SPK Dog Log

Allen and team have pulled into Slaven’s Cabin and it looks like he could be resting there. Next stop will be Circle City.

A slight hitch is that the Steese Highway to the Circle and Central Checkpoints is closed at Eagle Summit due to blowing snow and difficult driving conditions. This means that, depending on how long they rest, there is a possibility the handler crew will not make it in time to greet him in Circle.

We will head up to the gates early in the morning and wait for the road to be cleared – this won’t upset plans too much and it is stressing us out far more that it will him!

We are waiting and watching travel conditions and will update you asap. Now we have two websites to hit “refresh” on!

If there is one soundbite from Aliy about the YQ300 it is that she “had fun and enjoyed the close competition” with Michelle Phillips. They both know each other well and have a lot of respect for each other. Of course, second place is not ideal and eight seconds is difficult to swallow but Aliy was very philosophical about it and immensely proud of her team. “They did a great job and this sets the kennel up really well for the Iditarod”.

Viper and Rambler led the team for the final loop to Stepping Stone and back, she said they did fantastic! Aliy made particular mention of Rambler; he lead the entire race with confidence and reliability. He showed his toughness last year at the Iditarod and again here. Rambler is a dog that Aliy can count on 110%.

Viper (right) was slated to start the race in lead, but upon leaving the starting chute Rambler was so excited he barked and nipped at Viper (brothers!), so she moved Boondocks to Viper’s place. (Rambler wouldn’t dare pick on her – no one would!) So, Viper ran one spot behind the leaders until 4 hours from the finish line. At that point, he was cocky and happy to be up in front and Rambler wanted to share the heavy responsibility. Viper was the reason the race was so close. Aliy asked the team to pass Michelle’s 3 miles from the finish line and Viper did it. Rambler on the other hand, liked running directly behind Michelle – as she had petted his head several times during the race. That’s how CLOSE the teams were!

Dingle worked hard, as always. He is vastly experienced and takes everything in his stride and is a good foil to have around anyone less experienced as he can help them “chill out” if a new situation for them arises.

Boondocks is always awesome! Once again she was a little spitfire on the trail and is Little Miss Sassy Pants. She works so hard and has such a huge work output for such a little dog. Originally, she was upset at not making the 1,000 mile Black Team, but she was critical on the Red Team.

Chemo added another 300 mile race to his resume. He came into the season as an inexperienced youngster but is now race toughened and impressive. He ran in swing the entire race and was a key team member when it came to increasing their speed.

Ranger barked and barked, and barked and barked. What else do you need to say about Ranger? He was absolutely tuckered in the end – actually 3 miles from the end. Aliy head on passed Crispin Stuter, who was standing by his dog team, Ranger must have gotten flustered with the dogs facing in different direction and sat down. It was obvious that he had give his all and needed a ride to the finish line. Aliy loaded him and the team carried him to the finish. That extra 50 pounds did make it challenging to catch back up to Michelle.

Mac (MacDaddy) was AWESOME! Aliy was excited to have him make the team and her confidence in him was vindicated. He was strong, steady and showed her what he is really made of. Coming into this race he wasn’t that experienced but he can come out it firmly in the frame for an Iditarod team.

Boris ran 177 miles. He’ll recover quickly from his soreness and continue to impress. It was important to Aliy for him to get some tough race miles under his belt so he can grow in confidence. The warm weather was a detriment to this big furry fellah.

Moxie (right) was steady team player for 235 miles. Aliy decided, just minutes before leaving, to drop him in Pelly for the last leg of the race. She knew she needed everyone to be 100% for the sprint home and she wasn’t sure about Moxie. He was unshaken by the drop from the team and happily walked over to the dog truck with Meghan and lifted his leg on the rear tire.

Tug is an unsung hero, she is always right there working hard and repaying the confidence Aliy has in her. She is not flashy or sassy but always delivers and this race was no exception. She is truly a good dog!

