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October 31, 2005 (Development)

Tasha and Brandon took the Iditarod dogs out today and I ran a yearling team.  Every so often we have Tasha run the main dogs just so they remember that they are supposed to listen to her too.  On my run I tried a yearling male in lead named "Cheech" and he performed excellent.  The picture above was taken just over a year ago and is Cheech laying next to his mom, Tasha Canine.  It still amazes me that humans have lasted in the natural battle of survival of the fittest.  At one year old we are still wetting ourselves and a large accomplishment would be not burping our food up.  Meanwhile, at one year old, Cheech is leading a 12 dog team on a 10 mile run pulling about 600 pounds over rough trail.  Dogs are so amazing!

October 30, 2005 (Hellboy)

With my extra hour I found time to do an extra diary entry.  Today's run was warm so I kept the team slow and cut the run short.  I took advantage of an open spot in the gangline to harness break my favorite puppy, "Hellboy".  He is just 6 months old but he is already larger than many dogs on my main team and has no athletic ability.  We have pups that are two months younger and can run circles around him.  The advantage Hellboy has is that he came into my life about the same time that I put "Nature" (my 14 year old best friend) to sleep.  His personality is very similar to Nature's and he was a huge comfort.  He is house broken, can sit, shake, kennel up, and is getting better at staying.  This is all very important because I do not think he is going to make much of a sled dog.

October 30, 2005  (25 hour day)

Do you know there is a time change today?  Surprise, surprise.  I got up at 5:30 a.m. and turned the computer on and it told me that it is actually 4:30 a.m.  So here I sit at 4:45 a.m. waiting for my wife to wake up so I can go run dogs without getting "the look".  Well at least I get to think about the Iditarod for another hour today.

When I finished my first Iditarod I got the dogs settled in at the Nome dog lot and then I found a phone to call home.  Tasha had stayed back in the Midwest to take care of our dogs and business and to also run our yearlings in the 400 mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.  When I got her on the phone my first comment to her was, "I will NEVER, EVER, run this race again."  My right leg was permanently damaged and swollen beyond the point of grossness and was approaching unbelievable.  My face was wind burned, I was exhausted, and I was 15+ pounds lighter than just 12 days before.  So how is it that 19 months later, my life revolves around the race.  My erratic sleep schedule is based on the run/rest cycle of the Iditarod.  My diet is based on Iditarod calculations and sleep deprivation theories.  Every book or magazine is read with the intention of finding an edge to run the race faster and more efficient.  All of my travel is dog related.  Even our week long spring break that Tasha and I take somewhere warm once the race is over, is spent going over the race times and kennel planning for the next few years.  I have always known that I have what has been termed an "addictive personality", but this has far surpassed an addiction.  It needs a term.  How about,  "Reality-deficient Iditarea".

October 29, 2005 (Vinnie #2)

(Vinnie #2 on the left with Gimli.  Tasha is taking the picture and the dogs are looking at me.  Eye contact is one of the things that I desire in a team member.)

Vinnie #2 and Mick led us on a very fast run this morning.  Next to Maple, Mick is our fastest dog so our speed today was not a surprise.  What was a surprise was how well Vinnie #2 did with the speed.  He looked comfortable leading at an accelerated pace over some new trails and when we got done he was hardly breathing hard.  I went up to congratulate him after the run and as usual he looked me right in the eyes.  I swore he said, "Trust me Ed.  I can do this for over 1,000 miles."  Time will tell.

For the first time in six years, Maple was sore after a run today.  He always works so hard, it was bound to happen sooner or later.  He does have two Iditarods, Beargreases, UP 200's and thousands of miles of training under his belt (or should I say harness).  Hopefully he can go another 6 years without any form of injury.  I took him for a walk tonight to stretch him out a little and as usual he ran around like a maniac peeing on every tree.  He is probably OK to run tomorrow, but I will give him a good week off of harness conditioning just to make sure all is well.

October 28, 2005

Today I received a call from a member of the Iditarod inviting me to speak at the rookie meeting in December.  Even though it is in the middle of training and I always say that it is "dogs only" after August 1st, I am going.  I feel honored that they would consider me and hopefully I can help some rookies not make the same mistakes I made two years ago.

The team and I went exploring today.  I had Mouse and Yooper in lead and they spoiled me with their obedience.  We went down a bunch of new trails that I have never run before and got to see some new terrain.  Unfortunately, we hit a couple of dead ends and had to turn around twice.  It is not the easiest thing to turn 16 screaming adult males around on a narrow trail but everyone was perfectly behaved.  The "team" aspect is really coming together.

