Race Re-cap

Overall we are quite happy with our team's performance this season. There was a bit of a learning curve as we figured out how to train for longer distance racing. Trying to keep the team happy including eating and drinking was a challenge at times. As the season progressed we figured alot of things out that should make training next season easier. There is plenty of room for improvement with this team. We have a better understanding of maintenance miles for the team also. Spring training for more leaders has begun. Although I was extremely happy with Bonnie and Coal at lead, I began to realize I only have two solid lead dogs for racing and would like more. I worked off season on my strength training which was quite helpful this winter but need to increase my cardio fitness and drop some weight for next season which I have already started to do.

There are plenty of people to thank for helping our team have such a successful season. Number one is my sponsor Wizard of Paws and Debbie Gross Saunders. Deb checked on my dogs once a week for any that may have an off gait or soreness. Before each of my races she would look over my entire race team and give each a tuneup if need be. With Deb working with my team it helped to keep everyone healthy and we mananged to get through our season with no major injuries. I would like to thank all that have donated and sponsor a dog. Financially it helped us get through our season. Special thanks to friends like: Donna and Russ, Nora,Steve and Adele and Karen who have supported us emotionally during the entire season. A big thank you to Christine Richardson from Seal Cove kennels for opening her home to Bill and I and are dogs as another training site. Christine's advice and encouragement kept my confidence high when things weren't always going well. Lastly the biggest thanks goes to my mom who would leave home-cooked meals in our empty fridge for us when we came home from long weekends of racing.

Bartlett Fun Run

Last race of the season which was a 25 mile race up bearnotch and back down,although my gps only said 23. We had taken the team earlier in the week up to Pittsburg to get some short runs on them. They had a week off after the Can Am race. Two girls were in heat so trying to work the lineup around how to race that saturday. Team was looking good and ready to roll. Took a few people to hold them back at the chute as we hooked up way too early. Second out of the chute and caught the first team within 2 miles. All up hill a good 7 miles. Team was loping most of the way. At one point Bonnie decided that was far enough and turn the team around. Not sure what she saw so had to stop and hook down to turn the team around. After that we hit some twisty windy trail through the woods that the team just loved. I rode the dragmat most of the way till we hit the turnaround. We turned and started heading back. But the team was slow at that point and hesistated for a few seconds. I gave the command let's go back to the truck and they shot back up the hills just as strong as they had come down. We had a great run back. They had to head-on pass 20 teams and was quite happy with how they responded to that. I was concern that they would slow down speed wise but Bonnie and Coal were just solid at lead. Coal set a blazing speed and the team followed him. I never had to call the team up for the last 5 miles down hill. When I arrived at the finish line Bill was not even there as he underestimated our finish. Of course he was giving good amount of fussing by me for not being there:) We finished in 1:48 with the next best time being 2:03 by a 8 dog alaskan team. The team ate well and then started singing which was a sign they were ready to roll again. It was great way to end our season. The team that day was Bonnie/Coal lead followed by: Clyde/Stella,Only/Violet,Harvey/Rhonda and Lily/Daffodil at wheel.

Can Am 60

I have to admit that this is not one of my favorite races of the season. It is the hardest terrain and stiffest competition in New England. No doubt that you would want to enter the race so you would know how your team compares to the best teams from Canada and across the United States. I again took our seasoned team of Bonnie/Coal,Stella/Clyde, Only/Violet and Harvey/Rhonda at wheel. I had a goal to break our miserable time from last year of 9:20. I knew we had a much stronger,conditioned team this year. However the conditions were cloudy, 20 degrees and snowing. It snowed the entire race sometimes quite heavy with some wind. The team moved along fairly well. Booties flew off so had to stop to put them back on several times as some dogs were developing snowballs on their pads. I lost alot of time doing that and also dropping my ski pole a few times. We worked hard as a team and manange to finish 13th place with a time of 7:42. Only the second musher from US out of the top 14 teams. Much improved from last year. Bill and I are thrilled with the progress of this team. Taking it slow with them early on as yearlings has paid off. They have a great work ethic,drive and speed and endurance is improving also.

Stratford Race 2008

We struggled to get the team back together after Eagle Lake race. Still not sure how to maintain the team once we are into full swing of the racing season. Everyone was fine but seem quite flat and stiff after the race. Lily and Daffodil had sore wrists which they had on and off since before the race. I had pushed them to run the race which they handle great but could tell they would need more time off and less pressure on them for the rest of the season. So it was decided to enter Stratford race 30 mile 8 dog class with my seasoned team. Coal/Bonnie at lead followed by Stella/Clyde,Only/Violet and Rhonda/Harvey at wheel. It was a crisp -4 degrees at the start so decided to let the team run hard early on. I really was not sure how they would respond but as soon as I hit the trail I knew it was going to be a good run. Team was happy to be on a new trail and ran hard. We caught the first two teams and never looked back. Finish in first place on day one with a time of 2:46. No other team manage to finish under 3hrs. Day 2, I was a bit concern as it was warming up fast. However the groomer had been out early morning and the trail set up nice and fast. Had to work a bit on the hills to offset how warm it turned but team still ran hard with Bonnie and Coal at lead. We hit the rail bed and dogs took off knowing they were 5miles from the truck. Finish with a time of 2:45. I was quite please with the consistency of the time for both days. Team came in first over all with a total of 32:00 min lead over the rest of the pack.

