SPK Dog Log

Monday was a busy day for all the potential Iditarod dogs at SP Kennel!

We loaded up 44 dogs into two trucks and headed to town. First stop was to get blood drawn by the volunteer vet tech team for the Iditarod veterinarian team to run several tests to ascertain if the dogs are fit to race.

Lydia has blood drawn; Iron’s heart rhythms are recorded

Next, each dog got an Electrocardiogram (ECG) that measures electrical function and heart rhythms and can alert the doctors to any anomalies that might rule the dog out of racing.

Allen gives Lydia some love as she’s on the ECG table

Thanks to the Iditarod volunteer vet tech team of Charlotte Talbert, Samantha Freeborn and Tabitha Jones on the ECG, Sabrina Pennington and Kate Brumbaugh doing the blood draws and Harmony Frazier doing the essential computer data inputting ensuring the correct microchip number is recorded against the right dog. This is important as the microchips are scanned at the start line and all the way down the trail, and if it doesn’t match with the recorded results the dog cannot run.

Next we loaded everyone back into the trucks and headed to T Rose Veterinarian Services for the thorough external vet check. Dr Rose checked weight, coat and skin; eyes, ears and nose. She checked everyones teeth and listened for the heart rate and respiration function. Next she checked range of motion on limbs and looked for any issues in “private areas”. Not EVERYTHING was external, however, we did take temperatures…

Along with all that, we also declare the vaccination status for distemper, hepatitis, para-influenza, parvo, kennel cough, lepto and rabies. All dogs are also de-wormed prior to the race and drug tested during the race to ensure no banned performance enhancers or medications are used.

Thanks to Dr Tamara Rose; we appreciate your support for SP Kennel and the care and attention you pay our dogs.

T Rose checks out Willie’s range of motion

All dogs that run the Iditarod have to pass every test and be declared fit to run. As for the musher… there is no medical involved but they are drug tested in the White Mountain checkpoint for banned substances. Also, rookie mushers must have qualified to run the race by being ‘signed-off’ by officials in a number of shorter qualifying races. This is to ensure the musher has the skills to take care of not only him or herself, but the 16 canine athletes in their charge.

EDIT: The blood draw and ECG is part of the entry fee and if we were to do the vet checks in Anchorage on one of the Iditarod organised ‘vet check days’ that would be covered also. Because we choose to have T Rose do our vet checks locally we pay for that ourselves.

Just a reminder that during the Iditarod weekend in Anchorage the entire SP Kennel Crew of dogs and humans will be staying at the Extended Stay Anchorage – Downtown.

Come stay with us and you might get to meet the dogs and the crew! We will let you know the schedule for when we “drop the dogs” (actually: lift them down very carefully) from the truck during Friday, Saturday and Sunday for feeding and walking, so come and visit with us. We would love to see you!

Please email Linda Steiner at: lsteiner@extendedstay.com for bookings, pricing and availability.

We will keep this button in the ‘fan zone’ (left hand side) of the blog that links you to more information and contact details.

We currently have a few surplus tickets for sale for the Start Banquet and Bib Draw on Thursday, March 3rd at 6pm in the Dena’ina Center. If you would like to attend the banquet and sit at an SP Kennel table please email Moira at spkdoglog@gmail.com. Tickets are $82 and this will be on a first come, first served basis. Let me know how many tickets you need.

NOTE: There are no plans for a Meet-and-Greet with Aliy and Allen this year.

As the final act in this year’s Yukon Quest I have put together a “journey” video for the Black team on this year’s race.

Go make a cup of coffee (or tea), put your feet up and, hopefully, enjoy!

It was a full house in Whitehorse tonight as the Yukon Quest was celebrated through music, stories and fellowship.

A full house with Commando and Willie in the background

The Canadian Rangers lead all the mushers into the hall during the flag procession then we were all welcomed by Chief Doris Bill, Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Michele Telep, Ta’an Kwach’an First Nation, both speaking about how the Yukon Quest is important to their communities. After the national anthems of Canada and USA, representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the local Yukon MP and the Whitehorse Mayor also spoke about the Quest and it’s impact on the Yukon.

All the finishing mushers

We chose our table well as we were the first to be drawn to go to the buffet! Yum. During dinner we enjoyed a performance by the Air North Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Can-Can Dancers – including some moves from the Red Lantern winner Gaetan Pierrard.

Scott Chesney and his photography/videography team of Julien Schroder and Whitney McKaren put together an amazing montage of stills and videos from the race. We’ve all enjoyed their beautiful work during the race and the montage was really quite moving. Check it out on the “Quest Facebook page now.

Each musher came up to the stage to thank their dogs, handlers, families, sponsors and supporters. Most told stories about their time on the trail and referenced the “Quest Family”; something that brings mushers back year after year. After Hugh Neff’s champion’s speech we were all treated to a performance of the Wolf Dance from the Dakka Kwaan Dancers, a local first nation group, that was simply awesome.

The Flag Procession; Seal Fur mittens by MadMitters

Allen told the story of how he ended up in the water before Mile 101 checkpoint – he got his leg caught up in one of the lines on his sled and while trying to free it he and his sled flopped over into the water. He told the dogs “straight ahead” and they drug him through the water out the other side. Good dogs!

For coming in third place, Allen won a beautiful pair of seal skin mitts from “Matmitters” in Dawson City.

Congratulations to all the other prizewinners tonight – head over to the Yukon Quest Facebook page and website for more photos and further details.

There was another tremendous turn-out in Whitehorse last evening as hundreds and hundreds of fans, supporters, sponsors and family queued to get signatures, selfies and handshakes with their favorite mushers.

It was the first time many of the mushers had seen each other so there was time for them to catch up with each other and share stories of the trail.

