LOLY

She is now 4 years old. She is Jacques favorite dog. She was a single pup from an accidental breeding. Her mom was an outstanding leader for us. Her dad was ¼ saluki cross.

She is a very good leader, very very good on command. But so far never made the Main race team. She works too hard and get hurt, she always recover and manage to run in the B team.

She loves to come in the house but she is not clean and ALWAYS pee somewhere… and can’t just lay down quietly she has to get into trouble.

She is a very funny dog and a nice leader. She is Jacques’s dog for sure.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 8:07:17 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Today we started to go 20 miles we trained 46 dogs total today.

The adult dogs do the 20 miles in a little over 2 hours and my Yearlings 2hr 25mn... long and slow going but good work out.

Monday, October 30, 2006 5:22:09 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

This Week End was the ADMA Symposium. We had a booth to present the Antipode sleds. I had one Squall (new sprint sled) and one Sluidjack (Mid Distance) to present.

People were happy to know that the old "EXTRAPOLE" compagny was back.

Here's some photos:

This Evie (Wwendy's daughter) and Keops watching over my sleds...

Katahdin booth, Our friend George handling the symposium while his wife Sarka is in Europe with their two daughters.

Our booth of the ANTIPODE SLEDS.

Ivana and her booth for the Manmat Harnesses.

The beautiful Jewelry that Wendy make.

Sunday, October 29, 2006 6:51:41 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Winter is here, well we knew it was coming but it is HERE for sure, yesterday we had snow flurries all day which gave us about 1 inch of snow.

This morning 5f (-15) I guess I can really put away rubber boots and all the light temperature clothes and get parka and snow suit out of their storage boxes!

Here’s a link to the NOAA (National Weather Service), they are like most weather service not right all the time for snow fall but let me tell you if they tell you it is going to be cold, IT WILL and I mean Alaska Cold  like 30 below and colder THEY ARE NEVER WRONG FOR THE COLD !!!!

This week end is the International Sled Dog Symposium organized by the Alaska Dog Musher Association;

 I will be there with a vending booth to present the new ANTIPODE sleds. I received the sleds couple days ago and go them ready yesterday for the show…

Our handler is also arriving tonight so busy week end ahead of us for sure. Between the booth and introducing the handler to our kennel, the dogs and how things are done here...

We look forward to have a handler to help us with the daily chores and training of the dogs. Also if he motivated it is always great to teach/Share your passion with someone. We will see how things go.

Friday, October 27, 2006 6:23:52 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

SMALL EARTHQUAKE

This morning while I was drinking my coffee, a noise that is now familiar to us of “kind of a truck or train hitting the house” then the all house shakes… EARTHQUAKE.

Each time it scares me to death and I am ready to run outside.... But is was a small one.

Well we are in a state where Earthquake are very frequent since we are the “end” of the San Andreas Fault!!! We get some bigger than other, in November 2002 we got a 7.9 Magnitude and it was SCARY big time….

Today it was only a 3.1 but it felt stronger just because it was very close to us.

Check the link below for info on earthquakes.

This a great site, the Earthquake of this morning was register onlie not even 10mn after it occurs...

For info and photos of the 2002  earthquake of a 7.9 Magnitude  go to the link below:

Nov 3, 2002, Denali Fault earthquake

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:37:14 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Winter is coming we had couple inches of snow couple days ago and this morning was cool 20f (-7°c).

here's the view from our deck at lunch time:

Dogs enjoyed the cooler temperature. I guess I can get my real winter clothes out and winter boots.

Keops was inside watching the dogs in the kennel, laying on the "cat tower" under the sun:

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:14:41 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Here's list of the races we are so far sign up for:

Jacques:

Early January 2007: La Grande Odyssée (France)

     March 2007 : Iditarod

Magali:

   Starts 26th January 2007: Wyoming Stage Stop (Wyoming)

We also sign up on team for the kennel for the Sheep Mountain 150 in December 2006, but we are on the waiting list and we didn't decide who will run if we go on the confirmed list.

Jacques didn't notorized his paperworks yet to enter the Wyoming race but he plan on racing in Wyoming.

Now let's hope we have one (or two) handler to help us train this winter. And take care of the kennel when we are away racing.

After Wyoming I will decide what I want to do with the Yearlings may be some long Sprint (Rondy, ONAC, Arctic Circle) if they seem good enough and I have a pair of nice leader two or some local mid distances races....

Monday, October 23, 2006 4:38:55 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

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)