Eagle Lake Race 2008

After putting quite a few miles on our team this fall we were finally ready for the race season to begin. Stratford race was postpone so Eagle Lake became our first race. I was beyond nervous and did not sleep for two days before the race. I was so worried about the unknown. Bill and I arrived in Maine friday afternoon to temps hovering around minus 5. The hotel manager said it warmed up from minus 31 that morning. The cold really gets me worried so now more to add to my concerns. Being from CT my body is in a constant state of trying to acclimate to cold temps and then back to warm temps of 40 degrees. Dogs were not that happy with temps either as they prefer to stay in their box. We went to the meeting which was ok and then back to worry most of the nite. I tossed and turned and slept maybe 2hrs total. In the morning temps were minus 14. Finally race day. I was not nervous as I had so much to do to prepare my sled for the race. I had my drop bag filled to the top. Bill could not believe all the stuff I had. It was all just in case stuff. I packed fearing the worse. I was 4th out of the chute. Leaders were Bonnie/Coal followed by Clyde/Lily,Only/Stella,Violet/Daffadil and wheel dogs Rhonda/Harvey. I had a few dogs with sore wrists so was concern with running them hard. I was off and running. Team was happy to be on a new trail. I flipped the sled on the first turn forgetting about the new plastic I had just put on for the first time all season. The miles added up and the team move along extremely well. The trail was well groomed and mark and I actually began to enjoy the scenery. I wanted to be at the checkpoint before sundown so I allowed dogs to move at a comfortable pace. Finally I was into the checkpoint. My team had never really practice this. We just ran out of time with everything we were training for. Bonnie was screaming because she was still hooked to the sled and figure we were just stopping for a snack. I took off booties and finally figured out how to hook leaders down as they were visiting all the teams in the area. Fed team and bed them down with straw. Check wrists and wrapped a few but none look to be a concern. Straighten out my sled bag and drop bag and finally made my way to the cabin. Oh what a wonderful checkpoint. Walked into a roaring fire and was quickly asked if I was ok and served some hot chicken stew and homemade bread. I mingled a bit with mushers and looked at my departure time of 8:48. Then zipped back up to check on team. I was relieved to find everyone curled up sleeping except Harvey. He seemed a bit moody and refused to lay down. Went back out in another hour and he finally had settle down. He is just like his old man(Only). Takes awhile to adjust. I tried to doze off in a chair but couldn't really. I popped a few advil for my crash earlier on the plow road. I was on a bit of a high with how good my team had run. 5:18 for 50 miles although my gps said 52:) I hydrated with quite a bit of water. Temps were dropping fast. I finally could not sit any longer and at 8pm went out to bootie team and look at wrists. The dogs stayed snuggle and fought me a bit to put booties on. I manipulated some dogs that I had concerns with but everyone looked good. But were they going to get up? Had to use the bathroom so went back in again. Finally packed my stuff up and the they came to help me bring the team to the start line. In one motion they shot up and we had a dual start with Kim Darst. She said you want to lead or me? I said go ahead. I still was concern that they would move slow. Half mile down the stretch I took the lead and the team looked happy to be back running again. It was a beautiful nite as I watched the moon rise. Minus 20 but did not feel it as much. Natural high. Clear nite with plenty of stars. Forgot about the time and anything else except running the team and making sure they all were ok. I peddaled and poled every hill to help them conserve energy. Tough part was hungry again and everything was frozen solid in my bag. Have to work on that for next time. Finally came up over a hill and saw lights. In my excitement I screamed go to the truck to the team. They shot down the hill heading to the right where we started. Oh no wait finish is to the left. Haw Haw!! Nope said Coal. I told him to the truck and that was where he was going. Bonnie fought him to go left. I had to throw my hook down and pull the team on the right trail. In that moment two teams passed me and I finish 11th out of the money by one minute! Such a let down but really my own fault could not blame the dogs. Was thrilled to see Bill at the finish line. Team looked good and did that second leg in 6:03. Not bad for a rookie. Unhooking the team and feeding them was a nitemare. I now realized how tired and cold I was. We managed together and were happy to finally get back to motel and into a warm shower and bed for a few hours. I could not have been more pleased with my teams performance in this race. Bonnie and Coal were solid at lead.The experience was great and learned alot about my team and training. Look forward to next years race without the unnecessary nervousness!

Race Plans

Currently we are planning 4 races.

Stratford Nitehawks race 1/19&1/20/08 (30 miles each day)

Eagle Lake 1/26/08 (100miles)

Can Am 60 3/1/08

Bartlett Race 3/15 (25 miles)

Late Fall Training

Right now we are looking at 13 dogs in our training pool. The three yearlings Willow,Daffodil,and Lily are keeping up nicely and Mandy our 10yr old has come out of retirement to help out. She has not run in 2 yrs as she has been pregnant both winters. I thought she would be too old but I hooked her up with the team this fall and she has been keeping up great. She screams like she is still 5yrs. old whenever we stop for a break. Bonnie and Coal are developing into solid leaders who work well together. Clyde and Rhonda are alternating as lead dogs and coming around also. We don't have the big mileage we would like to have on the team right now but it seems to be a slow process this year that in the long run will be benefical to our team. We have rented a cabin in NH with two other mushers which helps reduce our cost for training and gives us our home away from home site. The team has come out strong and hard for each training run. More rest this year seems to be working. So far no stress and team is eating well. Can't ask for anything more except some snow!