October 27, 2005

Yesterday a very nice woman, "Mandy", came and picked up Buz, Crocus, Pitcher, Speck, Slipper, and Winsome.  All together it is one heck of a six dog team.  Four of them have finished the Iditarod and the other two are really good sled dogs.  It is sad to see the dogs go from a selfish standpoint, kind of like kids going off to college.  The only difference is I know they will not be binge drinking and spending a tremendous amount of money on tuition.  On a side note, what is up with tuition prices?  Are colleges so poorly managed that their costs increase at a rate a zillion times more than inflation.  Sounds like President Bush's spending over in Iraq.  Tasha just told me to get off of my soapbox.

Great news.  Yesterday I asked one of our guides, Brandon, if he would be interested in running a yearling team in the Iditarod, and he is as stupid as I am!  Even after telling him it is not a tremendous amount of fun, it can be painful, cold, and that he may be disfigured or maimed for life, he said "Yes".  Now all we have to do is convince some Business Partners (Sponsors) that we are worth believing in, so we can afford to go to Nome.

A better joke today:  Two foreign immigrants have just arrived in the United States by boat and one says to the other, "I hear that the people of this country actually eat dogs." "Odd," her companion replies, "but if we shall live in America, we might as well do as the Americans do."
Nodding emphatically, one of the immigrants points to a hot dog vendor and they both walk toward the cart. "Two dogs, please," she says.
The vendor is only too pleased to oblige, wraps both hot dogs in foil and hands them over the counter. Excited, the companions hurry to a bench and begin to unwrap their "dogs."
One of them opens the foil and begins to blush. Staring at it for a moment, she turns to her friend and whispers cautiously, "What part did you get?"

October 26, 2005

"MR. LIPS", born 08/15/2003, out of Demitrius (Doug Swingley) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Sisu, real name "Chapped Lips"

Mr. Lips is silent.  I do not remember ever hearing him make a sound.  Even during hook-up when every dog in the kennel is going crazy, Mr. Lips is relaxed and collected.  When fall training started this year Mr. Lips was on the "for sale list" and he ran with my A team just to fill up the gangline.  Then, somebody was going to buy him but when the couple came to get him, he growled at the guy.  Sale over.  Now, he is running amazing, he is an easy keeper (meaning he keeps weight with less food than others), is an incredibly easy dog to work with, and is one of my all time favorite dogs.  I am not sure why Mr. Lips growled at the guy, because he is not aggressive what-so-ever, maybe he was telling me that he wants to go to Nome with the rest of the team.

"GOOSE" born 07/12/1999, out of Prowler (Maggie Barker) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Vinnie #1, Mouse, Maple, and Mickey

Goose's love language is physical touch.  He loves to hug and snuggle all of the time.  Along with his brother Vinnie, they made up my main leaders in last years Iditarod.  Not bad for a dog that would not run lead until he was over 3 years old.  He is one of those dogs that everyone seems to gravitate to when touring the kennel because he is always happy.  Lately though I have been running Goose with psychotic Skip and I think I found the one thing in life that Goose does not enjoy.

October 25, 2005

"QUILL", born 07/04/1999, out of Titus (Susan Butcher) and Bamboo (Stielstra), brother to Shad

Quill is an explorer.  For some reason most sled dogs like turns and Quill likes them the most.  Whenever a command is given to turn or even if he knows an intersection is coming up, he will make the team go faster.  Normally, he travels in a beautiful trot.  When a turn is coming up though, he goes into a very powerful lope that I can feel on the gangline.  Quill was one of my finishers last year in the Iditarod.  I fully expect him to do it again this year.

"CROCUS", born 12/11/2002, out of Strike (Martin Buser) and Squirrely (Hans Gatt), brother to Pitcher

Crocus could play for the Detroit Lions.  He is thick, solid, strong, and is physical with people.  I do not think he realizes that he is about 60 pounds of muscle.  He is kind of like a rock with fur and a smile.  Today Quill had his hands full with Crocus because Crocus does not know commands.  So whenever a command was given, Quill had to use his entire body to turn this hair covered boulder.  Fortunately he succeeded and the run was uneventful.

October 24, 2005

"VINNIE" #1, born 07/12/1999, out of Prowler (Maggie Barker) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Goose, Mouse, Maple, and Mickey, real name is "Vines" but he sits kind of sideways and cocky on his house like a mafia boss so he became Vinnie

Vinnie is the reason you should buy dogs from Nature's Kennel.  Of my roughly 2,200 Iditarod miles, Vinnie has lead about 1,800 of them.  Not bad for a dog that was on the "dogs for sale list" for nearly 3 years but never sold.  We were always trying to sell him because he does not shine during fall training.  He skips about every other meal, goes into a terrible looking gate at slow speeds when we are pull training, and never seems excited to run.  But when races come, he knows when it is game day.  I fully expect Vinnie to be the main man in France and Alaska this year.

