgery for helping with all the appointments. They then travelled to LA where the pet travel company greeted them and organised their final vet and customs checks. One hop over the Pacific Ocean then 10 days in quarantine in Auckland. Sheryll and Ilona were able to welcome them home earlier this month.

Now at home Chevie and Five have settled in well and are enjoying hanging out with their former kennel mates and new friends. It’s coming into summer in NZ so they will have some months of exploring their new property and environs (and maybe have puppies?) before starting training for the winter season mid next year.

Big, strong, solid Five has an impressive race history including four Iditarods and two Yukon Quests plus many mid-distance races including the Kobuk 440, Copper Basin 300, Two Rivers 50, 100 and 200. He is a Yukon Quest champion and all-round good guy. He will enjoy the forest and orchard trails in New Zealand. Thank you to Barbara Boucher who sponsored Five since his puppy-hood (and also his auntie Bonita before that). We appreciate your love and support for Five all these years. Thanks also to all his Dog Fan Club members!

Chevie has a number of mid-distance races under her harness with one Iditarod start. Aliy used the words pert, strong-willed and sassy to describe her as well as “a dynamite lead dog”. She’ll add a new dimension to the SP Kiwi crew. Close kennel friend Nicolle Wisniewski has sponsored Chevie since she was a puppy – sincere thanks to her and all Chevie’s Dog Fan Club members.

QT, Bruno, Razz and Gravy

In our last update we told you about Bill and Jefe, who had gone to live with Bridgett and her family to continue their racing careers. More recently QT, Bruno, Razz and Gravy joined them as they, too, were not ready to retire to a couch just yet. You can follow their fortunes at Kennel On A Hill.

QT is smart and beautiful and has an impressive race history. She has four Iditarods and several mid-distance races including Copper Basin 300, Northern Lights 300, Percy DeWolfe, Yukon Quest 200 and local Two Rivers races. She is a fast and confident lead dog and will add much to any team she is on. Many thanks to QT’s sponsors, long time kennel supporters Bob and Shirley McConnell, and all her Dog Fan Club members.

Bruno is impressive all round – looks, talent and race history. He has four Iditarods and two Yukon Quests to his name and mid-distance races alongside his sister QT. He’s a freight train and very low maintenance. Bruno was sponsored by Teresa Clark – thank you so very much for choosing Bruno. Thanks also to his Dog Fan Club members.

Razz is small and quick and loves to be in lead. She hasn’t had the chance to show the world her talent yet so we are looking forward to following her fortunes. Little Razzy-razz-razz was sponsored by Joy and Nick and Evelyn Dayana Weis – thank you for your long standing support for SPK. Thanks to all her Dog Fan Club members also.

Gravy is a super-fun happy boy with great genes and amazing potential. We can’t wait to see how he takes on the world! Thanks to Holly and Tim Freeman who are Gravy’s sponsors and long-time kennel supporters. Thanks to his Dog Fan Club members.

Stay tuned for more retirement updates.