Fall Training

We have finally started hooking up dogs. It has been a slow process because of the warm humid conditions. I was anxious to start training dogs this fall concerned with developing some solid lead dogs with Nina gone. I had depended on Nina for every training run last season and every race. Bonnie,Coal and Rhonda each ran with her but it was Nina that brought leadership to our team. I was thinking that the three left were still very young to pickup where she left off but so far they are looking sharp. I have started hooking up Clyde with Rhonda at lead every other run and he is remarkable. I am sure it was his agility training. Friday's run was something special with Rhonda and Clyde at lead on a foggy 48 degree morning at 4:30am running a 12 dog team. We were at the training grounds of Nina's last spring run. It is a good gee haw leader training area with alot of options. I expected with each intersection for the team to start to go one way and then have to slow them down and tell them wrong way. But something magical happen that morning as we came upon intersections I shouted the command just once and the team took them without hestitation or slowing down. After a few turns I jumped off to praise Rhonda and Clyde. I swear I saw another set of eyes up front with those two. It had to be the spirit of Nina guiding these two young dogs through each intersection. My confidence has risen knowing that Nina will be running along side our team this season. Racing plans and new addition coming soon.

Summer

It is July already and my mind is already thinking 8 more weeks before we start fall training. Right now we are working on yard projects and trying to fill the freezer with bluefish for the winter. Fishing has been slow but I am sure it will pick up shortly. Planning a few litters next spring so trying to get some kennels roof for the litters and hope they go into heat at the right time! Kai has had a successful agility season so far. Her and I have finally worked out our kinks and seem to be looking like a team out there. I have had judges come over and compliment me on her ability to run and stay in the ring. She has decided if the reward is desirable she will stay with me and do what I ask. Right now Dunkin Donuts bagels toasted with butter seem to keep her extremely focused. She has made the top 25 AKC Agility Siberians as #17. I am really proud of that. She is starting to earn some Mach points. Long way to go as she needs 20 double Q's and 750 pts for her Mach which is the highest achievement in agility. We have a few years to go to see if we may achieve that. Clyde is struggling a bit right now. Because he likes me to run right by his side he is reluctant to run ahead of me which makes his times slower. He is still placing but am working on some basics with him right now to see if we can get him on track. His agility is making him more confident and I hope to see him running lead this year. Right now we have 17 dogs in the yard with 5 of them retired. Bill and I will be working together with 12 dogs for our race pool this year. We have found a cabin to rent with two other mushers so should make training this season easier without the stress of traveling so much.

Northomes Nina 11/12/99-5/11/07

We lost our racing leader this week. Nina had a brain tumor that took her life. I often heard people talk about great leaders they have had; well she was mine. I can't take credit for her training as Ann and Al Stead trained her and raced her a few years before I had the opportunity to purchase her. She produced a litter of 4 in which three of them run lead. She ran lead in all 4 of her races this past winter for me. She trained 3 other dogs at lead for my team. She past away before her time and went as fast as she did racing. Nina taught me how a leader should be. She would keep the entire team gee over and out of trouble and would turn on command whether there was a trail there or not. She was a quiet dog who would go unnoticed in the yard and was all business in harness. She took her job in stride and help us maintain a good speed. She had a great racing career. She will be sadly missed by Bill and I and her 3 kennelmates-Harvey, Clyde and Coal.

Springtime

Spring has sprung here in Connecticut. We have started some spring training focusing on developing 4 solid lead dogs for next season and seeing if our yearlings are ready to run with the main team. Lily,Daffodil and Willow had a good training base this winter of 400 miles. They had worked up to comfortable pace of 10 mile runs by late february. I was quite surprise how easily they adjusted to running with the main team. They show great drive and are very focus group. Harvey and Rhonda are developing nicely and will make the race team for next season also. I have spent some time reflecting on this past season and am quite pleased with our dogs performance. They did everything I asked of them. Our training for races next year has to change a bit. The traveling to train took the biggest toll on ourselves and the dogs. I will have much higher expectations of this team next season. Agility news: Kai is running great and had two 3rd places the last weekend in april running Excellent courses. Clyde is struggling in the Open courses. He is a green dog and I need to work more with him. He will eventually get it. They will be enter in two agility shows per month through June and will do one indoor show in Vermont in July. Time to put the boat in the water and start thinking about fishing!

