Winter Solstice is a pretty exciting and somewhat emotional time up here in Interior Alaska. It is a time of refection, a time of celebration. Since it such a big day we have done a double Dog Fan Club Draw!
To me, Winter Solstice truly signifies the passing of time. On this introspective day, the stark reality is that time will never come to a stand still. Days continue to pass whether that be during the beauty of the dark, starry skies of the winter months or the during the seemingly endless sunshiny days of summer.
I always find myself wishing for this day to arrive. Perhaps I’m just excited for more daylight. But as today arrives, and I watch the sunshine come over the horizon, it seems wrong and undignified to hope for time to pass. Instead I want to celebrate the moment. All of our days are precious whether they are full of darkness or full of light.
Scout, Cloud, Ziptie and I walked up to the top of the hill west of the kennel to watch the sunrise at 10:56 this morning. It was -10ºF and clouds were along the southern horizon. Here are they are… waiting for the sun.
Congratulations to both Barbara Schupeltz who is a fan of Cloud, and Jeanne Schnackenberg who is a fan of Scout.
Barbara and Jeanne win a packet of SP Kennel M&M’s, a Fan Club Winner Certificate and a glam shot of their respective pooches. We’ll get those out to you as soon as we can.
Cloud is a funny, little gal with an independent spirit. She loves being a sled dog and is remarkably talented. She started and finished the Iditarod in 2020. As you can see, she also likes to cuddle.
Scout is a ‘one and only’. He is the essence of SP Kennel. He trained and raced incredibly hard for many years, starting, finishing and winning races across the Arctic. He now takes his retirement years seriously. He and Aliy have a very special bond.
To find out more about our athletes look at the “Dogs” page. To join the Dog Fan Club you can hit the “Become a Dog Fan” tab at the top of the page or click here. We will have a Fan Club Draw twice a month or more during race time and special events. It’s fun. Support your dog or dogs!
Thus far we have stayed close to home this winter. The dogs are healthy and happy. We are helicopter parents and therefore are constantly monitoring their weights, health and small details like toenails and and teeth. Besides training, everyone has “fun time” (including Allen and I.😀 ) The dogs have plenty of tasty treats and beef knuckle bones to keep them fully entertained.
The dogs always seem to have fun:
The mushing trails in and around Two Rivers are covered in a thick white blanket of snow. It is great how this season has brought us some of the best snow conditions in years. Allen, my self and all 24 racing dogs train together. We are doing our best to keep everyone, including us humans, on a steady, increasingly challenging fitness plan with varied trails used for training. The only dogs left behind at the kennel on a ‘training day’ are Scout (13.5 years), Nacho (14.5 years) and Ziptie (1.5 year old Lab.) Scout is happy to lay in the house on the carpeted stairs dreaming of all his past adventures. Nacho is content to nap in his super insulated house in between mini romps around the yard. Ziptie annoys everyone with her loud squeaky toys and youthful energy.
I thought the horizon was gorgeous today:
The team is Commando & Peach in lead, followed by Mismo and Chipper, Gravy & Cloud Razz & Driver, Perky & Decaf and in the back are Wu & Bill.
To celebrate the dark and cold that comes along with a December morning we have done a double Dog Fan Club Draw!
Congratulations to both Laura English who is a fan of Driver, and Joshua Foran who is a fan of Perky.
Laura and Joshua win a packet of SP Kennel M&M’s, a Fan Club Winner Certificate and a glam shot of their respective pooches. We’ll get those out to you as soon as we can.
Driver is the big lug of the kennel with a heart of gold. He is also a master sled dog with a fantastic long legged body. He is one of the more mature dogs on the racing roster this season at 8 years old. But with age comes his tremendous number of mushing experiences, including a Yukon Quest Championship. Driver is always the first dog to bark “Pick me!” when we start to harness up the team.
Perky was named appropriately and his zest for life hasn’t let up. He is a whirling dervish to harness and walk over to the sled hook up. Once you get him there: Stand Back. Perky is truly a gorgeous husky, but it’s his personality that will make you smile.
To find out more about our athletes look at the “Dogs” page. To join the Dog Fan Club you can hit the “Become a Dog Fan” tab at the top of the page or click here. We will have a Fan Club Draw twice a month or more during race time and special events. It’s fun. Support your dog or dogs!
With all the snow we got in November our dog trails still have lots of low hanging branches or “eye pokers”. Some dedicated folks in the neighborhood have done extensive Trail Work. We want to say THANK YOU. And just let them know… some of us here at SPK are doing our part!
You don’t have time to watch an entire HUSKY HOMEROOM Lesson? Me either. Gez… it’s not surprising in our crazy world today. So… do you want a little husky entertainment and maybe a quick smile? A smile? What? Really? Well then go ahead and nibble on this small biscuit.
