Racers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penny

One of Colleen’s favorite dogs, Penny came to us from another musher who thought she was too small to fit into his team. While she may be pint-sized at only 27 pounds, she’s a dynamo in front of the team. She's led large portions of every race Cole has ever done, and led all of several extremely tough races. Rivers, mountain, deep snow – she does it all despite her small stature. Penny is timid around people, but tenacious around her own kind. Her sisters are Oaky and Nuk. Penny is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

Screamer

 Screamer was part of a litter that we raised and harness broke for another musher. When the musher we had our deal with made his pick, he picked Screamer who was Colleen’s favorite dog. We never forgot about her though. We tracked her movements and attempted to get her back, but the price was frequently too high for us to afford, but in fall of 2007 we were able to strike a deal and get her home again.

She got her name because she screams and howls during hook up, and every time the team is stopped. Dogs that are little cheerleaders like this can be really valuable to keeping up team morale, and this combined with her abilities to lead, she is a valuable member of any team she is on.

 

 

 

 

 

Oaky

 

 

Always has energy and enthusiasm to spare. Along with Penny, Oaky is Colleen’s main race leader, especially when she needs some speed. Running these two together could burn the team out if Colleen wasn’t careful to check their speed. At 35 pounds, Oaky is larger then Penny, but still smaller than Nuk. She also has the thickest coat of the three. She is mother to Kawlijah, Seeker and Dunkel. Oaky is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

 

Nuk

At nearly 40 pounds, she is the biggest of her sisters. She has a sleek build and demure looks, but is tough as a spruce knot. Nuk doesn’t lead like Oaky and Penny. Instead she is one of the power-houses of the team, and does best closer to the back of the team where her propensity to lope can be utilized to the fullest.  Nuk is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

Goliath

Joseph’s baby boy. Goliath is stout 40-pound male, but is extremely sensitive. He is a good gee-haw leader, but prefers a slow, steady pace. Goliath is very thick-coated, and while he has a tough time in temperatures above 20 degrees, he excels when the mercury drops below zero. Goliath came to us from a musher who had an unplanned litter when two dogs bred accidentally during the Iditarod. Goliath is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoya

 

First “real” sled dog we got. Zoya came to us from another musher as a runt of the litter, but since we got so many smaller runts after her, at 35 pounds she is actually quite big by our kennel’s standards. Like Goliath, Zoya enjoys sleeping on a pile of pillows in the house, yet in the team she is a consistent and reliable gee-haw leader. Colleen traded labor (scooping poop,) to afford Zoya’s sale price. Zoya is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

 

Zoom

One of the best all-around dog in the kennel. Zoom is intelligent, loyal, has unlimited stamina and an unmatched exuberance for running. She leads like a champ, but at 65 pounds is one of our biggest dogs, so she also lends tremendous power when running back in the team. As a yearling in the 2006-2007 season, she finished all of the races she started and was an integral part of Colleen’s 10th-place finish in the 2007 T-200. She showed more of the same as a 2-year old, finishing every race again, and lending valuable power to Cole’s 2008 Chantanika 200 win. In 2009, Zoom broke a toe in fall training, but after several weeks off she healed well and went on to become a Yukon Quest finisher. Zoom came to us as payment for raising and harness-breaking a litter of pups (she and her litter mates) from another musher. Zoom is also an Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

 

Butterscotch

One of the best swing dogs a musher could hope for. Butter is a super-strong 46 pound female with endurance levels that are off the charts. She also has feet so tough they rarely need booties. Butter will occasionally lead in a chasing team, but not in the front team. Butter and Crumb were payment for raising and harness breaking a litter of pups from another musher. Butter was bred to Doc in 2006 to produce our first litter of pups (Waylon, Hank, Buckwheat, Hildy, Brick, Yodel and Yeti). Butter is a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

 

 

Crumb

 

