Mushers Signed up for the 2007 IPSSSDR:

1. Dan Carter

2. Stacey S. Teasley

3. Magali Phillip

4. Bruce Magnusson

5. Kirk Barnum

6. Douglas Wurzelbacher

7. Warren Palfrey

8. JR Anderson

9. Kate St. Onge

10. Jacques Philip

11. Mary Gilbertson

12. Wendy Davis

13. Grant Beck

Friday, November 17, 2006 8:05:21 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Our friends Aurélie and Sylvain arrived this morning at 1am !
here's a photo of them on our deck this morning

Wednesday, November 15, 2006 10:19:41 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Here's a link to the new web site for the UMES at the French National Vet School in Alfort near Paris

which means in English UNIT OF SPORT MEDICINE, BREEDING with Dr. Dominique Grandjean D.V.M. at is lead.

I know the site is in French so LEARN FRENCH !!!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 4:46:47 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Cold Temperatures are now in place. 

For now 2 days it is about 20 below in the morning (-30°c) and it warms up to Zero during the day (-20°c). so to train we have to put booties on all the dogs to prevent snow/ice balls on their feet (we use Kipmik booties) and we have to have the female wearing specially design coat to protect their belly. 



Those Belly Blanket are made by Kathadin Mushing Supplies and we had been using them for many year (also helped with the design) and are very happy with them.

Oracle doesn’t have a very nice coat so when it is cold I use a dog blanket on him made by Manmat this is the same company that make most of the harness we use.

The main adult race dogs have about 600 miles of training on them and my yearlings about 500 miles. They are all running 35 miles now. Yesterday it was too cold to go stop camping so I did the 35 miles run “non stop” with the yearlings and 16 dogs pulling our big 4 wheeler I the swamps and hills around here made it around in 4hrs. I was very pleased as none of the young one showed any signs of tiredness at the end.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:36:41 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Today I took my yearlings for the first time on 35 miles.

We have a camp set up at the half way point and usually rest for about one hour before heading abck home, this make it easier to increase distances and also train our dogs to camp.

I took my 16 dog team including my 7 yearlings, 1hr45mn to go to the camp we stopped about 1hr 20mn and then 2h10mn to come back.
I went slow on the way back but all the yearling did good and never ever stop pulling. 

Edfu as planned was AMAZING loaping as soon as we were going downhill. I hope he keeps up like this all season. The yearling I has were EDFU, PHILAE, CAIRO, ASWAN, MULDER, SCULLY and REYES they all did good and will have a day off tomorow beofre going again 35 miles. I had Pyramid and Janet in lead.

It was about 10 above there so I had Janet all dressed up (she doesn't like cold weather) and i was like 10 below when we got back home.






Here's couple shot of the dogs before my camera dedided it was too cold to take photos !!!

Saturday, November 11, 2006 9:18:44 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

SHAMIR AND RINJDAEL

The two sisters have to be presented as a pair.
They run together and have very close personality.

They are very happy dog and talks a lot and they are "boxing dogs" they love to jump on you and hit you (to play) with their front legs! The other thing they like to do and may get "on your nerves a little " is ARGUE while they run, they bark at each other a lot, I mean a lot... Shamir first pups that are now 2 years old are like here. This pups some "noise" in the team while we train!

We already have 2 litters of pups from Shamir and Rinjdael had pups for the first time this summer.
Their mom was one of our main leader now retired Hyder and their dad was Tyrol a very well know Open Class Sprint dog that produce many many outstanding dog for our friend Joe Redington Jr. Tyrol was an offspring of Sailor, he was owned by our friend Linda Johnson.

They are both rather large female with 47 pounds for Shamir and 50 for Rinjdael.

They are both part of the main race team, SHAMIR isn't has good as Rinjdael for Long Distance. Both are very good for Stage Racing and Mid Distance.
Their race records includes:
Atta Boy 300, Wyoming race, Fur Rendez-Vous, Kobuk 440, Iditarod, Manley Sprint Race and Russia....

Saturday, November 11, 2006 7:46:53 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

The current list of the Mushers signed up for the 2007 Wyoming race is now online
go check it out, by December the field will grow and get pretty competitive like every year !

Look foward to be in Beautiful Wyoming and see all our friends Mushers and our Host Families.

