Fall Back, Spring Ahead and Everything In Between

Oh My Goodness...I am not even sure where to start. If you are following me you know that I haven't blogged since November and so much has happened since then. New Years Eve weekend we kicked off our inaugural Grande Prairie Sled Dog Race in which I helped organize as well as raced in. We had a pretty great turn out and are hoping it will just grow and become the race "not to miss" in upcoming years. I ran the 4 dog 4 mile division and took Fox Trot, Jitterbug, Jazz and Lucy. We did alright for it being our first ever sprint race and encountered head on passes on both days which Fox Trot and Jitterbug had never before dealt with without an experienced older leader in front of them. They passed that test with flying colours and I was very proud of my all girl team. Aimee ran in the Junior Division with Ochocco and Thunder and of course that smile stayed plastered on her face the whole way around the track. Although she is now looking for faster dogs for next year (she would really like it if I would give up Jazz and Lucy).

Aimee Loving Up Her Dogs Before Her Race At The Grande Prairie Sled Dog Race

This is my favourite picture from this winter

Just About to Cross The Finish Line

The rest of January was really hit and miss for dog sledding....we had some crazy cold weather mixed with some very heavy snowfall that neither dog sled or snowmobile could conquer and so we sat with bated breath until the warm weather melted the snow enough to get that snowmobile back out there to break trails and that pretty much sums up the rest of the winter. We have had lots of extreme cold with mountains of snow and then this year Mother Nature has been huffing and puffing and blowing my trails, the driveway, the highways and the roads in. The kids have missed more school this year due to poor road conditions and high wind chill factors than I have ever witnessed. I am confident that until recently I have spent more time on the snowmobile breaking and re opening my dog trails than I have on the runners of my sled as I type this we are again experiencing a snowfall warning and winds up to 30 km/hr..trails that I was running the dogs on yesterday are completely blown in....back on the snowmobile tomorrow instead of a planned run with the team and the sled. I did get desperate enough to make 4 runs with the quad. This works well because I can take all the dogs but it just feels wrong when there is all this wonderful snow around.

That is a dog house on the left side of the picture..yes that big lump of snow...I had Thunder in the house for 4 days because he wasn't feeling well and this is what his house looked when the weather finally turned.

I was invited to give a presentation and dog sled rides at a local school this year on Valentines day which was incredibly fun. We gave every student from Playschool to Grade 9 a ride as well as most of the teachers and just this past weekend I again was asked by a local Dog 4-H club if they could come out for a presentation and some rides...I enjoy spreading the passion of my hobby on others and its always neat to hear what the kids think as the dogs roar out of the yard doing what they love. Of course Cricket was a big hit as he ran beside the dog team barking and and basically just trying not to get run over by the team or the sled. Crazy Little Dog.

We said goodbye to a team member over the winter. Cha Cha had been struggling since she joined us with a vomiting problem when she pulled the quad or sled. I had tried everything I knew and talked to my vet about her twice and after a year came to the conclusion that she needed to be re homed to a pet home. It was a hard decision and I was still struggling with it when a perfect person came along and gave her a safe loving home on Vancouver Island. I get many updates and she is doing very well and adapting to being a pet dog extremely well. We are so happy for Cha Cha that she is happy and doing well.

She looks quite comfortable in her new role

We have recently welcomed two new team members to the kennel and we are excited to see the changes these two dogs will bring to the team. First I'll introduce Bircha....

Bircha will be a year old this spring..she is a happy puppy who I believe will be a great benefit to our team. Her Dad and Mom had a very romantic tryst in the dog yard while the humans were away in Alaska during the Iditarod. In fact her dad Birch climbed a birch tree to get over a 6 foot high fence because he was so in love with Bircha's mom Catapult.

Our second addition is one I am very pleased to be introducing...this is Mari

I have been saving a spot in the dog yard for this lovely girl for the last two years. She is the Dancing Girls Mom and the sweetest dog you will ever meet. She is gentle and kind and one heck of a good leader. She has a long resume of races her most recent being the leader on the B team at the Three Forts Sled Dog Race in Fort McMurray. There is no doubt that Mari will live out the rest of her years here and we are happy to have her call this home.

Tomorrow I will once again be out on the snowmobile re opening dog trails so that I am able to run a team on Tuesday. Hopefully Mother Nature will start cooperating with me and I can get out there a whole bunch before the pussy willows and tulips come out to greet us.

Until Next Time

Happy Trails and Wagging Tails

This picture was featured in a local newspaper...YES...it's me and the Girls finishing the 4 dog 4 mile division of the Grande Prairie Sled Dog Race

One of my favourite little pieces of trail

Running the whole yard on the road with the quad...look at those snowbanks