Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Racing & Adventures

Home | Bookmark Us | Tell a Friend

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Nature's Kennel

PO Box 5
McMillan, MI 49853
Tel: 1-906-748-0513
Email: info@natureskennel.com

Dog Blog

Adventure Journals

Welcome to the Nature's Kennel Dog Blog! Check out the latest kennel news, stories of your favorite sled dogs, Iditarod training adventures, and more!

Saturday, January 30th, 2010 Pat called with a report from Chicago’s Snow Days Festival. Arlo, Jester, Hera and Lumber successfully carried the mayor and his wife down Michigan Avenue last night to kick off Chicago’s Snow Days event. They commented on how well behaved and lovable the dogs were just as Pat turned around to see Arlo peeing on everything and rubbing his butt under Jester’s belly (for those of you who know Arlo, I’m sure you can visualize this action). The dogs were fabulous but not too excited about the new “talking city busses” that they passed at the intersections, as they announced stops along the route. The mayor was thrilled to be taking a ride with Chicago’s one and only sled dog team for the Last Great Race. Pat will be back at the festival on Sunday, so for those of you in the Chicago area, be sure to stop by and say hi. Ed, Ryne and I are at Boyne for the weekend with a very full schedule of rides. The winter race plans have slightly (ok drastically) changed and since our teams did not get off the waiting list for the Beargrease, Ryne will head to Montana in a week to run the Race to the Sky. Ryne is still planning to run one of our Iditarod teams next year, so she needs to do a 300 mile qualifier this winter. They will have to hustle out and back so that she gets back to Michigan in time for the UP 200. Looks like I’ll be holding down the fort at home once again! I certainly feel large enough to hold down a fort…the baby is growing like crazy and getting more and more cumbersome every day. I now feel really sorry for all those dogs we’ve had who have had large litters and possibly the same heartburn as I have been experiencing!! No wonder Tasha Canine moved herself into the house after litter #3. Posted by Tasha

Friday, January 29th, 2010 (As Vanessa): Quick correction from yesterday's journal entry. Pat Moon is at the Snow Days Chicago Event at Grant Park this weekend and is taking the Mayor and his wife on a ride down Michigan avenue this afternoon (Friday) between 3 and 5 pm. For more info click here Posted by Tasha

Thursday, January 28th, 2010 (As Vanessa): Seems like the sunny, warm days are over. At least for a while. Today the high is 9 degrees and the snow just seems to keep on coming down. We had to kit out our tour guests today with some extra coats and warmer boots! They are outside right now, doing their practice run around the puppy loop...and where am I? Well, let's see, it is 9 degrees outside and 68 degrees in the house! What better time to do a journal update and find other indoor projects that need urgent attention! Yes, I'll admit it, I am just not that hardcore (or as some people with no filter and little social skills like to describe as a pansy or some other inappropriate word)! We'll just leave it at that! Despite the turn of weather, I have actually accomplished some things this week, believe it or not! Jake's Puppies have all been strapped into harnesses and hooked up to the gang line. I hesitate to say that they have been harness broken because that would send the wrong message that they are actually capable of running (and pulling) in front of a sled. Some did amazingly well, like Stinky Feet and Barbie, while others (Sheldon in particular) seemed to loose their legs all of a sudden and flopp down in the snow, only to be dragged along the ground by the rest of the team. Somehow you can never predict who is going to be great and who is going to be awful. That doesn't mean we have given up hope! We'll try Sheldon again in a couple of weeks! My bet is that he is just a late bloomer. All in all it was a fun day and I think the puppies had a fantastic time! The unfortunate news of the week came when Sam and Ryne did not make it into the Beargrease, despite being first and second on the waiting list. It seems like everyone who is entered in the race is determined to pull through, even though there were some doubts about the race even taking place at one point due to bad weather conditions (meaning not enough snow).Hopefully they can find another race to go to, especially since Ryne is trying to qualify for the Iditarod next year. Speaking of the Iditarod, Pat Moon is making his way to Chicago today with four sled dogs in his truck. The reason for that is the City Snow Days event in Grand Park. He will be taking the Mayor and his wife on a dog sled ride down Michigan Avenue this Sunday. If you happen to live in Chicago and are reading this, it should be quite an event! You should stop by and say hello to Arlo, Jester, Hera, Lumber, and Pat. Well, wherever you find yourself to be right now, whether it's sunny and warm, or windy and snowy, thanks for reading our journal and keeping up to date with daily life at Natures Kennel! Posted by Tasha