"RAZZLE", born 2002, out of Niki (Mike Holtz) and Filbert (Doug Swingley)

Razzle is our kennel bear dog.  In the area of the UP where we live, hunters use dogs to hunt bear.  The dogs are various breeds but they all kind of look the same.  I swear we could take Razzle and put them on their trucks and he would fit right in.  He has a big barrel chest, short coat, houndy ears, and always has a look like something really exciting just happened.  Well today, something exciting did happen, Razzle ran a good lead.  He was not coined a "leader" when he was sold to me but I have been working on his skills up front.  Today he was perfect!  It was the toughest run of the year so far, but he did great.  He can now be called a lead dog.

October 23, 2005

"SEBASTION", born 01/04/2003, out of Cobalt (Martin Buser) and Sissy (Ross Saunderson), brother to Bonfire

Sebastion does not have many friends.  I first met Sebastion in Nome, Alaska in March of 2005.  He seemed very nice and calm, as did all of Aaron Peck's dogs that just finished the Iditarod.  So, I decided to buy them, Sebastion included.  A few weeks later, all of the dogs were delivered to our kennel with brief notes about each dog.  Sebastion's notes, "insecure male leading to aggression. ***strongly suggest neutering!"  Aaron was right.  No matter who we put next to Sebastion in the kennel, they do not like him.  It got to the point about a month and a half ago that I was going to sell him.  I told the musher all of the faults of this dog and he was still interested.  Fortunately for me the musher was unable to come over to get him because Sebastion and I have now bonded.  The farther I run this dog, the better he gets and the more he likes me.  I do not think he will go to France with Tasha because we still do not trust him 100 percent, but he is on track for going to Nome with me this season.  (Sebastion is the first dog on the right in the picture above.)

"LUKE", born 09/15/2002, out of Timex (Doug Swingley) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Boom and Yooper

Luke is a mediator.  He gets along with everyone, never causes any problems, does his job, eats his food, etc.  That is why he is paired up with Sebastion right now.  He is hopefully acting as a good influence to show Sebastion how to behave.  Luke would be the perfect sled dog but he is a little straight in the front end.  This means that the angles of the bones of his front shoulders are not exactly right to always withstand the 1,000+ miles of the Iditarod trail.  It is this reason that he will most likely not make my Iditarod team this year.  I personally feel though that as dogs age, they learn to run smarter and stay healthier so I am hoping that Luke proves me wrong.  (Plus, he was a really cute puppy!)
 

October 22, 2005

"BOOM", born 09/15/2002, out of Timex (Doug Swingley) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Luke and Yooper, named after the very popular reggae band "Boomshaka"

Boom is like a 12 year old with A.D.D. after drinking a case of Mountain Dew.  The dog is wired!  He is also one of the toughest dogs I have ever run.  No matter what, he will not quit pulling.  We used him to Sire a litter last year and they are the best looking litter of yearlings that we have.  Well, after all these compliments, him and Nat ran a really crappy lead today.  They missed about the first 5 commands, were more interested in peeing on bushes than standing out, and refused to pass a truck parked along side the road.  After a few training moments, we all got things worked out and they regained their focus.

"NAT", born 03/18/03, out of Hawk (Stielstra) and Hedgie (Stielstra), brother to Arlo, real name "Natural"

Nat has a vertical jump approximately four times his height.  This little guy (about 45 pounds) is what we refer to as a bloody nose dog.  At inopportune times he choses to jump directly up in the air.  Usually this occurs when you are leaning over him to hook up his tug or neckline.  The end result is blood streaming from your nose after his head has bashed into yours.  Even though he finished on our yearling Iditarod team last year, I was considering putting him up for sale because he does not like to lope.  But, after one of our longer training runs this year, I noticed that Nat looked incredible at the end.  While some of the dogs were sleeping in harness, I let Nat loose and he ran around going crazy like he had not even left the kennel.

October 21, 2005

Another change of pace today.  The 4 wheeler that Tasha usually uses acted up today, (if anybody knows of a 4 wheeler that is worth a crap please let me know because we have been through 4 brands now with little success) so I used it and ran her yearlings while she ran the adults.  Whenever she runs the adults she does not follow the leader rotation because some of the dogs just do not listen to her.  So instead, I will report on how the yearlings are doing.

For those who are learning the sport, a "yearling" is a dog that is entering its first race season.  At our kennel, all of yearlings are between one and two years old.  Well today I ran 11 yearlings with Badger.  I know it is early in the season, but they looked great!  They were just as controlled during hookup as my adults, nobody chewed anything, and nobody argued with their neighbor.  I ran Munster and Tornado in lead and they did wonderful.  They were not sure where they were going half the time but they went and wanted to keep going faster.  In a happy sort of way, 9 year old Badger fit right in with the young crew and seemed to be having a lot of fun on his morning flashdance around the neighborhood.

October 20, 2005

I know, everyone can stop the e-mails, the jokes were horrible.  I just wanted to check if you were reading the diary.