Friday, November 10, 2006 8:19:50 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Byron won 3 Alpirods in lead

In a couple of words, Byron was the best dog I ever owned.
He was born in the summer of 1987 out of an accidental breeding.
His father Rhino who was the first sled dog I owned, coming from Whitehorse in the Yukon, was a Siberian Husky. He was a good leader but was missing some physical ability to be a top notch sled dog. He did finish the Iditarod placing at the end of the pack. He was my pet dog as well as being a sled dog.
Byron's mother Devil was a top leader for me, finishing several Iditarods and Alpirods, she came from Joe Redington out of one of Joe's leaders called Manley, we never knew who her mother was.
Rhino died of pneumonia one month before Byron was born, so I adopted Byron as my new pet dog as soon as he was a few weeks old, not knowing if he was going to be a good sled dog or not.
When he was about 3 month old, I harnessed him, running behind him and from then on, he ran and never looked back, he was born to be a leader.

Byron, 1/2 Siberian, 1/2 Alaskan

When he was one and a half year old, he ran the Alpirod in swing in the second team, so I decided to take him in the Iditarod and he finished the race in 11th place.
Having him as a pet besides his phenomenal physical ability really helped him mentally in his first Iditarod because it is a lot of pressure for a young dog to run an 1100 miles race. After a few days, the unexperienced dogs don't know if there will be an end to this trail; The trust in their musher is the one thing that makes them overcome their doubts and keep going.

Later he made me win 3 Alpirods and one Kobuk 400 and finished several other Iditarods.
In the Alpirod where there were a lot of intersections and trails in towns, he was awesome at steering the team without even slowing down. If I missed a turn, he would jump over a snow burm or anything to get back on the right trail.
He retired from racing after the last Alpirod in 1995 and went to live at home until he was 17 years old.
Sometimes he would lift his leg on the video cabinet in the leaving room and Magali would get mad at him, I would respond: "This dog paid for the house by making me win races, so he can pie on it once in a while if he wants"

Thursday, November 09, 2006 9:43:01 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

I recently updated this blog to version 1.9 of DasBlog with some custom macros.
It allows paging in category views and multiple contributors with their own profile and user view.
We also put a new banner on the pages.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:31:26 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Today I decided to try out Mempis again in Harness.
She was fine loose playing crazy with the pups. so I took my chance.
I hooked up a small 6 dog team and we went 5 miles. I was ready to stop at any signs of her been hurt.
But no she was perfect 200% herself... she came back happy running aorund like nothing happen...
I am very please I will train her on 5 miles one more time then put her with the Yearling and see.
here's some photo of her back to work.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 7:55:45 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Hello
7 below here this morning (-22°c) .
Yesterday I created a new album in  our galery just for the "snow training" photos

06-07 Training Photos

Enjoy....

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 7:35:02 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

Today we went for a 35 miles run with on of the two team of the main adult dogs.

We had 16 dogs with Loly and Yankee in lead and they did an outstanding job opening the trail in the tall grass in the swamps.
It took us about 6 hours total, with 1h30mn stop at the turn around.

here's some photos:
  The 10 mile lake.

  Swamps near the river.

  Jacques checking the dogs at a short stop.

   Yankee and Loly

    Smile for the photo



I will upload photo in the gallery tomorrow probably, I also took some movies today so I have first to compress them to put them on line.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006 9:19:53 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

The temperatures dropped few days ago it is about 0f at night at home and 10 above during the day. Sunny and beautiful we just wish for more snow.

We are training study on 20 miles and soon we will start going 35, we just have to go check the "lake".

Sunday, November 05, 2006 5:01:35 PM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

the race web site has been updated with distances for the 2007 Race as follow:

2007 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race

Friday January 26:
Jackson Hole, 3 miles

Saturday January 27:
TRAVEL DAY to Lander

Sunday January 28:
Lander to Blucher Creek check point, 48 miles
Blucher Creek to Irish Canyon, 28 miles

Monday January 29:
Cora to Pinedale Stage, 34 miles

TUESDAY JANUARY 30:
Big Piney/Marbleton Stage, 64 miles

Wednesday January 31:
Alpine Stage, 60 miles

THURSDAY February 1:
Kemmerer Stage, 53 miles

FRIDAY February 2:
Bridger Valley Stage, 45 miles

Saturday February 3:
Park City, Final Stage 17 miles

For more info go to the Wyoming race web site

Sunday, November 05, 2006 7:32:38 AM (Alaskan Standard Time, UTC-09:00)     

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)