HECTOR and ULYSS

The Baboon brothers… Well they are Baboon since their dad was BONZAI. They act like baboons too.

The love each other and run together most of the time. They are next to each other in the kennel and don’t like to be separated from each other.

They talk a lot, I mean a lot, they tell you stories and if you correct them of tell them to not jump on you they bark even more!!!

They but run very smooth and are good size and have good fur. Last year they were both in Wyoming but I dropped out of the race so they didn’t got to prove themselves much.

This year they are in the main racing team training.

Ulyss is may be faster than Hector but Hector is very steady. Ulyss only wants to run on the right side of the line, but Hector doesn’t mind….

I like those two a lot this summer Jacques wanted them to go work on the Glacier I said “no way I keep my baboons” they come with me blueberry picking and talked to me most of the time….

I hope for them to make it to the race team this winter I will be very proud.

Monday, October 23, 2006 12:20:55 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Here's our kennel this morning:

the the view from my 4 wheeler :

It is going to all melt (we got about 2 inch) it is 35f right now outside. We hope for more soon and cooler temperature so we keep the snow...

Sunday, October 22, 2006 1:07:36 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Hello

Some update on our training. Well still no snow but the Forecast is for 1 inch this afternoon and up to 3 inch tonight and more tomorow... we will see I will beleive it when I see it....

We stop using the logging road, it was getting pretty hard and dusty again.

We are under the powerline doing 14 miles, the 20 miles is open but the last creek is not well frozen yet we will wait few more day and go 20 miles shortly.

Now worries about trucks or aggressive dogs under the power, mooses are more the problems (not on this season so) ans the BUMPS make sure you take your Aleve or Advil in the morning. The snow will be well appreciated to fill up those tusseks holes.

The powerline is a great training spot for our training. Great long up hill and long down hill. Dogs have to work hard uphill and learn to run downhill. Even so we of course limit the speed downhill you still can see who is confortable and not in the downhill at 13/14mph !!!!

here's some photos of yesterday training.

 Going Uphill

 Going downhill, you can see the long uphill coming after the flat....

 The swamps are frozen and young dogs learn to run/pull on the ice....

Head on passing with Jacques (he has Loly and Google in lead)

Saturday, October 21, 2006 6:36:28 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

PYRAMID

This is one of my leaders.

She is Egypt sister. Like Egypt she is small… not much of dog there about 35 pounds or so…. But I love her….

Tiny and fast and quick!!!

Memphis pups she is so stubborn and a mind of her own goes of course with her funny personality….

He nickname is “Gray mouick “so unless you didn’t read the previous “dog portrait” you know what it means … she talks less than Egypt but still does!

She si a nice leader on training she doesn’t drive very hard and sometimes get “stuck” on that “trotting mode” but on the races I never have a problem to make her go faster and lop. This fall she start getting OK on command I still have to stop before she will take a turn but she does without me getting off the 4 wheeler. So I think this year she will improve more and then next winter be good on commands. Until now she always had to follow her mom or Smallet but now she is old enough to get to to it all by herself.

She has a great endurance but has a very picky appetite she is a REAL PAIN… but on stage race we do have the advantage to be able to spend time with the dogs to make them eat. But I can use her 5 days in a row on 30 to 50 miles stages without any concern she is like her mom OUTSTANDING and recover SUPER FAST… this is one thing she got from her mom RECOVERY TIME SUPER MEGA FAST… 

 

Yesterday I was changing trail and I had her and Chrome in lead, and I was ready to have to stop and spend time at point where we used to go one way and now we go the other… well  she jumped over Chrome each time to take the command !! I was impressed and proud.

 

I almost bred her this summer, but she wasn’t in heat at the right time… and also I am concern if she produce small dog like her….

 

 

Posted by Magali in DOG PORTRAIT
Saturday, October 21, 2006 6:21:43 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

CHROME

She is now 4 years old and one of the stage race leader for Jacques.

She is a member of an “accidental breeding”. She is of course the best one of the litter and runs well in lead for stage races. She is not good for Distance races. She doesn’t have the best appetite and don’t drink well.

She is shy around people but fine on the line or on the races.

She is pretty small about 40 some pounds. She is very good for stage race, don’t get bothered by the warm temperature since she is small and don’t mind deep snow. This is the advantage with small dogs: less weight to move in deep snow, so less likely to get injured and less body under the sun… But LESS POWER!!!

She is a nice leader for Jacques on the Stage races.

Friday, October 20, 2006 7:00:06 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

FUJI

She is a small female that turned 3 this summer. She is nice and good leader. But shy. This was a real problem when she was younger as she refuse to pass or head on pass teams that she didn't know... she came with me in Oregon and Wyoming in 2005 and did OK. Last winter she didn't race at all but was leading every training run here.

This summer I decided to spay her, since I will never breed her due to the fact that she is shy, has blue eyes and a little short on speed for Stage races. Anyhow she is a nice leader and this season is imporving a lot on commands and getting over her "shyness" problem. She  works very good for me and Jacques but sometimes if a handler take her as a leader and start to loose his/her calm if problem then Fuji can really screw things up even more. But with Jacques or me she is NO PROBLEMS...

I still have a serious problem with her when I meet loose dogs that are "agressif" she just would no go she is scared.... but I have hope to not meet those loose not nice dogs too often...

