SPK Dog Log

Ever wondered what the SP Kennel mushers eat out on the trail?

Most commercial high-energy snacks can freeze completely solid at 40 below so this, combined with the sugar rush and consequent sugar low many commercial products cause, prompted the SP Kennel mushers to look at other alternatives.

This is what we have found…

In an interview with KUAC at the Yukon Quest Food Drop in Fairbanks Allen mentioned “some oatmeal cluster things that have some white chocolate and all that good stuff. Those are the first things I’m going for.” Click here for KUAC YQ Food Drops article

We thought you might like to try them. They are fantastic for the trail – they don’t freeze solid, they are super tasty and nutritious and aren’t loaded with too much sugar. Why not try them while you follow along with the Yukon Quest?

1.5 cups old-fashioned oats
0.5 cup white chocolate chips
1 banana (squished)
0.5 cup sugar-free peanut butter
0.5 cup sugar-free shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 cup Agave syrup

Combine all ingredients, flatten into a baking dish then freeze.

Voila! Enjoy!

There has been some great media coverage of the Yukon Quest and a couple of articles about Allen in particular (click on red links to take you to the articles)

“In Cold Pursuit” by Amy Nordrum from “Fairbanksalaska.com”

“Seconds Matter” by Jeff Richardson from the Fairbanks Newsminer

We’re going to do our own “interview” with Allen during the weekend and we’re wondering if there are any particular questions you would like us to ask him? We’ll keep it short and ask just 5 or 6 questions so put your question in the comments and we’ll do our best to get it answered for you!

Dr Tamara Rose DVM from Fairbanks came out to the kennel to do official veterinary checks on all the potential Yukon Quest 1000 team members.

The checks are very thorough and start with formal identification of each dog – age, sex and colour along with microchip number. All of our dogs are identified by micro-chips and the medical history of each dog is associated with their chip number. Vaccination records including 5-way, kennel cough and rabies need to be evidenced also.

The dogs were then weighed, an overall body condition rating was given (on a scale of 1-5), temperatures, heart rates and oral respiration rates taken. A vital part of sled dog health care is hydration so each dog’s mucous membranes are checked for capillary refill rate followed by a general body check (eyes, ears, musculo-skeletal etc). She performed a thorough hands-on physical exam on them all.

As you know, in the sport of dog sled racing the dogs are the athletes so it is important that they are in the best physical condition possible. At SP Kennel we do monthly medical checks on the dogs but we don’t have the skills to pick up on everything so it is critical that we get vet support prior to, during and after races.

Here you can see Nacho and Beemer getting the once-over with Chemo waiting his turn. Thanks TRose for the great care and attention you give to each one of our SP Kennel dogs!

The YQ300 checks are done by the vet team over in Whitehorse prior to the race.

Allen and Meghan took 26 dogs out today for an 80 mile training run from the Two Rivers Yukon Quest checkpoint right into downtown Fairbanks following the Quest trail down the Chena River.

At this point Allen’s BLACK team is not finalised so any one of the 26 could make the team. This run will narrow it down for him with the absolute final decision made the day before the race.

We caught up with them just a few miles into their run then again at the finish. (Try to figure out which team Ranger is on…!)

Boris is a sweetheart!

Boris is as steady of a sled dog as we could ever hope to have. He is a powerful one as well. His overall strength will certainly be to our benefit this year as we hope to include him in many of our racing teams. We have just seen the beginning of his racing talents

“Bobo” is always sporting a big smile and just wants to get out there and work as a team dog.

Aliy and Meghan took a couple of teams up into the hills around Two Rivers recently and Aliy captured some great video…

Aliy’s team is Lead: Quito and Beemer, Swing: Schmoe and Chemo, Team: Kipper and Lester, Scout and Willie, Spoog and Mac, Wheel: Biscuit and Tatfish.

Food drop bags for the Yukon Quest and Yukon Quest 300 were due this weekend and we dropped off 56 bags to the depot to cover the BLACK team’s 1000 miles and the RED team’s 300.

You might wonder what goes into the drop bag – we pack snacks for the dogs (meat, fish etc) and kibble for meals, human food and snacks, booties and leggings, extra dog coats, blankets and harnesses, gloves and socks for the musher, sled plastics and a “vet pack” that includes extra ointments, wraps and algyval and other essential bits and pieces to keep dogs and mushers happy and healthy.

It takes a lot of planning, preparation and checking to get them right and each race teaches us something else about what we should and shouldn’t pack in the bags by way of snacks and equipment.

Next week we start all over again for the Iditarod drop bags!

We’ve put together the best bits from the Copper Basin 300 pics and videos, we hope you enjoy it!