Can Am 60

The last race of the season still running the same team. We had a good training run the weekend before so were ready for this race. I was much more relaxed although have to admit was extremely tired of the traveling to train and race. The 9+ hr drive to Fort Kent was relaxing as we stopped at rest stops and chatted with fellow mushers as we cruised the highway. We had a host family right in the center of Fort Kent to stay with. Etta and Chuck Closser who open up their homes to us and the dogs. Look forward to staying with them next year. The vet check went well and the meeting was uneventful. I love the start of Can Am. They close down Main St and throw snow down for the 1/4 mile length and the towns people come out to cheer you on. There was 8 inches of fresh snow the nite before which I was not exactly thrilled about. It made the going slow. I took off with Bonnie and Nina in lead and as soon as we hit the rail bed I knew I was in for a long day. The trail was just tough going and slow. I could not keep booties on the dogs with the conditions. I helped the dogs as much as I could with peddaling and poling but the sun came out and turn into a warm first half of the race. I stopped and snack the dogs at the checkpoint and decided it was time to make this more of a training run. So took Nina out of lead who had done an awesome job all season and let Coal run with Bonnie so they could start to work together. He finally was starting to take commands which I was pleased to see. It took us 9hrs but the team never quit on me. They just moved slower than I care for. Only had some bad spilits that reopen with booties being off that made running hard for him. I felt the team was tired and maybe not quite recovered from Midnite run. This was their first longest run of the season. I had a lot of time to reflect on our season while out there and was pleased that we accomplish our goals. Bill and I both agreed that we needed to show this young team races without putting pressure on them. Just finish. I can see most of this team running for me the next 4-5yrs. Will have to change some of the way we train for next season also. But the 8 dogs who raced all 4 races finish each race without injuries except for a few sore wrists when conditions were not that good. Most of their good health I attribute to Annamaet dogfood, Ocean Omeaga fishoil and My sponsor Debbie Saunders of Wizard of Paws. Debbie would check anyone on my team once a week that I was concern with and evaluate their soreness and work with her laser to reduce any inflammation. Having a small kennel and only 10 dogs in training this season it is remarkable that the team held together. A big thank you to Debbie for keeping this team in such great shape. I am sure she prevented many injuries by recognizing soreness and off gaits on some of the team and working them through it. The 2007 team was Bonnie,Nina,Violet,Stella,Clyde,Clumsen,Only and Coal, Harvey and Rhonda also trained with this team and completed the Stratford race. They should be ready next year season.

UP Midnight Run

On tuesday Feb. 13,2007 we started our journey to Michigan for the midnite run. I was extremely anxious to get there and settle dogs in and get ready for the race. We drove through New York uneventful but when we hit the Canadian border it began to snow and snow on and off all the way to Marquette,MI. There was a windchill making it at least -20 several times during the trip. Stopping to drop and feed dogs was not a fun experience. I notice Kai not looking good and question why I had brought her along for the ride when she was not going to race. We finally arrived at our host family on wednesday evening. Linda and Delbert Storms. We were quite appreciative to have a house to sleep in and nice yard for dogs to relax in. Unfortunatley one by one they seemed to come down with a bug. Some even stop eating. By the time we went to vet check on friday 4 were given medication from the vets. The next four became sick at the start of the race. The atmosphere in Marquette was great for the races. People were friendly and was neat to meet new mushers from another part of the states. My race start was 7pm and the team was ready to roll despite not feeling well. I took off with my head lamp on my head and went around the first corner too fast and was immediately face plant dragged down the trail. I manage to right myself just in time to miss the first turn. My heart was cranking from the whole start that I just did not have enough time to adjust to it just being dusk and running along the highway with cars headlights facing me. When I tried to get nina to turn she got confused and turn the entire team around so we were now facing other mushers coming down the trail. There was not alot of snow so was hard to hook down and turn the team around. I must have lost a good 6 minutes trying to turn the team around and catch the sled as it went by me with the snowhook tangling behind it. Once on the trail dark settle over and the trails was flat. Teams passed me and I then began to realize how alone I was in this race. I would try to catch a team just to see it fade away. I became more relax and team was moving fine. After 15 miles we hit some hills and treacherous conditions for another 10 miles. Hardly any snow and alot of rocks showing with narrow twisty windy trails. Sometimes I would come crashing down unable to brake with rocks exposed. I missed turns with the markers not being placed right. I later found out most mushers had terrible time through this section but at the time I question why I had even thought I could do this. Only was running wheel and his neckline had snapped off and without realizing it he was now running by my sled slipping out of his harness. He really was not feeling good and I was starting to think I would have to bag him. I manage to stop the team in time to grab his collar as he came completely out of his harness. Hook him back up and put a new neckline on him. He was ok after that. Once we hit Marquette we were back on rail bed running along Lake Superior. It was fairly warm about 10 degrees. I was hoping it would be cooler. People were all along the trail with bonfires going cheering you on. If it weren't for those towns people not sure I would have made it to the checkpoint. The dogs perked up everytime we went by people. I finally made it to the checkpoint after midnite. Bill greeted me thrilled to see me in one piece. I was exhausted at this time and hungry. He said he was proud of me. Oh why did he have to say that. I was ready to call it a nite and not finish the race. I called for the vets to check the dogs and they said everyone was ok despite still being sick. I fed them and was happy to see everyone ate. Bonnie had a sore wrists but vets felt it was not that bad. I went in to eat something and sit with Bill for awhile. Dogs bedded down on straw while tied to the truck quickly. I talked to Bill about the trail. He said he was worry when he heard how the front runners were coming in and how Mary Gilbertson had missed a turn and gone off a cliff and several other mushers had lost their team. He encouraged me to laydown and sleep. I argued for a second but peeled off a few layers of clothes and did fall asleep. I woke up hour and half early worry about Christine Richarson and her team. She had helped a runaway team and had some sore dogs and needed to scratch. It was heartbreaking to see her have to do that after traveling by herself from NH to the race. She had a great team and knew her goals was to run the can am 250 so it made sense not to push her young team. At 5:30 we were ready to go off for 43 miles to the finish. Team looked good and I was surprise how they got up and ran. I took Bonnie out of lead with a sore wrist and put her at team. I did not want to put alot of pressure on her and ran Coal at lead. Coal was coming along much quicker at lead. Still was not sure of gee/haw commands or passing but he would run hard up there and enjoyed running next to Nina. Nina was solid at this race and was pleased with her. Only looked much better after some rest and ran well the second leg. The trail now had plenty of snow and easier traveling for the dogs. The first two hours seem worse then the nite before because I had a hard time staying awake. I wanted coffee in the worse way but was afraid to drink and have to stop on the trail to relieve myself. So I went off not having wanted to eat anything. Big mistake. The sun does not rise till 8am in the Upper Penisula so it was dark. I dug around in my bag and found the box of chocolate cover peanuts/raisins my mom had packed. I am sure she would have never thought I would be eating the entire pound for breakfast! Just chewing helped me stay awake. I talked to the dogs a few times but they seem to be doing well and not really interested in conversing with me. Finally the sun came up and was beautiful. My spirits perked up despite the fact that it was snowing. We came across the finish line at noon time. My host family came to greet us and I was thrilled to be done. There was a family of snowmobilers who came to see the dogs and once they were fed proceeded to pet them. The dogs just loved the attention and seem to forget how tired or sore they were. We ended up placing 29 out of 36 teams and were happy to have finish because that was our goal. Would love to go back two years from now and see if we can improve our time. It was a great experience for my team and myself. I learned quite a bit about myself and dogs on the trail. Had plenty of time to reflect and know now that I am happy with what I have bred so far. Having been behind all season with our training it was true indication of what my my team was made of finishing the race as strong as they did. The biggest hero of this race was Bill. He drove 85% of the trip and literally was up all nite waiting for me to come into the checkpoint and then staying with the dogs while I slept. He encouraged me the entire time and took good care of the dogs. He endured my stress levels going up and down like a nut and manage to safely drive us through white out conditons in Michigan. I can't thank him enough for this adventure.