She may run distance races this winter. She eats like crazy and very endurant, She doesn't like the 14/15mph constant speed....

She is a nice leader and will never leave our kennel as we rely on her a lot for training.

Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:39:40 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

TOPAZ

He is an other male on the 2 years old groups we have on training. He is very high attitude and loves to JUMP high when he is on the line.

He is a nice dog. All the litter is very nice and easy to train.

His mom is our main leader JEWEL and his dad a recently retired leader SMALLET. He is like his dad very easy to train and willing to please. But like is mom Crazy and goofy at times.

Last winter he was doing great until he got hurt on his wrist when we were doing 45 miles runs. So we hope this winter he will calm down a little and learn to pace himself on longer distance and then will make it to the race team.

He is a medium size male and will be about 50 pounds by the middle of the winter I would guess. He is a  nice dog to work with.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 6:41:03 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

We build a larger female in heat Pen. Until now we had 3 fully secure area (fenced around, above and plateform bottom) for females in heat.

Since it seems our female decide to be all in heat at the same time we fenced in 6 plateform spots. So now we have 9 secure pen.

This is nice since we like to turn the dog loose before and after the run; before it was a problems when more than 3 females were in heat!!!

The new dog houses are in use !

 Denver and his new dog house

 Pyramid and her new dog House.

Lets see how long the dog houses don't get chewed !!!

Sunday, October 15, 2006 8:20:57 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

An Iditarod veteran now lives in Africa

We just heard about one of the few French Mushers who has run the Iditarod, André MONNIER. He finished in 1987 with a team of Siberian Huskies. Well, he lives now in Mauritania (a country in the western Sahara Desert), is married with a local native and raises camels in the desert. Even there, it looks like he cannot live without dogs. Here are a couple of pictures of him, one of his daughters, camels and dog. We wish him well.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 4:31:25 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

WIND

He is just a 2 years old male. He is out of Janet of our Stage race Leader and Niki, one of our older dog who is directly out of Gareth Wright REX.

Wind is very crazy and noisy. We were considering selling him because he is just too crazy and work too hard. But he is a very nice personality dog and does the job on the line so we decided to hang on to him for this season and see.

If he doesn’t get hurt by working too hard we are sure to be able to train him as a leader.

He will be a great STAGE RACE dog….

Friday, October 13, 2006 6:29:43 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

My shipment of 2 sleds from Antipode France, should be arriving within a week.

I will have for sale a 5ft Mid Distance sled, the one Jacques, Ken, Gwen and I use last winter on the stage races.

I will also have the BRAND NEW SPRINT SLED called: SQUALL

I saw it last year but never tried it yet....

here's some action photos:

For more info visit the Antipode sleds USA web site

Friday, October 13, 2006 12:18:17 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

ALF

He turned 4 years old this summer he is the brother of Shrek and Scooby. He is a nice quiet dog, not crazy when not on harness and he is a fairly good size: about 60 pounds. He has a nice fur and good feet.

Since this fall I started to put him in lead and he is doing a great Job.

Last year he raced all main races with Jacques.

His name come for the old TV show Alf, who was a fury alien who wanted to eat the cat from his Human host family. Very funny show.

There is nothing much to say about him he is just a nice quiet dog in the yard and an OUTSTANDING working dog. He just does his job and you don’t even notice him he pulls all the time and rest when he need too at camp and always eat and drink, no much just a PERFECT dog….

Thursday, October 12, 2006 6:24:10 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

I just visit the Wyoming race web site and the 2007 schedule has been posted

http://www.wyomingstagestop.org/schedule.htm

It seems like we don't have an overnight this year but a long stage with a "stop" at Bulcher creek. I never been to Bulcher creek, Jacques already told me there is a serious Uphill to Sioux Pass....

Look foward to be in Beautiful Wyoming.

Thursday, October 12, 2006 12:09:53 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Hello,

More bad news, on Oct 8th Jacques took the team lead by Memphis and Jenny for our regular 12 miles run. Shortly before the "due" time of the team Memphis arrived alone in harness in the kennel I went to her and she was on "3" legs.

She seemed hurt on her  rear left leg. Jacques came back and told me she way all fine until 1/4 mile from the kennel when he realize she was limping so he turn her loose.

As of today we can't see when is the problem, we check muscles, toes, pads etc... NOTHING and she will not tell us where she is hurt. So she is out .....

I figure this is may be a  muscle problem due to the fact she pulls like a maniac... she must has pull something inside when she went through the swamp and tusseks, but she is so tough she will not show us where she is hurt. She is on 3 weeks off... she started to put light weight on her rear leg yesterday....

I am very upset... And of course she got hurt when I was not training her and she is MY MAIN LEADER.... hrrr...

Keep all finger (Toes also) crossed so she heal up good and that I can run her in a month or so...

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:00:19 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

OK we are having a very strange fall this year. For sure warm, we had some day of frost earlier and recently very warm....

Yesterday Super warm 56f (+13°C) at 6:30am so we decided to not train and guess what this morning 28°f (-2°C)... STRANGE STRANGE STRANGE

I like cooler for sure..., 28f is still above normal for us but I take this instead of 56f anytime....

At least the warm weather yesterday gave me time to finish painting the 8 dog houses left... I will bring them inside to do the Stencil paint and if it freezes for couple more days we will install them in the kennel very soon.

The dogs are going to be happy this morning.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 5:58:00 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)