SPK Dog Log

The Valley “Funale” is truly the end of the racing season for SP Kennel.  It’s a local race hosted by the Two Rivers Dog Mushing Association (TRDMA); and run along some of our favorite neighborhood trails.  This year, SP Kennel entered two teams. Wes ran the 20 mile/10 dog class, while Jeff ran the 10 mile/6 dog class. It was a bright sunny morning, and about 15 degrees above zero. The dogs were excited, mushers enthusiastic, and the crowd excited.

Wes’ team was an energetic mix led by Spark, Dasiy, Perky, QT, Driver, Champ, Rodney, Five, Cayenne, and Scooby. They ran the race in 1 hour 37 minutes, and came in 1 minute ahead of the Red Lantern team. We are proud that Wes won the Sportsmanship Award for the race; possibly for taking drastic measures and tipping his sled to avoid colliding with another team. Don’t worry, no one was hurt in the incident—neither dogs nor humans.  Congratulations to Will Rhodes who won in 1 hour 15 minutes.

Photo: Scott Chensey

Jeff’s team was a powerhouse with some of the smallest dogs in the kennel in harness.  He was led by Chevie and Lydia, Sanka, Bean, Barista and Decaf.  With hard fast trails, the 10 mile race was finishing before we knew it! The dogs were ready for another run around the course, I’m sure. The dogs were fed and put into the truck for a nap in the sun.

Wendy worked with the Junior Mushers’ class-4 dog teams, following them down the trail for an 8 mile round trip. It was great having the Ft. Wainwright military volunteers ensuring all the juniors and their teams were safe as they crossed huge snow banks and navigated icy driveways. There is really some young talent in the neighborhood.

Potluck lunch is always a highlight, along with the Easter egg hunt and prizes for the kids. But the most enjoyable event of the day is watching the kids’ races. Allen’s grandchildren, Jacob and Khloe Smith,  Timber and River Watkins all turned out to race around the track pulled by one or two dogs. Ernie, Willie, Daisy and Commando were privileged to take the kids on their rides. With the crowd cheering and welcoming the dogs to the finish line, it was like a repeat of the Yukon Quest win all over again!

Photos: Jennifer Smith

The season is officially over, though there is still a significant amount of snow on the trails and it looks like we’ll be mushing into mid-April. The dogs spend their days going on short runs during the cool morning hours, and lazing in the sun during the long afternoons.  Everyone is enjoying the last few weeks before the dreaded “break up” season happens and the neighborhood is mired in mud.

For more great pics head to the Pleasant Valley Store Facebook page.

Jeff and his team had a great time on the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race. Here’s his dog-by-dog wrap-up of the race.

Daisy – Daisy was my MVD. She led the whole 210 miles, through some jumble ice, overflow, and some glacier sections of the race. Daisy got me into and out of all the check points and never slowed down. She was happy for the whole race and a positive attitude like that is contagious for both the dogs and the musher.

Commando – Commando led the whole way until Eagle. Leaving Eagle he lost some of his pep, Maybe it was due to the warm weather so I moved him back one position to swing. He seemed happy there and pulled hard the rest of the way, assisting and the lead dogs on some of the more technical sections of the trail.

Willie – Willie is “The Man.” He can run anywhere on the team and be happy doing it. He reminds me of a handy man. If theres a dog not doing the job in certain position put him in it and he can fix it. Willie led the second half of the race, and come across the finish line as a leader.

Kodiak – Kodiak ran in swing for the whole race while battling a foot issue since the start. At each check point he was wanting to go on and his line never went slack. Kodiak was an asset in swing since he is a seasoned leader and he assisted Daisy and Willie when the trail got difficult. Kodiak proved to be the toughest dog on my team and I am very proud of him.

Picture by Claus Vogel

Perky – Perky’s name suited him during this race. He was the most vocal and enthusiastic about getting back on the trail after spending time in the check points. Although he always worked hard, he made it very obvious that he was having a fun time on the Yukon River. Coming across the finish line he was still full of energy and wanted to say hi to everyone observing. Good Job Perky!

McCaw – McCaw was the muscle of the team. He worked hard and helped keep the sled on the trail while we traversed some side hills. McCaw never slowed down and never wanted to stop.

Amber – Amber was that one dog who I didn’t have to worry about during the race. She was the constant grinder on the team. I never saw her line go slack once and when come across the finish line she was still jumping to go. She was a great role model for all these younger dogs to look up too.

QT – QT seemed to have a never ending supply of energy and always had a good attitude. She loped the whole time and always wanted to go faster. Being a smaller dog and in the wheel position she would sometimes jump up to look out over the team to see what was ahead of them which made me laugh.

Bruno – Bruno was also the braun of the team. He ran in wheel the whole race and muscled the sled around as we traversed some side hills. Bruno worked hard and never faltered. He was also the best eater on the team and would sometimes try and steal his sisters (QT) snacks on the trail.