Roster

Ollie: 6yr. 74lb.,  4 Iditarods, 3 finishes; leader-team dog. Wish all our dogs had Ollie’s gregarious nature and attitude. Always ready to run or get attention. Gets the most out of a traditional husky body.

Ace: 112 yr. 52lb., 3-Iditarods; 2 finishes. retired. Ace lead us through our first 3 Iditarods for which we will be eternally grateful. Ace and Snap are the leaders shown in this years’ Iditarod logos and patches. Cheers the teams leaving and returning to the yard.

Johnny: 6yr. 65lb., 3 Iditarods, 1 finish; main leader-trainer. On loan from Krabloonik since ’07, he show much potential for leading until ’08, then he became a grizzly! Sadly dropped in 2010 at Takotna but probably could have made it to Nome on 3 legs. Has become a personal favorite but with 36 dogs to love and care for, I try to not let it show too much.

Jetta: 4yr. 50lb., Rookie; team dog. Jetta has had time off while having puppies but is all there when she’s running in the team. The mother of  several young dogs running their first real Iditarod year this year. She pulls so hard we run her in a Seavey harness to help keep her straightened out.

Taj:  6 yr. 65lb., 3 Iditarods, 1 finish; main leader and trainer. Not only is Taj a great leader but he’s really nice for training young leaders as he pulls and pushes them over without yelling at them as some veteran leaders do. So glad to have Taj as a leader after having to drop Johny and Anvik so early last year.

Vinny (a.k.a. the gangsta’): – 2 yr. 70lb., ROOKIE; team dog. I don’t know if any dog puts more on the tug than Vinny; he’s a tough just to take to the line when hooking up. Did some shorter races last year as a base for going all-out this year. Had trouble being a little aggressive towards other males at first, but has learned the principles of sled dog etiquette. Should make the main team this year.

Peak:  5yr. 52lb., 3 Iditarods, 2 finishes; timex-like team dog. Acquired from Jamie Nelson after ’06 race.

Geyser: 8yr. 55 lb.,4 Iditarods, 2 finishes; team dog. Acquired from Jamie Nelson after’06 race; she ran in John Baker’s team that year; dropped on the coast but has finished 2 Iditarods for us. Great team member.

Froggie: 7yr. 60lb., 4 Iditarods, 3 finishes; never-tired point dog. Has run point his entire career with us. Adjusts speed to fit leaders; an amazing dog from Dan MacEachen’s Krabloonik Kennel Sled Dog Tours.

Louise: 6 yr., 44lb., 5 Iditarods; 3 finishes; main leader. Made a come back after dropping out of ’08 Iditarod to finish very strong in 2010. Trains young leaders with enthusiasm. Litter-mate to Thelma.

Ellie: 5yr. 49lb., 3 Iditarods, 3 finishes; main leader. Acquired from Arron Burmeister after ’07 race. She’s the only vegetarian sled dog  we’ve known. Comes in to Nome pretty thin; needs to eat meat!

Loader: 4yr. 55lb. 2 Iditarods, 1 finish; team dog. Dropped with Screamer at Nikolai after a rough run through Buffalo Tunnel tussocks out of Rhone. We’ll see if he can make the team again this year amongst some tough competition.

Walter: 4yr. 62lb., 1 Iditarod, 1 finish. Becoming main leader-team dog. Bought from Saundersons after ’07 race as yearling; may be the best money We’ve ever spent on a dog as not only is he great but we’re running 4 Margie/Walter young dogs this year and they all lead!

Screamer:  6 yr. 59lb., 2 Iditarods, 1 finish; team-lead dog. Bought from Arron Burmeister in Nome after ’08 race, very solid in the team; got beat up going through the tussocks and had to be dropped in Nikolai. Look forward to having Screamer in the team all the way to Nome. Great attitude!!

Brisco: 7 yr. 72lb., 3 Iditarods, 2 finishes; team dog. A solid team member that puts a lot on the tug at 72lbs! Out of Margie’s first litter.

Freddie: 8yr. 52lb., 3 Iditarods, 3 finishes; awesome team dog. Chews necklines all the way to Nome. Always ready to go, he’s an old pro. Had physical challenges in ’07 and ’09 but is running great again this year. On loan from Krabloonik.

