Yesterday Memphis, Keops and the Jewel pups went for a walk. Keops love to run and love the snow, here's some photos of him yesterday playing and running with the puppies.

Saturday, November 04, 2006 7:51:34 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Well Memphis was hurt almost 4 weeks ago, she was on "total" rest until today various friends vet (real dog mushing vets) recommand a Rimadyl treatment to help. So I follow their advices.

Today we took the Jewel pups, Memphis and Keops for a walk.

She was AMAZING, 200% energy and unless you know about it NO SIGN of injuries or sournest in the leg. I am very happy and I will keep on taking her loose for about 2 weeks and then if all look good see on harness.

Friday, November 03, 2006 5:27:31 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

This morning we finally got cold temperature, it was 1 above at 6:AM. The lake may be frozen enough now and we may be able to use our winter trail soon.

Friday, November 03, 2006 10:14:34 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

ARGOS and ORACLE

They are now 3 years old and dogs I really like. They are easy to work with, quiet and you don’t “see” them much, they do their job, eat, drink, camp good and is nice to work with. I really like them.
Oracle only had a little problems with is “male parts” last winter so this spring he loose them and the problem will be “history”
Argos finished Iditarod last March, he raced in France with me and then in Wyoming with Jacques. As a yearling he raced Oregon and Wyoming. Oracle also race itn France with me the Wyoming with Jacques he took the start of Iditarod but he got dropped in Rainy Pass due to a little shoulder problem.
Only problem with those two is like their dad they listen when they want, we turn our dogs loose everyday before and after training when we hook them up and remove harnesses , let say they check everything before the decide to come back to their dog house…. They are both super nice and DON’T FIGHT… they are almost the only male we can put together in one kennel and don’t worry about arguments.

Their mom was a female from Joee Redington Jr that we lease for breeding and their dad is Risk one of our main race dog that we recently sold to Stephen in England.

They are both on training and on the main list for the MAIN RACE DOG…

Thursday, November 02, 2006 7:21:29 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

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)