It was appropriate that the Verizon promotional signature cards that Allen was signing featured a picture of Scout, seems Scout was the MVD of this race!

It was a fun evening! Thanks to the sponsors: Inukshuk Dog Food.

Delicious celebration cakes

Congratulations to Carol Olcott who has won this week’s draw. Carol is a fan of MISMO.

Mismo has just found his stride. He is now an extremely confident and dedicated dog. He enjoys running in lead and his best partner lead dog is Waylon. Physically they are opposites but mentally the pair up quite well. We are VERY excited to watch Mismo come into his own this season.

As we are still in Quest mode, Carol wins a 2016 Yukon Quest poster signed by both Aliy and Allen, some maple sweets from Whitehorse, along with some other kennel goodies.

Our next draw is next Friday, March 4th. If you haven’t already won this season or if you are a new member your name will be in the next draw.

NOTE: you can win more than once if you are a fan of more than one dog!

Click the button below for instructions on how to join:

Click this button below to take you directly to the Dog Fan Page.

I am very happy with the overall performance of the team this year. Being a younger team I knew they might have a little bit of difficulty at the end of the race because it was new to so many of them. It was a little difficult, but they did very, very well. They are only going to get better and third place is great!

Scout is the only dog that has run all six of my Yukon Quests with me. He is the MVD of this year’s Quest because whenever I needed him he was always there. I could always put him in lead if I needed to and he always had plenty of energy and took charge.

Willie has also been on a number of my Quests and he’s also a proven veteran that never have any problems with. Sometimes you don’t even know he’s on the team because hes just always pulling and always there. He ran with Dutch the entire race, showing him the ropes.

Scout and Willie

Scruggs is another veteran that he helped me win the Quest two years ago and he definitely has not forgotten the trail here. You could tell he was perking up more and more the further we went; he knew where the truck was! He was a steady boy the whole time.

Waylon is our ‘hairless dog’ and this year it was in his benefit to have no hair with the 30+ degree temperatures. Very rarely do we not have to put a coat on him and this year was the exception. Maybe that’s why he did as well as he did.

Scruggs and Waylon

Schmoe-dawg probably more than most dogs, he was always the tightest on the line. He knew his place in the team and he performed well. Always up the hills and when you get ready to leave from a rest stop he is the most vocal. He gets the rest of the team inspired to do better – he’s the cheerleader of the team.

Mac also, to my surprise, was a huge cheerleader numerous times. When we would get close to a checkpoint I would think someone is hurting him as he was screaming and yelling and excited to be there. He performed well in the heat surprisingly and I could tell how hot it was by how hard we was running. Seems like big dogs, like big people, don’t do as well when it is hot. He perservered and was definitely running well all the way to the finish line.

Schmoe and Mac

Mismo was in lead probably 75% of the race. You can tell Quito is his mother; he runs like her but is about twice as big! I had him in lead for a reason, because he was always tight and pulling. We expect really good things out of him over the next few years. Hopefully he will be as good as his mother.

Izzy is a very strong dog, she had been injured a little earlier this year and I was kinda worried for her, however after a few hundred miles I didn’t have to worry. Her line was as tight as she could be and I put her in lead for the last 50 miles of the race because she was one of the tightest, if not THE tightest of the whole team. She, like her brother Mismo, was taking after their mother Quito a lot at the end of the race. She could definitely be a command leader in the future.

Mismo and Izzy

Clyde has run six 1000 miles races and as a four year old what can you say about that? He has run more races than any younger dog that we’ve ever had, such is his talent. This is mainly because of his eating habits. He always eats as much as you give him so always has more energy than most. If we could have 14 or 16 dogs that eat like him we’d have a lot more energy at the end of the race. It is always a positive and it’s great to see a dog eating and drinking well in the middle of the race – he’s that dog.

Felix is always faster than most dogs, he lopes most of the time and he can give you a lot of speed, which he did. He ate well in the first part of the race but coming into Dawson he got a bug and started having diarrhea and his energy level went down. After 36 horus of medicine and care, his appetite never came back so we decided not to continue with him.

Clyde and Felix

Chipper has a good name! She is named after a chipper in golf but is also very chipper in her attitue. She’s a pint sized little dog that has a huge heart and it doesn’t seem like heat nor distance bother her. She’s very agile and she also could be a great command leader, like her mother, in the future. She was no trouble and did well.

Kodiak like Mismo was in lead 75% of the time. So you have to have a little perseverance to be in lead that much, which he had. The only time he got a little ‘squirly’ with me was when I put Izzy up there and girls make him crazy! He just wanted to lay his head on her shoulder and didn’t pull tight so I had to take him out of lead. He’s a good leader and could become a great leader in the future.

Chipper and Kodiak

Kodiak’s brother, Dutch, is another younger dog that hasn’t had that much experience until now. I was very pleased to see how hard he worked and didn’t mess around. Dutch was always tight and is another good dog for the future. He will do nothing but get better and he was good this year!

Commando was my youngest dog. He ran 1000 mile race when he was a yearling and now he was on the ‘A’ team for the first time because he was healthier than most other dogs prior to the race. I was a little worried at first because of his age, and he did go through a lot of mind-over-matter issues earlier in the race only to thrive by the end. He could definitely be a superstar for the futre. To be two years old having finished two 1000 mile races, going into a third is pretty impressive.

Dutch and Commando

When you finish with 13 healthy dogs you have to be happy, which we are! Every kennel goes through a rebuilding year or two and this year is ours. When you lose your LeBron James the team is not going to be quite the same but we are working on it!! For a rebuilding year we couldn’t ask for much more.

All photos by Barbara Swenson