"BONFIRE", born 01/04/2003, out of Cobalt (Martin Buser) and Sissy (Ross Saunderson), brother to Sebastian

He is the Siberianish colored dog behind the white dog in the team.

Bonfire is a great sled dog.  When he was delivered, Aaron Peck told me that Bonfire was a really good sled dog.  Well, Aaron was wrong, Bonfire is great!  He is perfect on commands, makes a ton of eye contact, eats just as well as Skip, and always seems to want to go faster.  I think that he is more of a one person dog though, so he may not go to France with Tasha.  (At least that is what I will tell her.)

"Zip", born 2002?, out of his Dad and Mom

Zip is in the witness protection program.  It seems that I know some of the information about his past, some of it is inaccurate and the remaining parts are vague.  For example, I was told that he is hard to keep weight on, he is now fat.  I was told that he is very friendly, this is true.  I was told that he is quiet, this is true most of time.  The exception being when a strange human female comes into the kennel, he barks non-stop.  I was told that he is from Bob Allen and is from Swenson/Saunderson/Swingley bloodlines, vague.  But, all of the above information is really not-significant (except for the friendly part.)  This dog can motor!  At times, he was a little unsure in lead today but I think he will outgrow that with more training miles.  In Bonfire's picture, Zip is the front dog on the right with his tongue sticking out.

October 19, 2005

I just woke up Tasha so she could partake in the thrill of early morning dog running and she shared with me this dream that she had during the night.  She was back in Duluth riding her bike around downtown when she remembered that one of her friends was in the hospital getting ready to have babies.  (One of our friends is in the hospital with twins.)  So she biked to the hospital and while she was visiting, her friend gave birth.  The babies came out and looked exactly like puppies!  There were two of them and they were healthy bouncy baby puppies.  In fact, they looked just like Sponge Bob and Patrick, two of our pups this year.  Sorry Mom, I guess two legged grandkids are not in your near future.  It breaks my heart too (yes that was sarcasm).

I am thinking of snow today, since it is supposed to start by Friday.  Here are a few kid-friendly jokes.

What do snowmen eat for lunch?
Icebergers!

How do snowmen travel around ?
By icycle !

What sort of ball doesn't bounce ?
A snowball !

What do you get if cross a snowman and a shark ?
Frost bite !
 

October 18, 2005

A couple of pics from Badger's last A-team run (10/11/2005).

"SHAD", born 07/04/1999, out of Titus (Susan Butcher) and Bamboo (Stielstra), brother to Quill

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 one of my Iditarod leaders.  He is probably the strongest dog in my team and has finished both Iditarods with me.  His top end speed is not the greatest but his honesty gets him through.  Shad is named after my little brother "Chad".  Back in July of 1999 when Shad was born, Chad was still in a college era partying phase.  So when I suggested calling this new cute puppy "Chad", Tasha vetoed arguing that the puppy would grow up to like Beer, Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, and Females.  Well I snuck in the name "Shad" (a fish) because we were using a Nature theme and as fate turns out, he does like Beer, Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, and especially Females.

"PITCHER", born 12/11/2002, out of Strike (Martin Buser) and Squirrely (Hans Gatt), brother to Crocus

Pitcher is a kissy-face.  This dog kisses faces more than an apprentice kisses Donald Trump's behind.  (I just found out that one of the apprentices on the current show, grew up where I did.  If we had TV reception, I could tell you more.)  Pitcher ran very confident lead with Shad today.  I took the team through the wettest trail I could find because it was almost 50 degrees and both leaders ran through the deep mud holes without hesitation.  He finished the Iditarod last year with Aaron Peck but I put him on the for sale list because he does not look comfortable when the team really gets cranking.  It would not surprise me if he proves me wrong by making my Iditarod team and being a super star.

"TOPS", born 07/31/2000, out of Sackett (Susan Butcher) and Mole (Stielstra)

Tops is the "little engine that could".  He is built kind of like a box, has a chest that is too deep for his short legs, has a coat that would keep Calista Flockhart warm on a cold winter's night, and for the most part does not trust anyone but me.  Yet, each year he makes our main race team.  I really love this dog!  The litter of pups that Tops came from though was a good learning experience in our breeding program.  We used an Iditarod proven Sire that ran fast and injury free but was extremely shy.  I bet you can guess what kind of pups we got, extremely shy.  This litter would not come out of their house, even to eat, until they were almost four months old.  We would have to pick them out of the house and then block the entrance in order to socialize them.  The socializing took more hands on time than any other litter ever (I would go in their house and nap with them on weekends) and all of the dogs are still somewhat shy.  Very good sled dogs but shy.  The lesson learned; in order to better the breed, do not breed a shy dog.  There are plenty of good studs out there that love and trust people.

"MAX", born 2002, out of Evander (?) and Scooter (?)