Was slow to mature as a yearling, but as a 2-year-old got better with each run and started to led, but it wasn’t until she turned 3-year-old that she really shined. She seemed to transform into one of the most durable dogs in the team. On several 200 mile races and especially in mile races, Crumb really hits her stride late in the race, getting stronger the more miles she runs, and leading when other dogs need a break. Crumb’s only drawback is she has an unusual behavior of holding up her front leg, summer or winter, which can lead others to think she has a hurt wrist or paw, but it is just a quirk she developed and has had since a pup. Crumb is super friendly with Colleen and Joseph and a real rabble-rouser that loves playfully wresting with other dogs in the kennel (especially her sister Butterscotch), but she is very timid of strangers. Crumb is also a Yukon Quest finisher and Iditarod veteran.

 

 

 

 

 

Cyder

 

Came to us as a 3-year-old team dog. Cyder and now deceased Karma were generously given to us by another musher attempting to maintain a small kennel. Cyder came with plenty of experience, having run in the Kusko 300 and Yukon Quest. At 65 pounds Cyder is an asset in any position, and since coming to our kennel, he has developed into a reliable leader, particularly in stormy conditions where he seems to relish in breaking trail. Cyder is a Yukon Quest veteran, making 750 miles with Cole in 2009 before having to be dropped from a shoulder injury sustained on Birch Creek. Cyder is an Iditarod veteran who led through much of the deep snow in the Rainy Pass storm of 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pong

A real Cinderella story, Pong came from the Kenai Animal Shelter after Joseph wanted to adopt her pup, and Colleen said he couldn’t leave momma behind. She immediately took to being a sled dog, though, and within months was proving to be a budding leader. Pong led great her first season, even gee-hawing on a dime, but was easily distracted by birds, moose, loose dogs and anything else living. However, in her second season we worked out these kinks, and she ended up leading 50 percent of all training runs, and she often breaks out our training trails in the Caribou Hills for the first run of the year. In races, she can’t sustain speeds of 10-12 miles per hour for long, but she can go 6-8 miles per hour all day long, so she’s a real asset when deep snow prevails. She has run multiple Tustumena 200’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrow

 Another rescued dog from the Kenai Animal Shelter. Arrow has developed into a good wheel dog, which is an often overlooked position in the team. Like Hank (no relation), she seems to have an abnormally high metabolism, and it is difficult to keep weight on her once we start running big miles. Despite being from the pound, Arrow proved she had what it takes to be a real sled dog and made in the whole 1,000 miles with Cole in 2009 to become a Yukon Quest finisher. She is also an Iditarod veteran.

 

 

 

 

Waylon

The big dog, by the time he was 6 months old Waylon already weighed 60 pounds. Fortunately, he is very much like his father, Doc, in that he is very gentle and gets along with every other dog in the kennel regardless of age or sex. He has competed in the Tustumena 200, the Copper Basin 300 and was an invaluable part of Cole’s winning team in the 2008 Chatanika 200. Waylon is also a Yukon Quest and Iditarod finisher.

 

Hank

Hank is probably the most difficult dog in the kennel to keep weight on due to an extremely high metabolism. Even in the off season he eats triple what the other dogs do, and he still always looks a little gaunt at 50 pounds. This is always a concern when racing because of how many calories the dogs already burn from the exercise and cold temperatures, but Hank still has taken part in several races, and always shined. He proved to be a cornerstone of the team when as a yearling he faced a brutal ground blizzard head-on in the 2008 Goose Bay 120. Hank is also a Yukon Quest veteran and an Iditarod finisher.

 

Yeti

One of the Doc/Butterscotch puppies, and quite possibly a case of nature more than nurture. Yeti was raised the same as all her littermates, but is far more nervous than the rest. She tends to be aloof around most people, which can also complicate coming into checkpoints. She was an invaluable part of Cole’s winning team in the 2008 Chatanika 200, but has since shown herself to be a little weak mentally, so she spends more time running with the B-team and puppies.