February

The first weekend of the month we entered the Stratford Nighthawks race. Two day event with each day being 27 miles. I wanted to see how the yearlings would handle racing so enter the open class with 10 dogs. Nina/Bonnie,Rhonda/Coal,Stella/Clyde,Harvey/Violet, Only/Clumsen. Most of the girls were in heat so made for an interesting run. Found ourselves in 3rd placed after the first heat with a time of 2:43. With 7 miles to go I decided to switch leaders and put Rhonda at lead for the finish. She was great and has alot of potential. Second day the trail was alot faster and had to drop Harvey with a sore wrist. Used Coal in lead for the first time in a race with Nina and he did awesome.Our time was 2:30. We finish 4th place overall out of 11 teams and were the second siberian team to finish. Spent the next few days training for UP Midnite run.

January

Racing season begins! After several races were cancelled in New England area we decided to pack up the team and head for Canada. I entered the El Dorado Gold Cup race in Ontario. It was a 8 dog 42 mile race. Finally back on the runners after a 2yr hiatus. The team was Bonnie/Nina at lead follow by Violet/Coal,Clyde/Stella,Only/Clumsen. We came in 13 out of 21 teams with a time of 3:37. We were the top siberian team that day. It was the first race for the entire team. I was quite nervous head on passing with the smoking teams of Bruce Langmaid and Rene Marchilldon. The team did fine led by the confident Nina. We had a wonderful host family-Fred and Ethel Stein who we stayed with and fed us great. We stayed an extra day to put in another training run.

December

If I was blind and did not know what month it was I would guess it could be march or april. Still no snow but are dogtruck is back with a rebuilt transmission so happy to have our freedom to train. Team is coming together slowly. Two yearlings training with our main team-Harvey and Rhonda are doing well and will benefit from the training for next season. Hope they will be able to run a shorter race this season but they won't run the bigger race. I made the painful decision to drop out of racing Eagle Lake as we did not have the miles on the team. They seem so young and hate to make that their first race ever and sour them for the season. They are starting to condition better and now know it was the right move. Bonnie has become a strong confident leader through running with Nina. Coal has been also learning to run lead. He needs more confidence but would not hesitate to run him if need be. Rhonda is also training to run lead. Bill is training the puppy team as they are running between 5-6 miles a few times a week. This group has been easy to train. Smart and and all business in harness. Daffodil shows some great signs of running lead as Klondike teaches her. Hoping for snow as we wait for the race season to begin. Merry Christmas!

November

As this month concludes we are still training without our dogtruck. Starting to feel the stress of not being able to get longer miles in without traveling far. Might need to reconsider what races to run in January even though we are signed up for Eagle Lake 100. We are also signed up for the Midnite run in February and Can Am 60 in March have to see how December goes. Temps have been flucuating from cool to warm and balmy. Dogs have been great. Eating well and responding to training. Their enthusiasm is still very high.Kai and Clyde were enter in an agility trial Thanksgiving weekend. Kai earned her AXJ and Clyde his NA. Kai had some great runs. Clyde on the other hand was not crazy about the indoor trial and how crazy it was. He is still very young so need to be patient with him. He seems to be feeling his oats lately. He will stop training for agility and start up again in March. Looking for some cool temps and snow for December.