Chipper and Scooby are the co-teachers at Husky Homeroom for Biscuit 1: How do Dogs stay Warm?is a portion of Lesson 9: Keeping your Husky Warm that will be published soon. Find this Biscuit and all the Lessons ar HuskyHomeroom.com.
To celebrate a gorgeous winter day we have done a double Dog Fan Club Draw!
Congratulations to both Claudia Russell who is a fan of Dutch, and Jenny Heider who is a fan of Violet.
Claudia and Jenny win a packet of SP Kennel M&M’s, a Fan Club Winner Certificate and a glam shot of their respective pooches. We’ll get those out to you as soon as we can.
Dutch is named after one of the busiest ports in the state of Alaska, Dutch Harbor. He is a busy man himself and that hasn’t changed much over the years. You will often find him leading the charge. He has the perfect amount of patience to teach the younger dogs but a silly nature on top of it all.
Violet is named after pretty flower. She has always been an upbeat and cheerful gal. Every day is rosy in this husky’s world. We all wish we had her outlook on Life. Violet was also very pleased with her Fan Club Winner status.
To find out more about our athletes look at the “Dogs” page. To join the Dog Fan Club you can hit the “Become a Dog Fan” tab at the top of the page or click here. We will have a Fan Club Draw twice a month or more during race time and special events. It’s fun. Support your dog or dogs!
Yes. We have had some snow. As we hear it… more is coming. We had a fantastic training run yesterday out into the fluffy white stuff. There was very little activity on the trails since most people were most likely still shoveling out. We did run into Matt Hall and his team … literally. (Glad to see you out there Matt! And your champion lead dog, Anchor too!)
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
We currently have a short break between blizzards. Our electricity is sporadic since the heavy snow load continues to take out power lines. The road was plowed – somewhat – enough to get to Pleasant Valley Store to refill our generator gasoline supply. (We only had to pull one car out of the road.)
More snow to come. It is gorgeous but it sure makes for lots of work!
Every summer we retire some of our athletes from SP Kennel. The reasons vary. Ultimately it is the individual dog who determines when and where they will retire. However, there is much human forethought (sometimes years of planning) that go into the specifics of each retirement.
And the simple answer is “Yes“. Yes it is hard to “rehome” or give away a dog who has been part of the team, part of the family since they were wee puppies. So… why do it? Why let dogs go to new homes when they could all stay at SP Kennel forever?
Every human, every dog, deserves to be loved and cared for. If you are an SP Kennel retiree you will absolutely get that love and attention if you retire and stay the remainder of your life at SP kennel in Two Rivers with Aliy and Allen. You will always get the best a dog can get: attention, love, vet care, fun. You will “want” for nothing. But… let’s be honest. You will be sharing your attention, love, vet care, fun with a kennel full of dogs, actually, 27 dogs as of this posting. So… the truthful question becomes: where is the absolute best place for you to enjoy the rest of your life? Would you be most happy staying in Two Rivers with your pack mates as well as Aliy ad Allen or are you ready to spread your wings, leave behind the life you know and love, and move on to a new amazing family who has made significant changes in their life in order to make you now the center of it? Well… of course, the answer to this question is… that completely depends on the individual dog.
Our current retirees here at SP Kennel: Scout and Nacho are by no means unhappy or starved for attention. But, they also sit on the sidelines while Aliy and Allen spend a great deal of time training and conditioning race dogs.
Scout loves his life at SP Kennel. He is smart, independent and aloof. The extra cuddles that he might get elsewhere simply wouldn’t mean that much to him. He’s most happy strutting between the race dogs with his tail curled tight (look at me!) Actually, when we compare him to his more needy siblings (no offense): Viper, Beemer, Honda, Ranger, Malibu who all have cushy lives with monogrammed dog beds, Scout would not fit that mold.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Nacho is the Daddy and Granddady to many SP Kennel dogs. His genetics have been invaluable. His retirement stay at the SP Kennel property was a given, along with Olivia’s. The duo were an inseparable pair and lived together for years. At age 14, Nacho spends his morning roaming the kennel grounds. Although he might miss his longterm companion, Olivia, he currently gets attention from the young sweeties whom he frequently visits each morning. His new house is super insulated and has a freezer flap doggie door.
The dogs that retired from SP Kennel racing in 2020 are: Kodiak, Junior, Cayenne, Champ, Iron, Clyde, Sanka, Gold and Bronze. There are many forms of retirement for a sled dog and this year we have a wide range of ‘Part 2s’ to tell you about.
First of all… Kodiak.
Kodiak has had a phenomenal racing career with 5 Iditarod and 3 Yukon Quests (including a Championship), 5 Copper Basin 300s, the Kobuk 440 and a couple of YQ300s. He’s also run in the Percy De Wolfe Memorial Mail Race over in Dawson as well as 5 local Two Rivers races. He’s a champion and a sweetheart. He has earned his retirement and now lives in Oregon with Becca! Although he has wormed his way up onto the bed, he is also going to be staying in shape with occasional runs in harness.
