SPK Dog Log

Quito watches the World Cup Soccer final game USA versus Japan as Rambler snoozes (he’s more of a hockey guy).

Allen is clearly ‘marked’ after finishing dog chores for the day.

Scooby diligently helps clean the yard.

Overall fitness of our dogs and our mushers is extremely important. We believe that maintaining their fitness all year long is key to success. There are different ways to do this during the summer “off-season”.

One way is to continue training dogs in harness. This is the easiest method to maintain fitness during the summer. Running a team of sled dogs on abbreviated training runs is excellent for their muscle memory, attitude and team dynamics. Throughout Alaska there are quite a few mushers who train their dogs in harness in June, July and August. However, these are teams that are usually located in cool and damp regions of the state: on the Kenai Peninsula, Southeast Alaska or some mushers will move their teams to glacier locations for the summer.

Other mushers forgo the change in location and bring the cooler environment to their backyard. There are dog teams that train in harness on a treadmill in an artificially cooled environment during the summer.

In Interior Alaska, where SP Kennel is located, our daytime temperatures have been in the 70’s and 80’s this summer. These temperatures, along with the fact that there has been very little precipitation, makes it impossible to train in harness without overheating dogs. And, although we do have a treadmill on the property, we choose to exercise our dogs outdoors and not in harness during this summer “off-season”.
Why?

1. It’s fun. The “off-season” means we are under no pressure and no time constraints. Chasing tails, running around and rolling about are not common activities race dogs do during the racing season. They enjoy this zero pressure environment during the summer.
2. It’s amusing. To watch different aged and ability dogs run around, play and act like silly puppies. There are no expectations and no stress from their team mates or their musher.
3. It’s exciting. To see the formation of new relationships between dogs who might not have trained much in harness together. All of our dogs will be training in teams starting September 1st. Every dog needs to be able to run next to any other dog at SP Kennel with no exceptions. Therefore dogs need to know each other and form a true relationships.
4. It’s rewarding. For our mushers to bond with our dogs intimately on a one-on-one basis instead of in a team. This is the bond that will keep us going down the trail when conditions get challenging.

L-R: Tig and Chemo practice ‘recall’; Schmoe models for the camera; Daisy enjoys the Walk.

We have a routine for Dog Walks. The Walk Calendar is kept on computer and dogs rotate on a schedule. Groups of 5 to 8 dogs will go together. Females in heat do not get to walk. At the kennel, the dogs are loaded into airline crates that sit on an ATV trailer. The trailer is pulled approximately 1/2 mile from the kennel. The Dog Walker lets the dogs out of their crates one at a time. There are no leashes on the dogs; however the Walker always carries a leash. The Walker gets all of the dogs’ attention and walks away from the ATV. The dogs follow and soon run ahead. The standard Walk is 1 mile out and 1 mile back with a short break at a beaver pond. The extended Walk is 2 miles uphill and 2 miles back. These are the distances that the Walker covers, not the dogs. The dogs generally cover about twice as many miles as the Walker because they run back and forth, into the woods and around in circles. There might only be one Walker per group or several depending if their are SP Kennel guests or visitors present. At the end of the Walk, the dogs will race each other to the “finish”. No human Walker can keep up with SP Kennel dogs who are racing to the “finish”. This is the reason we park the ATV with airline crates where we do. That is their finish line. By the time a Walker reaches the finish, several minutes later, some of the dogs have already loaded themselves and are ready to go home.

L-R: The dogs rush to the “finish line” airline crates; Tig and Lester are loaded and ready to roll!

Keeping sled dogs fit all year long is just another part of trying to succeed at the highest level in sled dog sports. But, not only is it a key to success, it can also be fun, amusing, exciting and rewarding. For both dogs and humans!

The litter that was planned this Spring did not take. Everyone is healthy and happy, there are just no SP Kennel puppies at this time. This will leave us more time to walk and hang out with all of the SP Kennel dogs. We will most likely breed another SP Kennel pairing this summer so keep an eye out for updates.

You will have seen us mention Bullet many times in various blog posts but some of you may not know much about her.

Bullet was one of the best lead dogs at SPK and often ran in lead with ChaCha in races. This picture (right) is her in lead with Oddball in 2008. She was a “go to” leader for Aliy and was especially good to get out of a checkpoint quickly… you see, Bullet is a bit shy of new people so was always keen to get out of town and onto the trail.

Click the link here to see a post by Macgellan (and further comments from Bridgett) from 2010.

Bullet is now enjoying her retirement. She has her own coffee-table crate tucked away in the corner of the living area where she can retreat to. During the summer she lounges on the deck or wanders around the dog yard sniffing out left-over tidbits other dogs may have missed.