October

Early this month on the way home from Maine having had some great training runs I turned to Bill and said things are going well and we are on schedule. It has been a 2yr hiatus from racing as we have relocated and built our team but it was worth the wait. An hour later we were standing with 15 dogs on the side of the interstate as we watch our dogtruck smoke with an electrical fire. That quickly everything changed. We have been the entire month without a dogtruck. We were most appreciative that we were ok and so were the dogs but life has been a struggle. Had 8 hole wooden box that we put on a snowmobile trailer to get around but have only manage to train the main team. The pups and some of the older dogs have been sitting as we concentrate on keeping the main team conditioned. Not feeling comfortable traveling more than 2hrs has limited us greatly to where we can train. Training in CT is always a challenge as the majority of the population thinks the only race that exists is the iditarod. As we train in state parks people walk their dogs by letting them out of the car and then have them chase the car as they drive and drink their coffee. Our dogs have had several tests lately as they learn to "on by" loose dogs chasing the team, hunters who shoot a pheasant that flushed up as our team goes by and horseback riders. Their focus has been awesome. Very proud of this team as they progress. Still have a long way to go to get them to the starting line of the our first race in January. Hoping the truck will be back in operation by november so we can get back up north.

September

Fall training has begun and going smoothly. Bill and I are both pleased that we spent so much of the spring training the dogs. The first hookup of the season went well with dogs looking like they never took time off. We have been fortunate to train in Maine every other weekend. Our good friends Judy and Al have open their house to us to stay any time. This has been a great help. Temps are much cooler there so we have been able to put some good miles on the dogs. In between Kai and Clyde have competed in agility trials. Kai is doing well but her handler seems to make just one mistake that cost us qualifying(that would be me!)Clyde has excelled flying through courses. His enthusiasm is unbelievable as he just loves to run with me. He has heads turning on the field with alot of compliments on seeing such a fine working dog that is also handsome! Everything is moving on schedule. We have a team entered in the Can-Am 60 and also Eagle Lake 100. Need the temps to drop so we can get longer runs in.

August

The dogbox is finally set to go and equipment is in order. Geared up to start some fall training with dogs. The freezer is starting to fill up with bluefish for the winter also. Kai and Clyde are training hard for agilty trials this fall. Will do several in september but won't do any in october as training will be going strong by then. Looking forward to my first racing season with this new team. They are really hard driven dogs with that get up and go mentality I so like. Will have to play with the temps for awhile as to when we can train. The nice part is that what I have bred now can withstand training in warmer temps. Mandy's pups are doing well and look forward to harness training them late october.

July

All I can say about this month is HOT! The dogs are settled into thier summer mode of trying to stay cool. Fishing is starting to pick up as we need quite a lot for next winter. Mandy's pups are growing fast and looking good. I can see them ready to be harness trained late october. Working on many small projects around the house because once september hits it is all about training. Kai and Clyde will be enter in quite a few agility trials for the month of september.

June

This was a slow month. Not much happening. We have a new dogbox for the truck which was our big investment for the year. Made by Tom Dimmagio of Yankee Sledworks. The box has 16 holes and of course is forest green which is my racing color. Mandy's pups have been visiting the school I substitute teach and learning their social skills. I was disappointed at first to have such a small litter but have been enjoying this group. They are all maturing nicely and at the same rate because there is plenty of time to give each. I have two girls who are volunteering in our dogyard this summer. Celina and Jessica come three times a week to help with kennel chores and groom dogs. They are greatly appreciated. I have met a new person who is canine animal physical therapist. Debbie Gross has agree to provide sponsorship for our team this year. She has already helped out by diagnoising a few injuries in my dogs and helped to heal them. We are grateful to have her on board to help keep our dogs healthy. You may find her link under my links page. Her practice is called Wizard of Paws. Debbie is also trying to find me some more sponsorship which will help offset our expenses as we hope to travel and race in and outside of the New England area this winter.

May

Pups are growing fast. Beautiful markings on them with each being unique and easy to tell apart compared to Mandy's first litter. Names are Daffodil, Lilly and Pussywillow. Kai has started competition in agility and has her good and bad days. The rain has arrived and depressing. Ready for some sun and fishing on the boat. Kai has earned her Open Agilty title the last weekend in May. She placed 2nd and 4th each day. The only siberian running in this trial. She got a standing ovation after her run on sunday when I announced she just earned her title. The heat has come quickly and the dogs are already settling into their summer mood.

April

On a beautiful spring morning a day before my birthday, Mandy delivered 3 female pups. I spent most of the day waiting for at least one male to come through but Mandy, the most efficient dog in my yard, was done in one shot. At first was quite disappointed but can't argue with Mother Nature. All three girls are healthy and named after spring flowers. Still training this month because temps are staying cool. Kai will start her season of competing in agility soon. Clyde is in training and will compete this fall.

March 2006

Spent the entire month training dogs on a stripped down atv. Team is starting to come together. Had alot of work to do with trail manners. Big jump to go from running 6 dog team to 10. Yearlings are starting to mature nicely and no one is falling behind. They are a tight group in harness and are all business. Bought another Northome dog- Coal from Ann and Al Stead. This 2yr is a nice addition to our team and makes us more solid. It is nice to finally have some numbers to work with. Coal is a good eater and has great feet. Have taken him to do school programs and he loves the kids. School programs this year were quite successful and helped offset vet bills for the year. Our friends from Maine-Judy and Al came down and helped us build a roof over the whelping kennel. Good news not having much snow and dry spring so far the kennel is quite dry and no mud. Starting working again so the days are very busy. Mandy is starting to look pregnant!