Fang is another steady, strong and understated sled dog. Aliy rates him highly and was really happy with how he performed. He is headed to Iditarod with confidence!

Bonita high-stepped her way for the entire 300 miles. She loves to run and as she ran in wheel position for the entire race Aliy could witness her enjoyment close-up. A fun loving dog with an attitude to match.

Allen and team went in and out of Eagle Checkpoint during the night; they spent five hours resting there before heading to Trout Creek Hospitality Stop. After some rest there they’ll head to Slaven’s Cabin then on to Circle Checkpoint where we will meet up with them again.

The handler crew broke dog camp in Dawson in record time then embarked on the looooong drive back to Two Rivers. We arrived home at 5am (18 hours on the nose!) – it was a tough drive because there was very little cell coverage and we couldn’t keep an eye on the tracker! We’ve caught some sleep in our own beds (which was quite disorientating to be honest) then this afternoon Meghan, Moira and Bob Hauer will repack “Big Red” and head up the road to greet them.

I’m unsure what sort of internet access we will have up there but I will be filming so you will get to see coverage at some point.

In the meantime, here’s a few pics from Dawson City.

Clyde watching the snow fall

You might have noticed the webpage hasn’t had much activity today. That’s because Aliy, Meghan, Ray and Moira are currently on their way back home to the USA. It will take them about 18 hours by road from Dawson City to the kennel. We’ll have more updates and posts when they arrive sometime tomorrow.                                                   
    

SP Kennel Dog Yard- Arriving home from YQ300

Ryne and Christina arrived yesterday around noon from Canada. They brought with them 20 dogs from the R&B team (all team members) and Red team (Boondocks, Viper, Tug, Bonita, Moxie, Fang, Chemo, Dingle). We welcomed them home in warm 5 degree weather. The dogs had big bowls of soaked kibble and fish and the humans enjoyed Mexican food.  Most of the dogs have been sleeping throughout the day. However, the Yearlings are already playing with their friends from the Golf litter. Here are a few pictures from around the yard. Hopefully this will entertain you as you wait for Allen’s tracker to refresh.                                                          

Spoog- No idea if this is a yawn or bark. Whatever it is he’s happy!

Spicy enjoying the warmth of home

They’re on their way!

The Black team left Dawson City two minutes late at 7.11am this morning. There was a bootie “issue” and the run to Eagle is not the time to be without extra booties for the dogs! Meghan made a mad, but very graceful, dash back up to the campsite to find them! No problem.

The team looked well rested and ready to get moving – in lead this morning were Scout and Quito. He is without Scooter – as you know she came into Dawson in his sled bag and there just wasn’t quite enough time for her to get over her sore wrist. He was really disappointed to leave her behind and she looked disappointed and a little confused to not be going. It’s always a difficult thing to do but it was best for Scooter and the team.

The team are bound for Eagle checkpoint which is inaccessible to handlers so the next time we see them will be Circle City checkpoint.

We say farewell to the team at 7.09 this morning and I’ll get pictures / video to you as soon as I can. In the meantime take a look at the Dawson Dog Camp.

It took a little over two hours to transform our campsite into a luxury camp with arctic oven tent for the handlers and wood-framed, open-ended, straw-lined tent for the athletes. We take you on a guided tour below.

Before, during…

… and after

Hi folks, we have been able to quickly catch up with Ryne now she and Kristina are back in the US. I know a LOT of you are wanting to know about the team. Ryne was really excited to run the team – she said that a 300 mile race “certainly rocked their world” but said “they are an impressive bunch!”

She dropped Pepe, Mismo and Outlaw – Outlaw and Pepe were left in Carmacks and Mismo at McCabe. Outlaw had a great attitude but a slack tug line just outside of Carmacks. He got a ride in her sled just in case it was something serious. The Vet Crew found that he had a swollen wrist after he arrived at the checkpoint. Pepe was strong all the way into Carmacks. Ryne was very excited with his “sled dog spirit”, but the Vet Crew found that his rear leg was inflamed – a strange issue. Ryne thinks he might have slipped the leg into a crack in the river ice just before the Checkpoint. She dropped him so that Kristina could watch his leg. He seems 100% now. Mismo had a great run over to McCabe Creek but seemed “off” just outside of the checkpoint. Since Mismo was so positive and happy on this run, she thought it best to drop him BEFORE his attitude changed.