Max is a question mark.  All I know about his upbringing is that he was brought into this world through a Boyd Wilson breeding.  Aaron Peck acquired Max last year and Max got to run in the Iditarod.  Max does not trust any man and fully trusts any woman, even if they have never met before.  He chews necklines and ganglines, spreads his scent while going down the trail, and will not eat if a man is within 50 feet of his food dish.  When I checked our photo album, we do not even have a picture of Max.  So, one would ask, why do we still own Max?  Believe it or not, there is something likeable about the guy.  Maybe it is the sympathy that some people feel for the bum on the street that begs for money instead of earning it himself, but I think I see a really good sled dog inside a mind that just needs a little help.

October 17, 2005

"CLARK", born 08/20/2003, out of Maple (Stielstra) and Raven (Doug Swingley), brother to Harry and Gimli

Clark is a large part of the future.  He finished with Andrew on the Iditarod yearling team last year and had a clean vet book.  During the Iditarod each musher carries their own Vet Diary and presents it to one of the 35+ Iditarod Veterinarians when they come into each checkpoint.  Last year in Andrew's Vet Diary, Clark had all positive comments under his name.  So with his incredible health and always happy personality, we deemed him the best dog out of a great litter.  Which means he got to enter the breeding program.  We used him for only one litter this spring to see how the pups will turn out.  (Good sled dogs do not always produce good sled dogs.)  He is the Sire to the Veggie Patch litter, and so far, so good.  They are high strung, non-aggressive, fast, and controllable.

"MICKEY", born 07/12/1999, out of Prowler (Maggie Barker) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Goose, Mouse, Maple, and Vinnie #1

Mickey is finally maturing.  He is an incredible athlete but he never seemed to give me 100% all of the time.  During last year's Iditarod he finally put it all together and ran a near perfect race.  Along with his brother's this litter is amazing.  They require very little food, never seem to get even the slightest injuries, do not require any extra dog care (i.e. wrist wraps), and are incredibly fast.  Next to Maple, he is the fastest dog in the kennel and loves to run a fast lead.  That is why, I think Tasha will use him in France to lead her team.

October 14, 2005

I woke up at 5 A.M. excited to run dogs but it is too warm again.  I figured that since I am up anyway I might as well get some paperwork done.  This mornings paperwork consists of updating and creating all of the forms that our guides will use this winter.  In theory, I will have these forms and a once a week meeting with our lead guide Casey to keep me up to speed.  That way I can use my time to get this phenomenal dog team and myself ready to enter the top 25 in the Iditarod.

Other paperwork this morning is related to dog food.  Last year, as some of you know, we started a dog food company called "Momentum" with a friend.  Although it was an excellent food we removed ourselves from the company this spring.  Well now, after researching the nuts and bolts of pet foods for another year, I have some ideas on how to make even a better food.  Tasha calls these ideas, "Ed Ideas".  On most occasions they work, i.e. Momentum, on rare occasions they do not.  The "most" and the "rare" of the previous sentence may be reversed if you ask Tasha.

Bad news.  You will have to live without me and my dogs for the next two days.  Tasha is having her annual "Girl's Weekend" (a.k.a. Estrogen Fest) and I am getting booted off of the property.  Have a great weekend and weather allowing , you will get to meet a few more dogs on Monday.

October 13, 2005

Another scorcher so I went over to Munising and helped Charlie Stark get his boat out of the water in the A.M.  Speaking of boats.  This summer I had the privilege of going sailing for the first time with Lee and Claudia Nowak.  (Claudia has been my Iditarider for both of my Iditarods and has become a dear friend.  I refer to her as "the smile on my sled".)  They took Tasha, Charlie and Robin Boulding, and Robin's parents out on Lake Michigan and we had a beautiful afternoon.  Being on a sailboat is very comparable to a dog team.  The silence, the power, and when things are going right, there is nothing more peaceful in the world.  When this passion allows for another one, sailing is next on my list.

Below is a picture of the kennel that I took tonight.  I felt left handed, sensitive, and a little artsy.  As usual Tasha and Michelle are doing all of the work.  I am dedicating this picture to my boss, Royce, back when I was in the real world.  It is titled, "Rows of Corn".

October 12, 2005

Today was a day off for all of the dogs because of the heat.  At 5:30 this morning it was 53 degrees with 83% humidity which I consider too warm.  I was comfortable outside with a shorts and t-shirt so I am positive that my dogs would have been miserable running at this temp on our dry trails.  For those who do not know, the main problem we have with Alaskan Huskies is usually not keeping them warm in the winter but them actually overheating because they love to work so hard.  If people are careless, a dog just like a human can die from heat stroke.  So, today the adults rested and I spent extra time with the puppies.  The Veggie Patch litter and I went on a marathon walk.  We took Hellboy and blind Hawk along just to stir things up a little.  Then Michelle and I took Sponge Bob, Patrick, and the male Great Lakes for a two mile walk.  I was not quite sure that their little legs were up for the adventure but they convinced me that they could do the Iditarod if I wanted them to.  The female Great Lakes and little Claudia went for a short walk and then just wrestled with me in the driveway.  Life was really good today.

