Clyde and Amber wonder why the grass is always greener…”
As well as going on walks, the SP Kennel dogs enjoy our three Play Pens during the off season. Usually they play in pairs; sometimes siblings or just good buddies. Yesterday, Chipper and Mismo were in the larger pen, Clyde and Amber were in the northern pen and Ginger and Ernie were in the front pen. We keep a schedule, so that everyone gets some fun time.
This morning we put Champ and Cayenne in the larger pen, Olivia and Woody in the northern pen and Biscuit and Wedgy in the front pen.
Woody and Olivia start a game of tag.
“You think you can catch me?”; “Really?”; “Nope!”
“I’m pretty sure that she was right here just seconds ago.”
Beemer and Viper have officially retired as SP Kennel race dogs. They will live the rest of their lives together as pet dogs with Tom and Cindy in Pennsylvania.
This “Good-Bye” photo is not very glamourous of me but please note Rambler’s photo bomb nose under my left arm pit. He wanted to say his good byes as well.
The boys were born in 2007 to ChaCha and Oddball. They started racing in 2009 and were tremendously successful for the next 6 years. They combined for nearly 20,000 race miles; including twelve Iditarods, four Yukon Quests and numerous mid distance races (all before the age of 8 years.) Beemer is a two-time Yukon Quest champion and both dogs raced on 2nd place Iditarod teams.
The brothers’ last race was together on the Iditarod Black Team with Allen in March 2015. Tom and Cindy came up to the start and wished the boys good luck on their final sled dog adventure. Ten days and one-thousand miles later, Viper finished in lead and Beemer finished in team. Congrats boys!
This video is a celebration of the 7 1/2 years that Beemer and Viper were SP Kennel sled dogs.
This past week, Tom and Cindy came up to SP Kennel bonded with the boys, bought airline crates and all four of them flew back to the Lower 48 yesterday.
Retirement PARTY!!
We had a grand retirement party earlier in the week. Everyone got a chance to give their congrats, good byes and plenty of butt scratches. We had a celebration cake for the humans and rawhide chews for all of the SP Kennel dogs. (And, yes… Cindy I did see you sneak some frosting to Beemer when you thought no one was looking!)
Tom was supposedly in charge of the BBQ however Beemer’s needs won out; Viper tries to get moose burgers from Linda; everyone enjoyed the ‘Retirement Video’.
Often I get asked “Is it hard to retire dogs like Beemer and Viper?”
Oh my goodness… yes.
But, is it the right thing to do?
For them? Yes.
For our overall kennel management and the young ‘up and coming’ dogs? Yes.
For Tom and Cindy? Yes.
For me? Yes and No.
I won’t lie. I cried when I made the celebration video and I cried when I said my final good byes. Will I miss them? Yes, I will. I will miss their unique personalities, their super sled dog abilities and their constant tail wags. I have a very personal connection with both of them. I am sad that they will not be at SP Kennel anymore. But, at exactly the same time, I am happy that they have graduated to a new life. It’s almost like my kids have moved out and gone away to college. Beemer and Viper will be part of an incredibly loving and happy family. I could not have computer generated a better retirement home for these boys. I believe that there is a “right time” for retirement for dogs (and humans, for that matter.) Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to retire at that time. For Beemer and Viper, the time is now. So I need to let them go. This makes me happy because they will retire at the top of their game and the younger dogs left behind must now rise to fill these two enormous spots. Who will it be? That’s exciting just to think about…
Do I think they will miss me? Yes, I do. I think in the back corner of their doggie brains, they will always remember me and when they see me again it will be awesome. But, they will not long for me. That I know for sure. These are very select humans who adopt my dogs. I have known Tom for over 15 years. And getting to know Cindy has made me like Tom even more. They are dog people and if Beemer and Viper aren’t in love after this past week, then they will be within the first day of moving to Pennsylvania.
Tom and Cindy take the boys for their last romp in Alaska; Arrival at their new home in Pennsylvania.
So, this is not a time for tears. But, if it happens, then at least cry with a smile on your face. I am!
Later this summer the “Latinos” will turn four and they will head into next season as experienced racing dogs. Last season really was a “coming of age” for them and with Quito and Biscuit as their parents, they couldn’t help but turn out to be talented sled dogs!
L-R: left to right: Mismo, Pepe, Izzy, Felix and Nelson
Izzy has developed into a smart and strong “front end” dog and she is gorgeous too! Allen said this of her after her Yukon Quest debut: “She had a good attitude, ate well, climbed well, slept well… all of the above”.
Mismo is a strong, motivated fellah and developed an exceptional working relationship with our other big fellah, Mac, during the Iditarod. He’s finally growing into that big body and long legs and is a formidable team member. He even brought Aliy’s YQ300 team home in single lead!
Felix is a carbon copy of his Papa Biscuit. That says it all!! Aliy and Allen have huge confidence in his abilities.
Nelson is a solid, hard worker and is full of beans! He will really come in to his own next season.
Pepe is… well… Pepe. He may not have matured quite as quickly as his siblings but he always tries so hard and we were happy to see him cross the finish line in Nome. He grew up before our eyes and we look forward to seeing him progress further this coming season. Of anyone, Pepe seems to take after his Uncle Tatfish and is a joy to be around as he always makes you smile.
