Bert

Bert has to be one of the sweetest dogs alive. He was actually a freebie dog someone gave to me two years ago.  He is a maniac in the harness and gives everything he has.  For a young leader, he is near perfect with commands and he can motor in lead!

Big Ben

Big Ben is surprisingly athletic for such a large dog. He is like a steering wheel in front of the team and is so big he can push any other leader around. Good thing he listens to where we are supposed to go! He loves to follow me around the dog yard and give great big hugs!

Boom

Boom is like a hyperactive kid who drinks too much Mountain Dew.  The dog is wired!  He is also one of the toughest dogs I have ever run.  Boom will be the sparkplug to keep the team plugging up the mountains!

Clark

Clark adds a smile to every run. He finished the Iditarod with our yearling team in 2005 with a smile on his face. He is a very honest dog; always striving to do his best. He makes the future of the team look very bright!

Gimli

Gimli is an up and coming leader. He will be one of the youngest dogs on the team, along with his brother Clark. Both are big, strong males that are very steady pullers. Gimli gives lots of smiles and kisses too!  

Maple

Maple is a small ball of muscle that never gets tired.  He is the Lance Armstrong of this Tour de France team! Maple is the greatest athlete that I have ever had the privilege of running in harness.  He has finished every race that he has run in the past 5 years, including two Iditarods. 

Mickey

Mickey is a very intuitive dog. He does not get overly excited, he is always watching me, and he gets nervous around strangers. He takes running very seriously and doesn’t mess around when it’s time to get a job done. He is extremely fast and loves to speed up around corners—and often looks back with a smile to see if I’m still hanging onto the sled!

Mouse

Mouse is one of the best command leaders that I have in the team so I usually take advantage of his skills on tough trails. He smiles a lot, even when he is running.  Maybe I am seeing things but I swear that his smile gets bigger with every correct turn he takes. Mouse and his brother Vinnie will be my main leaders.

Nat

Nat loves to jump…high! This little guy is what I refer to as a “knock-out dog”.  Just as I lean over him to hook up his tug or neckline, he usually jumps into the air and hits me right in the nose. He has so much energy that he was even jumping in the air at the end of the Iditarod last year!

Razzle

Razzle looks like a lovable hound dog. And the funny thing is he sounds like one too! He always has a goofy look on his face like something really exciting just about to happen. Well, something exciting is going to happen, Razzle is going to be a leader in France! 

Shad

Shad is a go-to guy.  After four years of being an incredible team dog and friend, last year Shad stepped it up a notch and became a main Iditarod leader.  He is probably the strongest dog in the team. He is not the fastest, but his strength will get us up the mountains!

Starman

Starman is a dog of extremes. He is extremely energetic, extremely strong, and is extremely in love with running. He has so much energy that he has trouble sitting still and concentrating when he is not running. He was a main leader for Iditarod 2005, and I hope he can stay focused in France!

Vinnie

I discovered Vinnie as a leader in the UP 200 race in 2004. I was having leader troubles and didn’t know who else to turn to. I made the right choice. Vinnie went on to run over 1,800 miles in lead during two Iditarod races. I expect him to be one of my main leaders in France.

Vinnie #2

Vinnie #2 LOVES to run, kiss people, smile, and run. He is a large, smooth moving dog that appears to be shy at first but makes lots of eye contact and wants to be friends. He is #2 because he is new to our kennel and we already had one Vinnie. I’m sure he’ll be a great leader, just like Vinnie #1.

Yooper

Yooper spends a lot of his time talking in a “foghorn” sort of way. I wish I could understand everything he tells me! “Yooper” is a word for someone who lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Yooper was one of our first puppies born in the U.P.

Zip

Zip would be voted “most friendly” if dogs could vote. He is also a “motorboat”, or should I say “speedboat” who never gets tired! He loves scratches behind the ears and will grunt to say thanks.

Coach Tasha

Tasha spends most of her time riding behind the team on the sled. She is the team coach, navigator, chef, and masseuse. She requires the most sleep of any of the members of the team, and often gets crabby if she doesn't get fed on time.