October 11th, 2005

"BADGER", born 04/16/1996, out of Reddog (Patti Morris) and Creek (Stielstra)

Badger is the greatest sled dog I have ever owned.  He was my main leader for years along with his brother Hawk.  Today was Badger's last run with the adult racing team.  He still wants to do it, but the body struggles to keep up with his hearts desire.  Last year he struggled to keep up on our speed runs when we got to the 25 mile mark in training.  With the team running a little faster this year and being a year older, his limit has come sooner.  So today was ceremonial for the great one.  I let him run single lead in front of a 17 dog team and allowed him to set the pace.  As usual he was perfect on every turn and I swear he was reading my mind before I even gave the command.  Tomorrow I will move him over to the West kennel and he will assist training the 28 screaming yearlings.  It will not surprise me if this guy leads the one year olds to Nome again, just like last year.

October 10th, 2005

"GIMLI", born 08/20/2003, out of Maple (Stielstra) and Raven (Doug Swingley), brother to Harry and Clark

Gimli is Andrew's baby.  Gimli is the one in the above picture with the dark hair.  The ugly dog with the purple hair is one we sold last year because we couldn't get him to pull his own weight.  (Hi Andrew).  Andrew thinks that Gimli is the best of the group of yearlings that we had last year.  I can't argue with him.  Gimli's only real weakness that I see is that he has trouble keeping weight on.  That is the reason he ended up getting dropped about 700 miles into last year's Iditarod from last years yearling team.  He was just too skinny.  We will see if a year of letting the metabolism slow down a little helps him out.  If not, our vet will assist him in getting the metabolism slower by removing two things.  Today Gimli ran with Vinnie #2 and did less than ideal.  At every intersection Gimli made a choice of which way to go.  Unfortunately, his choice was not based on my input.  He is a VERY fast leader and I give him credit because at least he was making decisions.  A lot of beings spend their entire life never being able to make a decision.

"VINNIE #2", born 2001, out of Vaughn (Martin Buser) and Maya (Martin Buser)

Vinnie #2 worships the ground that I walk on.  He is a large, smooth moving dog that appeared to be shy at first when we got him this spring.  Since then Vinnie has opened up to me and is a very easy dog to talk with because his eye contact is constant.  He communicates so well with his eyes and body and as luck turns out, is one heck of a leader.  Even with all of Gimli's antics this morning, Vinnie #2 kept his composure and tried to drag Gimli along.  Usually without much success because Gimli is as strong as Andrew, and nearly as strong as the smell of Andrew's feet.  Vinnie #2, got his #2 ranking because we already had a #1 before he got here.  I don't know much about his history but I know a lot about his future.

"YOOPER", born 09/15/2002, out of Timex (Doug Swingley) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Luke and Boom

Yooper is the complete package.  I will have to get a better picture of him though, because he is usually smiling with his ears up and talking to you in a foghorn sort of a way.  In last years Iditarod, Yooper was near perfect, which is better than I can say for myself.  For those of you not from Michigan, "Yooper" is a term referring to someone that is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Our dog Yooper was the first puppy that we had born on our property when we moved to the U.P. so we thought it was fitting.  Like most Yoopers, he does spend the majority of his day outside and works hard at doing things he wants to do.  Fortunately though, he stays away from the steady Yooper stream of fried food and domestic beer.

"MOUSE", born 07/12/1999, out of Prowler (Maggie Barker) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Goose, Mickey, Maple, and Vinnie #1

Mouse is 20 miles short of perfect.  He finished my first Iditarod with me and then last year he came up with a mild shoulder injury 20 miles from the finish line.  His four brothers still have not let him live it down because they all finished.  Mouse is one of the best command leaders that I have in the team and I usually take advantage of it.  Today Mouse and Yooper led us through a maze of turns, twists, on-bys and fun running.  He is a neat dog because 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 response from my commands.

October 9th, 2005

"BIG BEN", born 10/05/2002, out of Morel (Martin Buser) and Flash (Ross Saunderson), brother to Starman

Big Ben should have been named Huge Ben!  I think he came from a Lab crossed with a pony.  I bought Ben from Aaron Peck and he was Aaron's main leader throughout the Iditarod last year.  He is like a steering wheel in front of the team and is surprisingly athletic for a big dog.  As usual, Big Ben was perfect today in lead and helped Harry out on most of the turns.  Big Ben is by far Tasha's favorite dog on my side of the kennel.  It is not unusual for Ben to be loose following Tasha around all day long.  She even lets Ben go into the garden.  She doesn't even let me go into the garden.