Ryne said the only time Clyde stopped pulling was when she pulled snacks out of the sled-bag for herself! She said Felix was the steadiest of the youngsters and Nelson was physically the strongest. The only time Nelson had a “yearling moment” was when a dog team followed very closely behind and he thought they MUST be back there to play with him!

“Spoog did great! He ate well, ran well and kept the team running.” Sissy was the speed of the team, if they didn’t have her on the team they would have gone at a much slower pace.

The team finished with Honda and Kipper in the lead at the finish. Spicy had been leading for a lot of the race – Ryne said Spicy circled around the parking lot in Pelly, not because she was tired but because she wanted to socialise with her new mates! L’il Debbie ate well, as she always does, and was super steady. That is an important example to set with youngsters around.

Honda thought he was “the business” when he was promoted to leader towards the end and started barking at Kipper, telling her how awesome he is! Knowing Kipper she wouldn’t have paid any attention.

Thanks for your support of our awesome R&Bs! We’re really proud of each and every one of them.

Our team, both canine and human, has been in Dawson for about 16 hours now and have all eaten like horses and rested well. The number of steaks and eggs Allen has eaten since 3pm yesterday would blow your mind! Although I think Quito is challenging him for the title of “Greatest Meat-Eater in Dawson.”

Allen said, on the whole, the trail has been good with just few sections of soft, fresh snow, a little overflow and some windblown patches. He said the trail breakers have done a really good job. The hardest part has been actually getting into Dawson checkpoint up the riverbank as it was really slick.

He considers the temperatures to be pretty good right now for mushing, it was a bit too warm further south in Whitehorse and there was a danger of dogs dehydrating but as they have moved north it has cooled down a bit. The forecast for later in the week, however, is for it to warm up again.

Allen said a unique feature of this race is with the long distances between checkpoints, and particularly when they run the trail in this direction, you have to be prepared for all weather conditions. He is carrying dog coats and extra clothing for himself in case the temperature plummets, extra booties to deal with wet overflow and, of course, enough meals and snacks for the dogs and himself to keep energy levels high. The snacks he is carrying for the team vary greatly also; in the warmer weather the dogs prefer leaner meats with higher water content, for example salmon whereas if it is colder they prefer fattier snacks such as poultry skins and fatty beef.

One thing Allen is particularly pleased about right now is that all the dogs are eating really, really well. It is bad news if dogs stop eating as their energy levels drop, they lose weight and it can become difficult for them to continue. Everyone, with no exception, is eating all he puts in front of them and when it is time for their big meals during longer rest breaks he will keep feeding them as much as they will eat; until they start to refuse. In some cases that is A LOT of Eagle Pack kibble and snacks. We are seeing that here is Dawson also (with both canine and human) which makes us all happy.

Allen believes the change to the route, eliminating American Summit and cutting 50 miles from the trail will be significant but, in typical Allen Moore fashion he says “Oh well, it is what it is”. There has also been another change to the rules this year making the layover here in Dawson 40 hours instead of the usual 36. This is to take into account this alteration of the route and the fact that the frontrunners are travelling pretty quickly, logistically it would be more difficult than usual to get race officials, vets, volunteers etc in all the different places at once. This will make the team’s leaving time 7.09am Thursday.

The timetable for today for the dogs includes more food, sleep and massages with Algyval. We will also stretch them out a bit by walking them around the dog lot. They will start getting restless by this afternoon and evening so we need to get them moving a little.

All-in-all, Allen is happy with his race so far and he is looking forward to getting back out on the trail, after a little more rest and a few more steaks!