 

Hildy

Like her littermates Hildy is an awesome leader, but she was plagued by a series of unlucky events that prevented her from racing much as a yearling. She developed a life-threatening illness at an early age, but managed to pull through it. However, during her first year of fall training she stepped on some broken glass. We saw her go off her gait in the middle of a run, and when we picked up her paw, she had almost completely sliced off one toe pad. This took the rest of fall and about half of the winter to heal, so she never quite got up to the miles of her brothers and sisters. In 2010 she did much better and led most of Colleen runs in the Copper Basin 300. When Hildy is on top of her game, she is one of the toughest dogs around.

 

Brick

Brick is the smallest of the Doc-Butterscotch litter, but what she lackes in size, she more than makes up for in heart. She, along with Rolo, is the main leader of our B-team, but has not quite been able to keep up the speed's needed for long distances to make it to the A-team yet, but we hope as she matures more, she will get promoted. She, along with Metoo, was Joseph main leader for his 3rd place finish in the 2010 Tustumena 100.

 

 

Squirrel

The only pup not part of the Doc/Butterscotch litter, Squirrel was given to us for free by another musher after being part of an unplanned litter. She fit right in with our own youngsters, though. Squirrel got her name because she acts nuts most of the time, but plugging her into the team is like flipping a switch. She instantly becomes serious, and is so far a good young leader. With tons of energy, a thick coat and insatiable appetite, she quickly proved herself to be a real asset in the race team. She was an invaluable part of Cole’s winning team in the 2008 Chatanika 200. Squirrel is also a Yukon Quest finisher.

 

Seeker

She and her brother, Kawlijah, were the only two pups in the Crazyhorse/Oaky litter of 2007. Seeker began showing signs of leading like her mother and Aunt Penny at an early age, and was already larger than both of them by the end of her first year. She is very intelligent, but a little timid. She’s not the shyest dog in the kennel, but she’s not as gregarious as her brother when it comes to being around strangers. She is also an Iditarod finisher.                                                                            

 

 

Ghost

Ghost came from the Kenai Animal Shelter in 2009. She looks a lot like our old buddy Doc, except she has a shorter coat and a lot less muscles. What she lacks in power she more than makes up with exuberance. Ghost is a high energy dog. She runs well in the team, and will lead on occasion, but she is one of the worse bird watching rabbit chasers we have ever seen. Almost everything distracts her, so we hardly ever run her out front where she could steer the whole team into a big mess. Ghost loves eating and is easily the loadest dog in the yard at feeding time.

 

 

 

Buliwyf

Buliwyf is one of several pups we raised for another musher during the summer of 2008, and in the process we bonded to the little guys in a way that even we didn't expect. As a result, we made on offered to trade a meat saw for the pups we would have had to give back in the fall, so we were able to keep all five of them. Buliwyf is a big, powerful, super hyper male that eats with reckless abandon. He led several runs home as a yearling, and we look forward to seeing how this guy develops as he matures.

 

Quigley

Quigley is a sibling of Buliwyf, but is slightly smaller. Still, he should be 50 to 60 pounds when he fills out as an adult. Like his brother, Quigley is big and strong, leads, and you have to watch your fingers when feeding him. Out of his four brothers, Quigley is by far the sweetest dog in the litter, though. He loves cuddling on Colleen's every chance he gets.

 


Chuba Bubba

Chuba, as he is known for short, got his name beucase he was the largest of his litter mates as a little guy. He looked like a little butter bean when he would waddle out of the nest box. He retained much of his size as he got older, and is much likes his brothers in his excitment for life. Chuba is also extremely vocal, and frequently is the first to start, but quickly gets the entire yard howling in unison after their evening meal. Chuba also led several small runs as a yearling.

 

Rowdy

Compared to his three brothers, Rowdy seems to have the highest metabolism, and seems to run and play all day long. Because of this, Rowdy is tough to keep weight on, but he is still easily in the 40-50 pound range already, so he should be another big, powerful male as he matures. Like his brothers, Rowdy already has no problem being out front, but unlike his siblings who are fearless of man or machine for some reason, Rowdy is a little tentative around both. Hopefully, his confidence will grow as he matures.