"HARRY", born 08/20/2003, out of Maple (Stielstra) and Raven (Doug Swingley), named after Harry Potter, brother to Gimli and Clark

The sky is always blue in Harry's world.  This guy is amazing because he never has a bad day.  Harry finished with Andrew in our yearling Iditarod team last year and will most likely be on my main race team for many years to come.  (Sorry Sam, Andrew, and all the others that want to take him home.)  Running lead is not necessarily Harry's strongest attribute yet but he continues to improve.  Today Harry and Big Ben caught me daydreaming.  We were about 3 miles into the run when they decided to take a trail that none of us had ever been on before.  It is my own fault because I was taking in the beauty of the fall colors in their prime and was not paying attention.  Fortunately for all of us, the trail looped back around and it ended up making a perfect distance for this time of year.  (Turning an energetic 18 dog team around on an overgrown trail during quad training is not the easiest thing to do at times.)

October 8th, 2005

"SISU", born 08/15/2003, out of Demitrius (Doug Swingley) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), brother to Mr. Lips, named after an Evavold Family Pet

Sisu is a perfect example of a good friend.  He is ultra sweet, very bonded and usually listens to me.  In addition he has matured from an insecure hyper yearling into a confident two year old leader.  Sisu finished the Iditarod with our yearling team last year although I did not think he was going to make it.  All year long he was skinny because he would never stop moving.  Then, with about a month left to go, he started gaining weight.  He kept good weight throughout the race and is now a muscled up bundle of fur and brains.  Today was a very difficult run for all 18 dogs in the team and Sisu and Thunder were excellent leaders throughout the entire duration.  At one point the team was stopped for nearly an hour while I cut a tree out of the way that had blown down across the trail.  Sisu and Thunder held everyone out perfectly and waited patiently, which is more than I can say for the rest of the team.

"THUNDER", born 08/27/2000, out of Fearless (Martin Buser) and Blondie (Martin Buser)

Thunder is a yo-yo with four legs and a tail that never stops moving.  Aaron Peck purchased Thunder from Martin Buser and we obtained him from Aaron.  Hats off to Martin and Aaron for raising a wonderful dog!  Thunder is an absolute joy in the kennel, running loose on walks, or in harness.  Aaron did not list Thunder as a strong leader when I purchased him but he has done incredible for me so far this fall.  The little guy can move and is near perfect on commands.  He has already won Tasha over and gets to come into the house on occasion.  We have two litters of pups out of him and they are near exact clones of this superstar.

October 7th, 2005

"STARMAN", born 10/05/2002, out of Morel (Martin Buser) and Flash (Ross Saunderson), brother to Big Ben

Starman is high energy, strong, and at first meeting does not appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.  (Although Tim VanderMeulen would argue the fact with me, I think he is actually quite smart.)  After my second Iditarod I purchased the kennel of Aaron Peck, and Starman was one of Aaron's three main leaders.  In fact, it was Starman that got me into a little bit of trouble with my wife.  When I purchased Starman and his friends, I forgot to mention it to Tasha.  When word got out in Alaska that I now owned Starman, another musher called Tasha because she wanted to buy him from us.  Tasha did not know that we owned Starman.  Do you see the problem?  The whole situation was not my fault, it was Starman's (personal responsibility has long been extinct in our society hasn't it?)  On a brighter note, today Starman ran with Bert and was absolutely perfect on commands over a completely new trail.  If I had to make a prediction, he will be traveling to France with Tasha and with me to Alaska this race season.

"BERT", born 10/?/2002, out of his Dad and Mom

Bert has to be one of the sweetest dogs alive on this planet.  One of Bert's front legs kind of turns to the side so the musher that raised him did not want to keep Bert.  I gave him a chance and fell in love with the big oaf.  He is ultra manageable but just a maniac in the harness.  As an old yearling last year, he was my 17th dog for my Iditarod team.  He still got to go to Alaska, he just helped pull Andrew's 280 pounds across the state with our other yearlings.  He actually made the top 12 for Tasha's UP 200 team but was dropped at the last checkpoint because he was getting tired.  I spent a lot of time working with him in lead last year and this year it is starting to pay off.  He is near perfect with commands and the boy can motor out in front.

