SPK Dog Log

We hope that 2014 brings much happiness and success to you all!

~ Aliy, Allen and everyone here at SP Kennel

Congratulations to our Fan Club prize draw winner this time: CHRIS FERGUSON from Dunedin, New Zealand! Chris was one of our very first Fan Club members and is a fan of BEEMER.

At SP Kennel over the last couple of weeks the thermometer hit 40-50F below a few times. Consequently we were all rugged up as warmly as we could get so our topical Fan Club prize this time is an SP Kennel red beanie; we hope it’s useful Chris, even though it is the middle of summer in NZ! Chris’ll also receive an e-copy of Aliy’s 2013 Iditarod Trail Notes, a certificate, glam shot and some other goodies. Beemer already got some extra treats from the Dog Fan Club biscuit bucket.

We thought you might like to learn more about Beemer:

The next draw is due on Sunday, January 12th which is right in the middle of Copper Basin! We’ll still make the draw that day but the post may be a little later. The names of everyone who hasn’t already won and all new members will be in the draw for a Copper Basin 300 related prize.

Click the button below for instructions on how to join:

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

What a fantastic group of dogs I had on the Red and Black team!

VIPER and PUD led the team out of the starting chute. I intentionally chose really solid leaders as I knew that the trail would be going directly past the kennel… twice. While this could have been a challenge (“What?! We’re not going home for snacks and rub-downs?”), my team flew by the kennel without a glance. This was probably due in part to VIPER’s obsession with turning haw (gee would have gone straight home). He’s a very left-handed dog, which comes in handy in precisely these kinds of situations! PUD is such a reliable leader because of how tuned in he is to his musher. I was really happy to have him up front with VIPER.

WAYLON ran in solo swing and was, as usual, a rock star. His enthusiasm and unique bark-talk always make me smile. RANGER and HONDA ran behind him, with RANGER barking the entire race, as usual. RANGER’s barking is actually really helpful at a race, because it lets a team I’ve caught up to know that I’m there and waiting to pass. HONDA was so steady. I kept an especially close eye on him as he tends to overheat more easily than the other dogs, and the forecast was calling for temperatures as high as 15 degrees. He had no problem, however, and gave 110% the entire race.

BORIS and OUTLAW rounded out the middle of the team and provided some serious power along with MISMO and FANG behind them. These four guys are kind of like having a little rocket booster in your back pocket. They are such hard workers! TUG and PEPE brought up the rear. These two are so consistent, and work really nicely together. They are the dogs that you never notice, because they are always doing their job.

I was especially impressed with the two-year-olds, OUTLAW, MISMO and PEPE, who have limited race experience. When we pulled into the checkpoint, everyone had a big meal and got a fluffy straw bed. While the veteran race dogs immediately curled up in their straw for a nap, the two-year-olds sat down but remained alert, excited by all the non-SP dogs and the general race energy of a checkpoint. They eventually relaxed and laid down for a power-nap, but were (of course!) the first ones up and screaming to go as teams started pulling out for the second half of the race. Gotta love the bottomless enthusiasm of the youngsters!

Our run from the checkpoint to the finish was so smooth. The temperature had cooled, and I decided to move RANGER and WAYLON into lead. These two guys are such strong drivers and set a nice, brisk pace. Having RANGER up front is almost like driving a car, in that you can turn exactly how you want, whenever you want. He is SO alert to his musher! I trust him completely. With the cooler weather and a solid first run under our belts, I decided to let them have a little more speed for our run to the finish line. And they delivered! We had a flawless run under a bright moon, and crossed the finish line sometime around 2:20 a.m. We turned and ran the six miles home, had a snack and rub-down in the yard, and everyone was sound asleep (including me!) by 4:00 a.m. What a day, what a team!

~ Meghan

I feel very privileged to have been trusted to take the Yearling team in the Solstice 50; it was a fantastic learning experience for us all. From the ride in the dog truck, to hooking up in all the chaos, to encountering skiers, snow machines and 30 other teams on the trail – they all coped brilliantly.

The race was one of the the longest runs they had ever done so to keep it happy and fun we stopped four times for snack/rest breaks and kept a steady pace all the way; we pulled into the checkpoint with wagging tails and smiles (me included – the smile I mean). To gently introduce the concept, we parked in one of the vacant camping spots behind the 100 milers and “camped them” for a couple of hours. They all ate a massive kibble meal and lots of snacks then settled, somewhat, into some straw for a while before we loaded them into the truck for the short ride home.

Every dog did a fantastic job!

DINGLE and SPOOG are an interesting combination in lead. DINGLE is so experienced, patient and pretty laid back. I swear he can read trail markers as there were a few times I got a bit confused and said HAW when I actually should have said GEE – he respectfully ignored me; knowing all the other teams had gone GEE. SPOOG is an up-and-coming leader and he is so earnest in is work; he’s very keen to do it right and pulls hard from start to finish.