Bullet featured in a recent TBT post when she was helping the Latino litter socialise when they were five weeks old. “Auntie Bullet” has never had her own pups but she LOVES playing with them. I remember when I first arrived at SP back in October 2012, Dutch was just a few weeks old and he had a bit of a sore belly and was spending time inside. One of the most endearing things I’ve ever seen was tiny little Dutch finding his way into Bullet’s kennel inside and curling up between her front legs, snuggling in for a nap.

Here is a video from back in 2008 where Aily introduces us to her.

Visitors to the yard might never glimpse Bullet, she likes to keep to herself but I have to say, she’s one of my very favourite dogs!

– Moira

Today was the first day for mushers to sign-up for the 2016 Iditarod. Each year the Iditarod Trail Committee holds a picnic to celebrate this event and to thank all the volunteers who give their time to make the race what it is. This year also, they took donations for mushers that were affected by the Sockeye fire earlier in June.

Although Aliy and Allen were unable to attend the picnic they submitted their entries by post prior to the day so SP Kennel will have two teams in the 2016 Iditarod!

The Iditarod couldn’t exist without volunteers. From flying drop bags to checkpoints to manning communications, selling merchandise to caring for dropped dogs, start-line security to raking up checkpoint straw and everything in between. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for what you do for the race we love.

Check out the Iditarod Trail Facebook page to see all the other mushers that have signed up today and some pictures from the volunteer appreciation picnic. We can’t wait – can you?

If you have been following the Alaskan news recently you will know that right now there are over 250 separate fires burning and being tracked around the state. The fire crews from Alaska and the Lower 48, plus their support staff are doing an amazing job and are working hard to protect lives, homes and businesses. These men and women are truly “giving it their all.” And we thank them for their perseverance, knowledge and professionalism. We’d like to quote something we read from one of the Seaveys on Facebook: “Firefighters make Iditarod Mushers look like Cupcakes!

Current map from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center

The closest fire to the kennel is The Anaconda Creek Fire (#439), on the north side of Chena Hot Springs Road. This fire started on June 20th by a lightening strike. Currently the fire is about 10 miles north of the kennel with a favorable wind currently blowing away from any built up areas. It is in an area we train in during the winter so we’re familiar with the trails and terrain. It actually is burning just a few miles north of one of our common winter training trails that we ironically call “the Fire Break” trail. It is a wide trail cut along the top of a ridge by a bull dozer years ago to try and keep a fire north of Two Rivers. We hope that its previously intended goal is still valid!

Ray and Aliy took ATVs to the Fire Break Trail on Sunday afternoon and photographed the fire. It is reported to be 600 acres in size. Currently the wind is blowing the fire away from the kennel and away from the town of Two Rivers.

A view of the Anaconda Creek Fire from the Fire Break Trail.

An Alaska Type II Green Team has been stationed at the Pleasant Valley Store and Community Centre to attend the fire and they’re keeping everyone well abreast of the situation with updates and information as needed. The situation can alter quickly with a change in the wind or a lightning strike. We have loaded three trucks and two trailers with gear and dog supplies. There is a dog truck standing ready and a trailer for dog kennels. We could evacuate on a moment’s notice.

The Willow (Sockeye) Fire that burned many mushers (and non mushers) homes in the Southcentral Alaska earlier in June has now been predominately contained. People are moving back to their property and assessing damages: some minimal some catastrophic. Our thoughts go out to our friends who lost so much.

Several Alaskan villages have also been evacuated as wildfires. Musher Brent Sass has evacuated his kennel in Eureka and both the towns of Nulato and Tanana (checkpoints on the Iditarod this year) have evacuated. A small community south of Nenana has lost homes as well. But, there are many, many more fires threatening cabins, structures and livelihoods.

Tuesday nights at the Alaska Zoo are “Wildlife Diaries” which feature stories and information about Alaska: the wild lands and animals. Aliy has been invited to speak at the Zoo this Tuesday evening.

“Mushing Alaska: Fiercely Incredible Stories”
Aliy Zirkle has traveled across Alaska by dog team for over 20 years. It has been these amazing lands and the wildlife that calls them home that have captured her heart. But, the last few years, the extreme arctic weather conditions — incredible cold and fierce winds — have made traveling by dog team incredibly challenging. Come hear Aliy’s stories about staying warm and enduring blizzard conditions as she dog mushes across Alaska.

Please alert all SOCKEYE FIRE displaced DOG MUSHERS, complimentary Eagle Pack Natural Pet Food is available for pick up at Martin Buser’s Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake, Alaska. WellPet and Eagle are committed to helping those in need.
No need to call, just come to Happy Trails Visitor Center. HERE are directions to get to Happy Trails Kennel.
Martin’s website is www.BuserDog.com and here is Martin’s Facebook Page.