It wasn’t that long ago they were puppies! And because it’s Throwback Thursday and because everyone loves puppies, here’s a quick look back at them at one and five weeks old.
Ginger and her brothers (Ernie, Five, Rodney and Scooby) are 10 months old and all five are doing well. After Ginger’s health scare this Spring, she has made a 100% recovery and is as sassy as the next pup!
As you can see, the Weather Forecast in for Interior Alaska certainly says… “Summer, summer, summer!”
The dogs hide in the shade and dig deep “cooling” holes in the dirt during the day. Throughout the day there is not much husky activity. However, the entire yard livens up at about 10 PM when the temperatures cool. And let the ruckus begin! Usually by about midnight we have to calm the playing down and tell everyone that it is now time to sleep. The response is “Why sleep when we can play?!”
As we head into our summer ‘off season’, we thought it time to restart our Throw Back Thursday (TBT) series. We’ll take a look back at posts from the previous years to help fill in some blanks or remind you of when your favorite racers were puppies!
Our first one for this summer is about Mac. Mac is a superstar! He turns 6 years old August 21st. He is a Yukon Quest and Copper Basin 300 champion and was an important member of the Iditarod 2nd place teams. Mac is solid, dependable and energetic husky.
As we’ve mentioned before, Mac is the largest dog at the kennel – weighing 70 pounds at the peak of the 2014 – 2015 racing season. There are only a few dogs at SP Kennel who have even reached the 60 pound mark: Driver, Mismo and Woody and the ‘soon to be’ Yearlings: Five, Rodney and Scooby will most likely weigh at least 60 pounds as adults. So to have an athletic and gorgeous 70 pound dog at SP Kennel is rare!
But, remember Mac as a puppy? In this post, Macgellan had taken Mac out with Auntie Tig and Auntie Stella for an afternoon run.
Despite the fact that Mac is a very big guy, he is not a brut. He is a stoic, pensive and thoughtful dog. Yes, he has tremendous energy and when he wants to go… he goes! But, while at his spot in the yard he is a perfect gentleman. Mac will sit proudly on top of his house until you find your way across the yard and over to pet him. He doesn’t often jump up and if he does, he will glide up onto your side gracefully, trying not to knock you over. He understands his power and strength. On the other hand, Mac will unceremoniously knock you over and drag you across the driveway when he knows that he is either going into the dog truck, put into a play pen for the day or loaded up for an afternoon walk. Then it is probably in your best interest to just let him go or you might find yourself being drug like a Yukon Quest dog sled across the parking lot.
“Hey you… get over here and pet me!!”; “When are we starting this race?”
Here is a video of Mac and the team at the Pelly Crossing Checkpoint during the 2014 Yukon Quest. You’ll see the unbridled passion of being an SP Kennel sled dog.
When it comes to selecting who the SP Kennel “mother” will be, we are very picky. We consider who to breed yearly after looking at her genetics, performance, and attitude as well that of her parents, siblings and puppies. Everything counts when making this important choice for the future of the kennel. The other issue to consider is timing during the year. Most of our kennel Mothers are active racing dogs, so breeding, whelping and raising puppies is a lot to ask in addition to their “other” job. Therefore we try not to bred any one too often or for too many consecutive years during their racing career.
Look a likes: Chica was a mother in 2014 with her pup, Scooby; Olivia was a mother in 2013 with her pup, Hotshot.
Congrats and THANK YOU to every Mother. We wouldn’t be here with out you.
Sneak Peek: This summer, we hope to have a brand new Mother at SP Kennel. We will not know for certain until early June but, we’ll let you know as soon as we do!
As Two Rivers is going through springtime melt and is welcoming the summer, here in New Zealand the leaves are turning and days getting chillier. Just like in Westeros… Winter is Coming.
But, it’s not like winter here is anything like a winter in Interior Alaska. We live in Taranaki, on the west coast of the North Island, under the shadow of a mountain, and very close to the coast. It snows on our mountain in the winter but very seldom does it settle on the ground in my town. If it dips below freezing it’s the talk of the town (“Brrr, cold today eh?”) With a mountain so close we get a LOT of rain so our winters tend to be wet.
This climate change has been an adjustment for Spicy. She shed out much of her winter coat before we left Two Rivers in May 2014 and will likely never need to grow it back again. She looks even smaller now – I’d only really ever seen her during the winter with her thick coat on and without it she really is a tiny wee thing.
Another adjustment for Spicy is that she is now, very definitely, an inside dog. She sleeps on my bed and she and Lexie take turns on the couches during the evening. That didn’t take long to learn! She is part of the family and loves my parents and is getting more and more confident around the rest of my family and friends.
She has also made a few friends (canine and human) that we meet regularly on our twice daily walks in the sports ground over our back fence. She loves the walks and she now knows every inch of the grounds and surrounding trees and streams – but there is always something new to sniff or pee on!
Occasionally we go to the beach and she loves to smell different sniffs and meet new friends there. Last time we went, the beach was almost exclusively people walking their dogs so much fun was had by all!
Lexie and Spicy at the beach
It’s a far cry from her days as a SPK racing dog crossing under the burled arch in Nome, or leading a team of youngsters on a training run, but she seems to be enjoying her “retirement” very much indeed. Thanks Aliy and Allen for letting me bring her home!
– Moira