February 2006

This month turned out to be a disappointing month. All races were canceled as we struggle to keep the dogs in shape with increase temps and no snow. Finally mid way through the month Mandy went into heat and we made the decision to breed her one last time. Will have a spring litter for the first time which will allow us to have pups training in late fall. We were extremely happy with what Mandy produce the first time so we went back to Jedeye Siberians to use another male-Deuce. The yearlings continue to mature and finally we will have enough dogs in the yard to attempt some longer races next season. Bonnie is developing into strong leader with the training of Nina. Violet is fitting the bill of a hard-driving dog and her sisters are right behind her. Clyde also shows potential to run lead. Harvey and Rhonda have been harness broken and running 4miles. Klondike is working with Rhonda who shows great lead potential as her mom is. They are all working on their trail manners at this point.

January 2006

After returning from a 6 day training trip with the dogs. I packed up to head to Alaska with a friend of mine for a week. My Christmas present from my husband was for me to go and see alaska and he would stay home and care for the entire kennel. It was a great experience. I met the Reddington's,JP Norris and wife Kari,Karen and Mark Ramstead and Bob Chlupach and soon to be wife Shae. We saw alot of moose, bald eagles and dall sheep on the mountainside. We visited three siberian kennels and helped teams to the start of the Knik 200 race. The atmosphere in alaska is a whole different world. Hard to describe unless you visit yourself but I recommend anyone that is a musher to go and visit at least once in their lifetime. The land is vast and beautiful and the people are very friendly and happy to be living where they are. I could pack up my dogs and husband instantly and move to Willow. Back to reality of winter in New England. All races sprint and mid distance have been canceled for month of January(except one). It has been a disappointing month. It snowed then rain than turned to ice. The dogs continue to work through it all and have stayed healthy. Yearlings are starting to fill out and mature nicely. Still have alot of work to do but having fun. As the season moves on I decided to breed Mandy now instead of the middle of the summer. So she has been sent out to Jedeye's kennel to be bred to their lead dog Deuce. Looking forward to more pups in the spring. Starting to combine both teams and run a 10 dog team. Rhonda and Harvey are now starting to run short runs in harness. Rhonda is showing signs of being a natural leader and Harvey is a hard driven dog such as his father -Only. Need more snow for this season to happen!

December 2005

Finally getting some longer miles in on snow. Nina and Klondike are starting to be more comfortable running together at lead. Logan has gone to run with our good friends Russ and Donna Bender. He will run lead with their dog and do some shorter races this year. He has adapted well to thier kennel and is welcome addition to their kennel. Bonnie and Violet are running lead and are all business. The yearlings progress has been great. They will be ready to run Stratford 15 mile race at the end of Jan. I need to get more miles on the adult team before our first race Jan. 21 at Craftsbury. I also have an opportunity to go and visit Alaska for a week with my good friend Stormie. We will meet the Reddingtons who are friends of hers and also go to some siberian kennels along with seeing Karen Ramstead. Real exciting opportunity. Off to for a week to train in NH and then return New Year's Day to head out to Alaska.

November 2005

Dogs are getting stronger as the miles add on. It has been a slow fall to add miles on. With warmer temps and rain it seems to be a battle with mother nature. New dogfood is working well with dogs. Highly recommend Annamaet dogfood. Yearlings continue to have a strong drive which I am please with. Bill has been training hard with them to get their trail manners together so they may race some small races for the experience. Looks like Logan may be going to a new home. He is struggling to keep up with the rest of the team. Nina is looking strong at lead and it is nice to have 3 leaders. Kai finally got her Novice Standard agility title and also 2 legs on her Open Jumpers. Her and I are finally working together as a team and having fun. 4 out of 7 females are in heat right now which makes it a bit of a juggling act in training and the yard. So far everyone seems to be calm about it. Harvey and Rhonda are growing and we try to work with them twice a week on some lead training. Harvey is all business and no doubt will run lead for me in a few years. Rhonda is a bit of a flirt and a social butterfly but loves to run. Need some snow for sled running soon. Tired of the frozen muddy dirt!

October 2005

Getting more miles in with dogs. Has been a struggle with the temps. We load dogs by 4:30 so we can get out on the trail and back before sunrise. Dogs are doing well. Nice to have cool running dogs that can handle the warmer temps. Kai finally received her Novice Jumpers title in agility. She should have had her Standard title but the handler(me) prematurely got excited and she dropped the finish line bar! Her last competition will be in November until the spring. Clyde is also training in agility and loves it. He is a different running dog then Kai with a much longer stride. He loves to learn so makes it easy to teach him. Yearlings look good also as Bill trains them along. Bonnie takes after her mom, Mandy with her screaming in harness. She continues to lead the team. Our two young pups are growing fast and the black girl we named after our good friend Rhonda from Mishawum Kennels. Will start heading up north to train and put some longer miles on the dogs.

