Kennel spring cleaning

Emma helping to clean out the winter's hay from thr dog houses.

Blanche turns SEVENTEEN 4/23/11

Blanche, my sweet old house dog and retired (amazing) lead dog is turning SEVENTEEN this Saturday! (4/23/2011) She will get to celebrate with a few of her favorite folks on Friday. 
Blanche came to me when she was 9. She was a super leader and was the first leader I had who could keep up with Rainy, my hot young lead dog. They were a beautiful pair, like runaway brides in their pretty white coats and fluffy tails held behind them like trailing vails.

Pema and Bodhi pass CERF tests Spring 2011

6 year old Pema passed her most recent CERF eye exam this past Sunday along with 3 year old Bodhi. Not sure what our breeding plans are but Bodhi is certainly one of our best sled dogs and a leader to boot. Pema is also a great sled dog plus a real sweet cuddle bug. Bodhi has competed in Rally obedience and is a very fun dog to work with. He has his Rally Novice title so far. Pema has only been to beginner obedience and while she is sweet and easy to work with she doesn’t seem to excel at it. She is more of a pro-snuggler!

Katie and the 10 dog team, from point dogs back. 3/16/11 at Dorchester.

Katie Esty driving the 10 dog A team on the dble drvr sled. Dorchester 3/16/11.
It was a gorgeous snowy day. We did 10 mile rd then Rocky trail then out to Lyme a ways.

Running at Dorchester trails 3/16/11

The river next to No Dorchester Rd

Siberians make good pillows

Angus using Boomer for a pillow.

Danielle and Ronda out for a ride

Danielle and her mom Ronda out for a sled dog ride on Bridgewater Mountain. Ronda is Emma's babysitter.

Danessa's sled dog ride

Danessa out with me and the 10 dog 'A' string on Bridgewater mountain.

A girl taking a sled dog ride at the MVG. She said it was the most fun she'd ever had!

Danessa tucked into my CB Sled.

Resting during the rain and snow

Day two of rest after a 7 day stretch of mushing madness.  The dogs are so fit right now, I wish I was entered in the Can Am race.  My little puppy leader, Bodhi, is doing amazing.  Our last tour run on Sunday he took commands in a series that wove us through a knot of snow machiners taking up a large trail junction.  Given that he is still a little afraid of snow machines, that is pretty amazing.  I think my first string of 10 dogs is the best pool of dogs I have ever run!  A few are getting older, next year it may be a pool of 8.  So....again...I so wish we were Can Am bound!  I love these guys!  The second string, mostly older dogs, is doing great too.
We have given tons of people a beautiful sled dog ride or tour this winter and the dogs have met and charmed folks young and old.

Happy team post run.

Back on our home trails!

We had our first run on our old stomping grounds.  The conditions were a little sketchy, the well groomed trail was hard hard hard.  The bits down the center that had been churned up by snomo traffic were chunky and gritty.  But it was great to be climbing up our mountain again and cruising down the pretty trails.

I ran the B team first, thinking it was going to get pretty warm.  They are all fairly heavy coated.  I had to put Nikka back in the truck, she was acting like she didn't want to go.  The other 9 were happy on the trail, it was not as bad as I thought.  I kept their speed down low.  The dogs were gee'd over so hard that they were on the glare ice where no snomobiles had dared to travel (they always go down the center of the trail).

On the A team we were still short Rainy, who is still limping slightly.  The other 9 pulled like crazy and I was using the drag on uphills to keep the speed down!  I am so impressed with Bodhi in lead.  He is a Good Boy!  And really goes.  Twinkle likes him too, they make a nice lead pair.  But what an age difference...she is 8 and he is 3.  Oh no...the "find another leader" game will be back in play soon I fear.  No worries for this year though.  Twinkle loves to run with Bodhi and though he is sometimes a step faster she works hard to be up front and is showing she really does know commands after all.  (She had a bad year running with Tula, neither wanting to push or pull the other into a turn....)