LYDIA and JUNIOR worked well together in swing position. JUNIOR got a little hyped up at the truck with the other teams close by but soon settled into her work once we got away from the start and on to trails she knew. LYDIA loped the whole way and wasn’t fazed by all the passing manoeuvres (being passed) we had to do. She shows great confidence and maturity already.

DUTCH ran on his own and got into a great rhythm very early. He ate every snack and showed good manners around the other teams. All three of those things are important in a sled dog.

I love running IRON and DRIVER together. They have a great energy and seem to be good mates. In training, DRIVER mostly lopes and he can look kinda goofy with his long legs and floppy ears but after about 30 miles he settled into a trot and looked really powerful and business-like. IRON always looks great when he runs, he’s a good looking dog!

SANDY and KODIAK kept a great pace in wheel. KODIAK won the prize for being the coolest and calmest at the truck waiting to go. It was bedlam around him and he just sat; taking it all in. SANDY got down to business quickly and is very efficient – she’s an unassuming young lady and an important part of the team.

I am very happy to point you in the direction of the dog page to check the yearlings’ race history – it no longer says “None”! And don’t worry: CHIPPER, WOODY and WEDGY’s time will come.

Thank you to Wes, Bridgett and Scotty, Ray, Ryne and Mark for your help on Saturday. (And, of course, Aliy, Allen and Meghan)

– Moira

First of all, a huge thank you to the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Assoc and all the volunteers for putting on an excellent race. The trail was superb and well marked, and the checkpoint was set up really efficiently. Thanks also to the Pleasant Valley Store for staying open!

We want to thank in particular Wes, Ray, Bridgett, Scotty, Ryne, Derek and Mark for their help – we really appreciate you all.

Now that it is a few days after the race, we are taking the time to reflect on how each team performed. Overall it was a huge success.

Obviously the RED team were awesome! Aliy said her team was ready to race and even a little restless during the 4-hour rest. They even pulled her anchoring snow hook 10 minutes before their “go time”. It was somewhat understandable as they stood only 10 feet from Jeff King’s team of phenomenal and excited canine athletes.

The very experienced duo of QUITO and SCOUT lead the team the entire route. Drawing bib #21 meant the team had to execute quite a few passing maneuvers to get to the front of the race pack – actually they passed 16 teams in the first 50 miles. They had several poor passes and several very good passes. This is too be expected during the first race of the season. Aliy said that after her first disastrous pass (her fault) she concentrated more and the rest were at least mediocre. The leaders were followed by SCRUGGS and SCOOTER who are good passing dogs with abundant enthusiasm. As you saw in the video of the finish, SCOOTER was the cheerleader, a role she fulfils in most races. NACHO and BOONDOCKS ran together, something Aliy enjoys, as they are so similar in attitude despite such a massive size difference. Two lads, MAC and CHEMO ran solidly together and relatively inexperienced NELSON and Super-Star WILLIE were a perfect combo. FELIX ran with his dad BISCUIT in wheel and they not only physically resemble each other, they are a good match in pace, attitude and performance.

The BLACK team was also superb and did a fantastic job to come in third. To have two teams in the top three sets us up really well for the season ahead.

In a late line-up shuffle Allen lead out with RAMBLER and BEEMER who were both as strong as they ever are. CHICA and SISSY ran in swing and backed-up the leaders well while passing other teams (the swing dogs can sometimes make or break a pass if they don’t follow the leaders strongly). I.V ran with SCHMOE and they proved a good combination, working together well. CLYDE and PUPPET were strong team dogs doing their jobs effectively and with minimal fuss. LESTER and TATFISH are about as different as two dogs can get – TATFISH is touched with a little A.D.D. and LESTER a quieter but confident dog – yet they had good energy together. BONITA and IZZY ran in wheel for both legs. IZZY is really coming in to her own and we’re excited about her season ahead. BONITA is always a hard-worker and good looking gal.

The RED AND BLACK Team finished strongly and looked great as the crossed the line – Meghan will write a race wrap-up later in the week and tell you about each of her team mates.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at SP Kennel!

Watch the SP Kennel RED, BLACK and RED AND BLACK teams finish the Two Rivers Solstice 100.

Written wrap-ups to come.

Aliy Zirkle – RED TEAM – won the Two Rivers Solstice 100 race with a total run time of 08:41:54 both legs combined.

Second place was Matt Hall arriving 5 minutes behind Aliy.

Third place was Allen Moore – BLACK TEAM – another 6 minutes behind.

Meghan has finished the race but the standings are not posted yet. We will give you more times and details in the morning.

Time to put the mushers and dogs to bed!