September 2005

Started training this month with dogs. Teams look good and happy to get back in harness. The heat and humidity makes it sparodic training waiting for temps to get cooler. We have been training at 4am so there is no sun factor. The yearlings are being trained by Bill and are quite the handful with their screaming enthusiasm. Bonnie and Stella seem to be natural leaders and Sapphire continues to keep the pace down for everyone. The season team is starting to come together. It is a mixture this year. New addition of Clumsen helps to solidfy the wheel position. Brazil and Only are starting to mature and I like their driving power. The Steads picked their two Nina/Only pups and left us with our favorite gray male named Harvey. We also have a female who looks like she made be agouti. She is real sweet girl. Harvey already showing promising lead potential. As the weather cools down hope to put longer more consistent miles on the dogs.

August 2005

Heat continues on but pups are growing much better now. Fishing is good right now so enjoy some away time down at the boat. Later this month we will videotape pups for Steads in MN so they may pick their pups. Spending time working with all dogs in the yard with some basic recall. Nice when a dog does get loose during training season and comes back to you when called vs. taking off down the trail and disappearing for hours. Pups out in public socializing now. Free running a mile on some fields also. Kai is continuing to provide some amusement at trials as she redesigns the course and then leaves. Not happy about this. Working on some new techniques to have her focus more. In the mean time Clyde has started some agility training and is naturally more focus. He seems to enjoy it. He won't train seriously until next spring. Agility training has help me understand how siberians think. Many feel siberians are stubbron but I think this is not the issue as much as realizing they are great thinkers. They will try to out think you if they can!

July 2005

July brought along some extreme hot and humid weather. Luckily our kennel is setup with plenty of shade. Kai has decided she would like to run around the agility course and then exit the ring on her own. Will need to work on this behavior. Nina's pups are growing slowly. I think the heat has made them develop at a slower rate. Nina is very overprotective of them. Despite that they are happy laid back pups.

June 2005

Big changes were made in June to our kennel. I decided I needed one more dog for my 6 dog team this winter and was able to purchase Clumsen av Vargevass from Karsten Gronas of Sweden. Kasten owns one of the top siberian kennels in all of Europe. I am looking forward to running this big handsome dog this winter. With his friendly and playful personality the transition to our kennel was an easy adjustment.

Dawson has gone to live with Doug and Joy Heitz of Howlin' Huskies Kennels in Pennsylvania. He joins two other realitives who are running for Doug and who ran on my team a few years ago-Keelin and Demon. We are happy with the Heitz's kennel and wish them good running this winter with their new addition.

Nina had her litter of 4 pups on June 23. Two males and two females. They are all doing well and looking forward to keeping two of them and two will go back to Northome's kennel. Kai continues to do well in agility competion. She has two legs towards her Novice title in standard and jumpers course. The heat of summer came real fast but she will try another competition in late July and mid august. Dogs are moving into their lazy summer mode. Continue to work them in the yard with some basic obedience to keep them occupy. Looking forward to training the new pups!

May 2005

Nina is looking pregnant and the litter is due in late June. Should be a nice litter to help us build our kennel for longer distance racing. Kai is doing well in agility and the pups are still training in harness. Disappointing that it is so cool and windy and not good for fishing on our boat. By now we have some bluefish caught and stored for next winter. Will be a late spring. Bonnie is proven to be a natural leader and holds the line out now without me there. Pups still howl but not as bad. We have moved Sapphire up to lead also and she is happy to run with the pups. Being part malamute and 5yrs old it is a nice combination with the pups. We have a new addition to our kennel and that is our dogsitter/handler Donnie Swider. Donnnie makes our lifer easier now as he can take care of all dogs while we are away. He has a great personality with the dogs, even Simba likes him! Donnie will help us out this winter when we travel and don't always bring all the dogs. Big changes coming in June. Stay tuned.

April 2005

Puppies are starting to be harness trained and are looking good. They are screamers. Love to get in the truck and howl the entire trip. Bonnie is a natural leader. She has been working with our lead dog Klondike and their mother Mandy. We rotate everyone to run lead to see how they adjust and they are all willing to run. The girls have gone into heat which makes for some chaos in the yard. We are continuing to fix the kennels with some stone and sand to dry up some wet spots. Only and Brazil are starting to mature also in harness. Has been a cool spring allowing us to continue to train all dogs. In between the dogs travel to do some school programs. Kai has started competing in agility and she is quite a challenge. Focus is an issue that we will need to work on. Some days she is great other days she will leave the ring. I guess that is why I don't see any other siberians at these events! She has her first leg towards her novice jumpers. Will have to see what May brings. Nina has been bred to Only and looking forward to a possible litter.

March 2005

It's March in Connecticut and we are getting plenty of snow. Where was it in January?

It has been a long winter here as we did not get to race. In December we relocated ourselves and 17 siberians to our new kennel. We now have two and half acres mostly fenced in and 3 car garage to store all our equipment. The move took longer than expected and we lost out on valuable training time with the dogs. It was well worth it to get dogs situated in new runs and us in a new house. The dogs are now able to stay outside all the time and we have no neighbors so they may sing to their hearts content. We started training again and have added some new dogs to our kennel. We have purchased two dogs from Ann and Al Stead of Northome's in Duluth,MN. We now have a young male-Only and a five yr old female named Nina. They will be bred together to help build our racing kennel. Our puppies are now seven months old. Check out puppy photo page. Kai will start competing towards the end of this month in Agility trials. Looking forward to harness training new pups.