 

Boo

Boo came to the kennel in the winter of 2009, after another musher had "gotten out of dogs" by neglecting the ones he had. This guy and his brother were just tiny pups, so they missed quite a bit of socialization. The people who rescued him had to use nets just to catch Boo and his brother they were so scared of people. Once here at the kennel, cared for and loved, Boo quickly came out of his shell within a few weeks. Now he is one of the rowdiest little guys here. Just about everthing gets him excited and he has so far shown a real passion for pulling.

 

Klause

Klause came with his brother, Boo, and the two are as different as night and day. Klause has never completely warmed up to us, and while he is fairly calm now, he is still very aloof of us and other people. He also is a big rough with the other dogs in the kennel. We don't think he is deliberately trying to be mean, rather he probably just didn't learn how to play correctly as a pup. In the team he has show moderate skills, but he is larger than his brother and with a thicker coat, so we'll have to see what the future holds for him. He seems like me may be better in the cold weather than a lot of our other atheltes.

 


Katahdin

 

Unwanted by another musher, Katahdin was rescued not long after being weaned, and it was immediately clear she had socialization issues. It took a year to earn Katahdin’s trust enough that Colleen could get hands on her, and another year before Joseph could touch her. She still is wary of strangers, men in particular, so she is challenging to get in and out of checkpoints. Katahdin is very comfortable around other dogs though, so she typically runs in a team position where she can feel safe, but she is a good leader once out on the trail and away from checkpoints.

 

Ping

 

 Rescued from the Kenai Animal Shelter with Pong and looks like her mother. Ping leads like her too. She is comfortable out front on 30-40 mile runs, so she helps do a lot of leading in fall training, so Cole’s main race leaders don’t get too burned out.  She also is unmatched with her enthusiasm for mealtime, no matter what’s on the menu.


Six

 

Another dog from the Kenai Animal Shelter. Six got her name after arriving at the pound with five litter mates, all of which were euthanized with her next in line. Joseph showed up for work-related purposes and knew she should have a chance at life. We adopted her and she quickly fit into the team, and (oddly enough) like almost all the rescues, she shines as a leader despite only weighing 33 pounds.

 

 

 

 

Ibn

We got Ibn from the Alaska Extended-Life Animal Sanctuary (a no-kill shelter) in Nikiski after they had rescued him from a kennel in Kasilof where he and several other dogs had been abandoned without food, water, cleaning or care for weeks. It took months to build his body weight back up, and it took more than a year before he had enough muscle development to begin training. Since getting him, we also learned that at one time Ibn overcame a broken leg. Despite these setbacks, Ibn is now a solid 55-pound team dog that can – in a pinch – lead for short distances. He has run multiple T-200’s and the Goose Bay 120 twice, to name just a few of his contributions.

 

 

 

Rolo

One of two dogs that came to us as a result of a tragic accident in 2007. A Salcha, AK. musher named Martina Delp was doing some chainsaw work in her yard when she knocked down a power line and was killed. She was very active in rescuing unwanted sled dogs in the Fairbanks area.  After her death more than 30 sled dogs needed homes, and while we weren’t looking to add to our own kennel, we believed taking in some of her dogs was the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, Martina took almost all knowledge about her dogs to the grave, so we didn’t know most of her dogs’ names or ages. Records indicate he was either two or seven years old when we got him. Tough to say for certain since two dogs matched the same description.

In the end it doesn’t matter much because we adopted Rolo to give him a permanent and loving home, not in the hope of finding a diamond in the rough to add to the racing team. Still, Rolo fit in quickly. At first, he was an exuberant neckline chewer, but we worked him out of doing this bad habit. He now runs great and has stayed strong on run of up to 70 miles. Rolo leads extremely well, too, so long as he doesn’t encounter anything strange on the trail since he is terrified of strangers. He has carved through storms with 20 to 30 miles per hours winds, with temperatures near minus 40, so he has what it takes to get the job done if he's needed.

 



Copyright © 2007 Scott Misner Visionary Systems