I love my dogs!!!  They are fit and ready for the busy vacation week doing dog sled tours and dog sled rides!

Cute little TART!!!

Isn't she just the cutest???

Pam Flowers - amazing sled dog driver

I got to see Pam Flowers speak on Feb 3, second time I have seen her.  She gave a presentation on her arctic expedition at Moultonboro's "One Book - One Community" kick off.  SHE IS AMAZING!!!  She is truly my hero.   And I am so impressed with Moultonboro as a community.  This year they hare having  a theme "Sled Dog Oddessy", and 4 books instead of one!!!


She completed a 2500-mile dog sled trek across Arctic America with her 8 dog team and two huge sleds. This is the longest solo dog sled trek by a woman in recorded history. The first solo by a woman and the first by an American over this route: from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay in Canada's Nunavut Territory.


I took the opportunity to get more copies of 3 of her books that I love: Alone Across the Arctic, Big Enough Anna and Douggie (the second two are fabulous childrens books that my little Emma LOVES).


Learn more about Pam, her books and her expeditions here: www.pamflowers.com

Boomer and Angus hanging out

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Gratitude - leaders!!!!

I have to express my utter gratitude for the gifts from the universe in the shape of wonderful LEAD DOGS.  From the beginning there was Nikka, who as a puppy was aided by some older lead dogs we adopted.  She had the right stuff from the get go. We adopted Ebony, a 9 year old alaskan sweetheart.  She was professional and hard working and cute as a button.  We adopted Boomer, another older dog with tons of experience.   He brought heart and soul and a debonair attitude.  Nikka learned from these guys and then helped train Rainy.  Rainy, a true leader and all you could ever want, quickly learned from Nikka but then needed a faster dog to pair with her.  The universe was looking out for me...  Blanche fell into our laps.  Another 9 year old dog.  Blanche and Rainy were a pretty pair, fast and perfect.  Nikka trained several dogs to run with her, starting with her handsome brother Siepa.  Then later her good friend Kubota.  Nikka and Kubota are the lead pair I can count on for tricky situations, new trails, and constant great behavior.  I'd hate to be without them, but Nikka is getting on in age and starting to show she will need to retire sometime soon.
Blanche retired and was replaced by little Twinkle.  Twinkle and Rainy were a great pair, Twinkle brought a hard driving attitude and these two were utterly dependable and fast.  Rainy has retired back into team and several dogs have been tried up front with Twinkle.  Finally, a puppy has stepped up: Bodhi.  He is Rainy's son.  He has the trail ethic we needed, and his attitude to get down the trail is phenomenal.  He is smart and Twinkle is teaching him the ropes.  They have great chemistry together, and they look handsome too!

Thank you to the universe, the Great Mother, all the dogs in these guys pedigrees, and all the breeders who helped shape these leaders!

17 miles with 10 dogs....flying!

I have been training 10 dog teams for sled dog rides/tours all season and have had few snow runs without passengers.  Today I had the Twinkle/Bodhi team and we went all the way to the Franklin Falls Dam from Profile Falls in Bristol.  The dogs loped for about 10 miles continuously, and then finally settled into a trot for the rest of the run.  I saved side trails for the way back as a treat for the dogs, but some were not broken out right (drunk or crazy snow machiners).   In one set we ended up doubling back on ourselves and coming out the way we went in, which involved breaking trail in pretty deep snow.  Quiet a change from the hard packed and fast main trail.
The run was so perfect: exciting, relaxing, fun and even funny at times.  I love watching Bodhi learn.  And watching Twinkle get her mojo back!  She really likes running lead with Bodhi.
The whole team was:
Twinkle & Bodhi
Pema &  Bridget (eventually put Pema in wheel bcs she was ruining our perfect GEE over)
Java & Turbo
Tula & Hakka
Rainy & Smudge (Rainy went up and took Pema's place)

Tomorrow I am taking the Kubota/Nikka team out.  Not sure where I will go.  Maybe explore the Bridgewater trail conditions?