Aliy will be starting in Position Number 16.
Sheep Mountain 150 Black Team Roster
Allen will be starting in Position Number 11.
Sheep Mountain 150 – Getting Ready!
The SP Kennel racing season begins in 48 hours.
What’s the schedule?
Thursday
Friday
- Pack Race Gear, Sleds, Truck Gear, Handler Gear for Black, Red and Red & Black Racing Teams
- Fuel up two Dog Trucks at Pleasant Valley Store
- Add Straw to Dog Boxes
- Plug in Dog Trucks (40 degrees below zero forecast tonight)
Friday- Early Breakfast for the Racing Dogs
- Last minute Chores
- Start Dog Trucks
- Load 36 SP Kennel Racing Dogs in Dog Boxes
- Allen, Aliy and Ryne into Dog Trucks
- Drive south approximately 300 miles to Sheep Mountain Lodge (stopping once for a dog/musher pee break)
- Meet Bridgett at SML (she flies from Nome to Anchorage)
- Check in at Sheep Mountain Lodge
- Walk and Feed all Racing Dogs
- Sleep tight … Dogs in Boxes, Mushers in Cabin
Saturday
- Early Breakfast for the Racing Dogs & Mushers
- Morning Race Meeting
- Noon Start
Stella
You might have heard us say it before, but one of our favorite aspects of mushing is the dogs’ unique personalities. We like to highlight the individual dogs with our Spotlight series, personalized dog cards, and the Congratulation posts. However, one dog is often times overlooked: Stella.
Stella is the official SP Kennel greeter. Instead of a mint on your pillow, you’ll find Stella. When I first arrived at SP Kennel in October, Allen and Aliy suggested I take Stella back to my cabin for the evening. I knew that she would be leaving for a pet home in a couple weeks, so I thought that perhaps my job was to help acclimate her to the house. In reality, it was probably the opposite. Stella knew just how the house worked. I later learned that she had been Macgellan’s bed buddy before mine and that I wasn’t really special; Stella loves everyone. When I took her running and skiing, she would stay right by my side, and due to her friendly nature and good manners, she was a regular on puppy walks. Now two months later, Stella is still here. Her pet home fell through, so it looks like she’ll be sharing the cabin with me for awhile longer.
So even though Stella might not have her own Spotlight clip or dog card, she still deserves to be highlighted as the SP Kennel official greeter.
A little video of Stella during the summer.
Congratulations Malibu!
Congratulations to Malibu!
Even though Malibu is the smallest dog in the yard weighing in at less than 35 pounds, Jan Reinhardt has been rooting for Malibu since she was a youngster. Jan believes the saying: great things come in small packages. This season, Malibu has the strength and appetite of a dog twice her size, not to mention the motivation to win back her spot on the Iditarod Black Team (she lost her spot last minute in 2010!).
Thank you Jan for sponsoring Malibu!
SP Kennel dog sponsorship is one of our most popular programs. Our dog sponsors are a big part of the SP K team. If you’d like more information about the program, check out How to be a Dog Sponsor.
Leaders
People always ask: What makes a sled dog a good leader?
At SP Kennel, there are all different kinds of leaders. Experienced, no nonsense veterans and silly, youthful, energetic rookies and every one in between. Different dogs, of course, have different strengths. Often you will see leaders running in pair: one veteran and one rookie.
This video perfectly shows the individuality of two SP Kennel leaders – Butterscotch (on the left) and Olivia (on the right) during a training run last week.
Butterscotch is a 7 year old main leader. You can see his wisdom and intelligence as he looks back at Allen and then over at the parallel parked dog team. He is in charge of the team. He commands the team’s direction and speed. He knows that this is his team and his demeanor shows this recognition. He is always ready to go, but never out of control.
Olivia is a 3 year old leader. She is overly excited to go. She loves to run in lead because she can go fast! She certainly doesn’t mind being the leader in front of a team of eleven dogs, but she isn’t their “commander”. As you see in the video, her energy will often get the best of her as she drifts, jumps and screams with little restraint. At times, she is not sure which team she is leading. But, Olivia’s enthusiasm gets a racing team pretty jazzed up and might even add some overall speed to the team’s race time.
The team members behind Butterscotch and Olivia are: Hunter & Snickers, Tony & Malibu, Nacho, Viper & Honda, and Roy & Bonita.
Congratulations Li’l Debbie!
Congratulations to Li’l Debbie!
Li’l Debbie was the lucky dog chosen by Deb and Hunter Davis. Deb and Deb… see anything in common? Although, I doubt Deb truly realized just how phenomenal Li’l Debbie was until she met her under the burled arch in Nome at the end of the Iditarod. There aren’t too many dogs that have their own personal fan waiting for them at the finish line!
Thank you Deb and Hunter for being a part of the SP Kennel Team!
SP Kennel dog sponsorship is one of our most popular programs. Our dog sponsors are a big part of the SP K team. If you’d like more information about the program, check out How to be a Dog Sponsor.
Li’l Debbie meeting Deb under the burled arch.
Visit to Anchorage
Anchorage is, of course, the location for the start of Iditarod in March 2011. Aliy and Allen made their annual December jaunt to the largest city in Alaska this week. SP Kennel has friends and sponsors to visit as well as business obligations. So, the trek to Anchorage was busy, but successful.
Aliy and Allen were able to swing by the Port of Anchorage and meet with Marion Davis of Horizon Lines. Horizon Lines is an Iditarod “Lead Dog Sponsor” as well as an important SP Kennel supporter. They always look forward to an office visit before the Race Start.
And so do the dogs!!