Shell: 7yr. 49lb., 3 Iditarods, 1 finish; main leader-trainer. Though not the fastest or best built dog in the yard, she’s the classic example of the athlete whos’ head and heart exceeds the body. She’s missed a year or two having puppies. Was in Jamie Nelson’s team in ’06.

Ferris:  2yr. 63lb., ROOKIE; team-leader-in-traing. Very light-bodied and hard to keep weight on last year, he’s looking very good this year and is learning to lead as well. One of the Walter pups that’s proving his worth.

Anvik: 6yr. 56lb., 3 Iditarods, 0 finishes; leader-team dog. Anvik  is durability-challenged; has amazing gaits and is probably one of our most athletic dogs.

Horton: 2yr. 67lb., ROOKIE; leader-in-training. Made the trip to AK last year but glad We didn’t have to put him in the Iditarod team as he wasn’t quite ready for that distance. Brother to Starbuck, Wylie, and Ferris, who all seem destined to make the Iditarod team this year.

Honda: 7yr. 55lb., 4 Iditarods, 2 finishes; great team dog. Dropped in Galena last year but otherwise a great part of the team. Working on a vision challenge but could still make the team this year.

Houdini: 2yr. 60lb., ROOKIE; team dog. Had a great intro. Season last year ran Flathead 100 and Seeley 200; hard to keep weight on last year but doing outstandingly well this year.

Lefty: 10yr. 50lb., 4 Iditarods; 3 finishes; semi-retired. Even after retiring from racing, Lefty continues to help train young leaders in fall training. He and Ace have been with us since the start and will always be part of the family.

Margie: 9yr. 54lb., 4 Iditarods; 2 finishes; retired-mother. Acquired from Reddingtons in ’03, she’s the foundation of several of our best young dogs today. Raises very tall sled dogs with distance bodies.

Starbuck: 3yr. 74lb. 1 Iditarod, 1 finish; point-lead dog. That’s right, Starbuck finished all the races we ran last year plus the Iditarod as a yearling!! Ran point from the beginning of his training and now leads as well; puts 100% on the tug.

Stella:  2yr. 46lb., ROOKIE; leader-in-traing. When free-running puppies, she was the fastest one out of ten. Though somewhat shy and demure, she pulls her heart out on runs and started to lead this fall which is good as she’s too small to make the team if she didn’t lead.

Thelma: 6yr. 47lb., 5 Iditarods; 4 finishes; main leader-queen bee. Traded 3 harnesses for Thelma who ran her first Iditarod at just a year old. A field general par-excellence. From Barron-Saunderson bloodlines.

Wylie: 2 yr. 52lb., ROOKIE; leader-in-training. Another Walter pup, she chews anything in sight, which hopefully won’t be her downfall as other than that she’s a phenomenal running dog. Last year she didn’t understand pace and would blow herself out, but has matured in that regard. Ran a 100 and 200 mile race last year but got really thin.

Rosie: 1yr. 54lb., Rookie, team dog. A  Shell/Anvik cross from late last fall. Tremendous heart, build, and potential! Is running very strong in her first year; we’ll see how she fairs on some longer runs.

Garth: 5yr. 58lb., Rookie, team dog. Didn’t make the traveling squad last year because he had no sense of  pace. Could be a great dog if he learns to control his energy long enough to run the necessary distance.

Farley: 1yr. 54lb. ROOKIE; team dog. Brother to Rosie and Scout, a Shell/Anvik male that show a lot of promise if he learns to eat better. All the puppies have finished tough, 30 mile atv runs this fall with good attitudes.

Carson: 4yr. 58lb. Rookie still; team dog. Ran well in all of training last year but waqs dropped in Race to the Sky with a questionable desire to finish. In his defense, conditions were extremely warm. Running well so far this year but will watched and evaluated closely for attitude fluctuations.

Tux: 2 yr. 60lb., ROOKIE; interesting dog that we traded away and then got back last winter. He spent a season hauling tour sleds for Krabloonik last winter. He’s grown into a pretty nice looking dog with an enthusiastic nature. He’s a littermate of Vinny, Houdini.

Scout: 1yr. 44lb., ROOKIE; cheerleading team dog. We actually gave Scout away to K.C. and Arron Morris last year as she was part of an unexpected litter but they wanted to see how she ran this year and she’s not disappointed anyone. She’ll probably be done soon but if she led, she would probably make the team in the future.