"MAPLE", born 07/12/1999, out of Prowler (Maggie Barker) and Mohawk (Susan Butcher), named Maple because of his red color, brother to Goose, Mickey, Mouse, and Vinnie #1

Maple is a ball of muscle that never gets tired.  Along with his 4 brothers; Goose, Vinnie, Mouse, and Mickey, he is one of the "Fab 5".  By far, he is the greatest athlete that I have ever had the privilege of running in harness.  He has finished both Iditarods for me and basically every race that we have run in the last 5 years.  But probably the most promising thing about Maple is that he sires pups that are nearly (if not more) athletic as their father.  Today Maple got to run lead in the second team with Arlo.  They do not like each other (yet) but ran incredible together.  Whenever I have two dogs that do not appear to like each other, they learn to like each other.  They get to run together, get their houses moved next to each other, and get to travel together in the same box.  Sooner or later, they learn to like each other.  I got this idea from my Mother.  When I was growing up, my older brother and I did not always get along.  We both had this hereditary Stielstra notion that we were better than everyone else.  Everyone else, included each other.  Anyway, when we fought, my Mom would sit us in chairs face to face for a period of time until we could get along.  It seems to have worked because he is now the worlds best Canadian fishing partner, although I usually let him catch more fish than I do so he does not get mad.

"ARLO", born 03/18/03, out of Hawk (Stielstra) and Hedgie (Stielstra), brother to Nat, named Arlo after our sled builder-Chris Arlo Evavold

Arlo has one desire in life, to lead.  This dog is the most natural leader I have ever trained.  In fact, I really did not even train him.  He just new.  He lead our yearling team through most of the stressful areas of last years Iditarod and Andrew picks him to be my next "crutch".  "Crutch" is a term that I use for the leaders that you can turn to when you just have to have things done right.  For example, when you smash your leg up on your first Iditarod and you just want to get to Nome.  Arlo is the type of dog to get you there.  He really does not play with or seem to enjoy other dogs but he does have one way of showing his affection.  After every run, he will get underneath the other leader and rub his back on the other dogs stomach.  The first time you see him do this it is kind of cute.  Eventually though, it kind of grosses you out.

October 6th, 2005

"SKIP", born 06/02/2002, out of Arson (Martin Buser) and Neon (Martin Buser)

As always, there is one exception.  "Skip" is my only team member that does not run lead, so since it was too warm to run today I will talk about him.

Skip.  Skip has some issues.  I acquired Skip as a one year old from a very nice family in Alaska after my first Iditarod.  He is a line bred dog with Martin Buser's Dagger being a common ancestor on both sides of his pedigree.  He is an absolutely beautiful all white dog with a nice build, perfect size, and an incredible desire to eat.  I think he can eat dog food faster than I can eat ice cream.  The problem with Skip is that he struggles to express himself.  He is the kid at the back of the classroom, with fire in his eyes, and a nervous tapping foot, that does not often say anything.  When put into a high energy situation, you can watch this kid, sit there, with flames getting higher and the tapping getting faster until all of a sudden he explodes.  The problem results when this explosion happens in a manner that is not acceptable.  When Skip first came home with us, his explosion was usually expressed in violence.  As any of you that have visited our kennel know, aggression within my team is not tolerated, and does not fit into my system of training.  Skip had a problem with my system until one day things changed.  I had a few of my team members running loose helping me with chores.  Mouse was one of the dogs loose and as he went through Skip's area, Skip attacked him.  There was a quick spat and then it stopped as I approached.  (Whenever there is a disagreement within my team, I calmly walk toward the dogs, not saying anything.  If the disagreement has not been worked out by the time I get to them, all hell breaks loose.  It is a very effective method, because usually hell only has to appear once a year for everyone to get the visual.)  When I got to the two dogs, Skip had a hold of Mouse's collar and was shaking it for all he was worth.  Mouse was standing there looking up at me and saying, "this kid is so immature."  I grabbed Skip by the scruff of the neck and told him "no", but there was no response.  I next tried to press his lips into his teeth to get him to ease up his grip, but his teeth were too close together ( I do not recommend that you try this at home because you will probably get bit.)  Since Skip only had a hold of Mouse's collar and no flesh, Mouse was still standing there looking disgusted.  Next I took a food dish and whapped Skip on the head.  This does not hurt the dog but makes a loud bang and can scare the dog into letting go.  How do I know that it does not hurt the dog a fellow animal lover may ask?  Well, I have whapped myself over the head just to make sure.  By this time, Tasha had joined me in the fiasco and it had turned comical.  Tasha and I were standing by two dogs, one of them trying to kill the other, and the one trying to be killed just standing there looking bored.  There was no noise, so Tasha and I were calmly discussing our options.  "Well, we could cut the collar off", I suggested.  Tasha being the cheapest non-Dutch person on the planet said, "NO, that collar costs $2.50.  How about we leave them here until he lets go."  I disagreed and felt that that was not fair to Mouse.  Somehow it got brought up to bite Skip's ear.  Biting ears is a dog training method that I have refused to use in my career because I like to think that I have evolved past biting another creature.  But, we were out of options, and... it worked.  Skip let go of Mouse instantly.  Something clicked inside Skip's beautiful white head that instant and it changed our relationship forever.  He ended up making my Iditarod team last year as a yearling two year old and was one of my strongest finishers!  I can't say that Skip is exactly normal yet, but hey, neither am I.

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