Everyone loves our world traveler… Junior.
Junior is a champion sled dog and raced the Iditarod 5 times, Yukon Quest 3 times (including one win), plus the Kobuk 440, 6 Copper Basin 300s, 2 YQ300s and 3 Two Rivers races. Her sons Bill and Wu will try to follow in her paw prints this coming season. Junior was often the “Spokes Dog” for the kennel and toured around Alaska for various photo shoots and Meet & Greets. Cliff and his two children have sponsored Junior since she was just a few weeks old. He even visited her a couple of times and saw her at the Starting Line of several races. Junior now lives in New York to start Life Part 2. She’s now an NYC girl so you might see her dressed head to toe in black wearing high heels and hailing a yellow cab. Yikes. Junior had many fans over the years and we thank them all.
Champ and Cayenne … are together forever.
Brother and sister, Champ and Cayenne, have retired from SPK and live just down the road with a local musher/ dog lover. Champ is a champ! With 3 Iditarods, 3 Yukon Quests including one win, Kobuk 440, 5 Copper Basin 300s and 7 Two Rivers races he’s seen a lot of race miles. His personal area experienced some “tender moments” during last season’s coldest races, so it was best to remove him from the SP Kennel race roster. This sexy guy will be missed at SPK.
Cayenne has had a go at everything: the Iditarod, Kobuk 440, 2 Copper Basin 300s, YQ300 and 200 plus 6 Two Rivers races. This little sassypants is leading the charge at her new home. She runs around loose, getting to know the neighborhood, not always on purpose – sneaky little escape artist. She loves to lead her new pack.
Here is a video of the two siblings when they were just wee pups romping in the field.
Lynne and Eunice sponsored the sibling duo since they were born and took a keen interest in their fortunes. Sincere thanks to them and to all their dog fans.
Iron … has a a new fun loving home in Alaska.
Iron has retired just down the road to a small recreational kennel where his new BFF is a cute Belgium malinois. He is already loving his new life. Iron has three 1000 milers under his harness (two Iditarod and one YQ) plus 2 CB300s, 3 YQ300s, the Nome/Council race and 5 local Two Rivers races. He’s had a few sponsors over the years including Merwin and Crystal and more latterly Wendy Brott, and we thank them all and all his dog fans.
Clyde, Sanka, Gold and Bronze are teaming up.
As some of you may know, Allen’s daughter Bridgett and son-in-law Scotty have their up and coming sled dog kennel in Alaska. They have adopted four athletes from SPK to be foundation dogs and superstar teachers to their puppies and yearlings. Clyde, Sanka, Gold and Bronze now live with BJ, Scotty and their two boys.
Clyde is a champion who has seen and done it all. He is completely nonplused with his change of lifestyle. He deserves to be King of the Hill… and his new kennel enables him to be just that. Clyde has 6 Iditarods and 6 Yukon Quests under his harness also 5 Copper Basins, the Kobuk 440, Yukon Quest 300, the Nome/Council 200 and 6 local Two Rivers races. Marion and Charlotte Davies sponsored Clyde for many years, and more latterly the Laine Family took up his sponsorship. Sincere thanks to them all and all his Fans.
Sanka is a very talented lead dog and has taken that role seriously in her new home. Her other major perk is that the kids LOVE her. She is by far… everyone’s cuddly favorite. Sanka has one of just about everything under her harness and is a mid-distance queen: Iditarod, Copper Basin 300, Northern Lights 300, Yukon Quest 300 and YQ200 plus 4 Two Rivers races. Many thanks to Cindy Schaus for sponsoring Sanka since she was a puppy, and to all her Dog Fan Club fans.
Gold didn’t see too many races in his career with SPK with just one YQ300 and 2 Two Rivers races. He has much potential and it will blossom in his new environment. Gold is a powerhouse on his new team and will start to step up and lead the team.
Thanks to Karin Gobbel for sponsoring Gold since puppyhood and to all his dog fans.
Bronze enjoys the action and commotion at her new home. She has always been loud and ready to run. She and Gold have stepped into a team where they are the “Big Dogs”. Bronze saw one YQ300 and one local race while with SPK but contributed so much to the training squad.
Sponsors Greg and Vivian Martin were avid supporters of Bronze and we thank them very much indeed, plus all her dog fans.
We try to look at retirement in a positive manner. Of course it is hard to see them go… but so fun to watch them live out their lives with happiness and passion.
Barbara and Jeanne win a packet of SP Kennel M&M’s, a Fan Club Winner Certificate and a glam shot of their respective pooches. We’ll get those out to you as soon as we can.