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 (As Vanessa): Wow, has Spring arrived super early this year?! This weather has thrown me off! Yesterday we had 52 degrees in the sun at one point! Don't get me wrong, these warm sunny days are amazing, but isn't January supposed to be one of the coldest months, especially in the UP?? We are all taking advantage of this warm weather and spending as much time as possible outside in the kennel. All those lucky folks who've had tours here in the past week have been spoiled by great conditions. Although, if this warm weather continues, who knows how long this snow will last....hopefully the season won't get cut short!! We'll have to do a snow dance soon! The puppies had a big week too! We now only have 7 puppies in total left in the pens! That is down from 20 when I first got here. This week most of "Jake's Pups" made the transition to the kennel and have their very own platforms and barrels. They all took it in their stride and seem to be happy we finally realized that they are grown up enough to be big sled dogs now! Not long before we'll start harness breaking them. Fun times ahead! The Steelers are now starting to earn their keep here, as Tasha put it. Blount, Bradshaw, and Franco were part of the tour dogs for the Mini Drive this morning and they were all fabulous! The Aunts and Uncles are also progressing and Sally had a great run in lead yesterday. In other kennel news, Gremlin is in heat and being bred to Clark. That should ensure another litter of adorable puppies for the Summer!! Mr. Foote, who was one of our tour guests at Boyne this year, was kind enough to sponsor a whole bunch of delicious treats for the dogs which they got to enjoy yesterday. Maliko, Ryne, and Ed are off to Boyne again this weekend. Doug and Sam have an overnight tomorrow for which Tasha and I will be supporting. So as you can see, everything is looking dandy and the dogs are keeping us entertained day and night! The Iditarod is getting closer and closer and Pat Moon is busy getting all his things prepped. He was out in the yard the past couple of days slicing and bagging 800 lbs of meat. Oh the joys of being a Musher! :-) Below are some pictures of the puppies and the dogs enjoying their treats. See our facebook fan page for more pictures. Posted by Tasha




Monday, January 18th, 2010 Another different Nature Kennel weekend! Sam, Doug, and I are down at one of my favorite places in the world, Boyne Highlands Ski Resort. We have had a very full schedule of dog sled ride giving. The dogs are doing amazing!!! Especially considering the above freezing temperatures and sunshine. The muscle hounds are bred for temperatures much colder than this but have been doing charging right through the beautiful soft trail and then sunbathing during their scheduled breaks. Man I love them!!! While the guys have been enjoying civilization, the women at home have been cruising through the woods with my sister Amy and her crazy friends. I believe there are 9 human females in all! And Pat Moon!!! I have this image of Pat Moon being the little brother of a sister's slumber party. They probably have his finger nails painted, hair braided, blush on his cheeks, etc. Whatever has happened, I am sure that all are having a great time. The last time sister Amy's group came up to the kennel they experienced temperatures about 50 degrees colder than what they have had this weekend. They had fun then, I am sure they are out of control this time! Posted by Ed

Friday, January 15th, 2010 This past week we had a first and it was AWESOME! Jim, who is now officially plagued with dogsleditis, joined us for our new "Extreme Dog Sledding" 2 night/3 day camping trip. The trip consisted of mushing about 150 miles and spending two nights alongside our dog teams sleeping in the snow banks. Not your average vacation away from the office but Jim seemed right at home. The weather was perfect, the dogs were healthy, and he was the perfect traveling companion. Posted by Ed



Sunday, January 10th, 2010 The race results are in for the 2010 Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race: 12-dog Pro Race--Pat Moon and Hera, Boom, Prancer, Lumber, Ladybird, Sprout, Jester, 2x4, Japser, Sebastion, Kar and George--8th place 12-dog Pro Race--Sam Christman and Gus, Onyx, Superior, Emerald, Gremlin, Cupid, Erie, Mr. Incredible, Chocolate, Rosebud, Alaska--10th place and Red Lantern 6-dog Race--Maliko Ubl and Tonka, Thursten, Leaky, Fossey, Cullen and Rita--4th place 6-dog Race--Jon Brown and Red, Cooper, Edison, Lambchop, Michael and Carver--8th place 4-dog Race--Ryne Olson and Reboom, Clark, Gimli and Chong--2nd place 4-dog Race--Mike Loeffler and Rhu, Arlo, Max and Juneau--3rd place 4-dog Race--Tasha and Bradshaw, Bert, Franco and Lambert--6th place 4-dog Race--Vanessa VonderHeyde and Martha, Swann, Stallworth and Hamm--7th place 4-dog Race--Tara Simon and Ero, Cap'n, Kazoo and Gremlin--8th place 2-dog Skijoring (Snowboarding): Doug Sherry and Starmand and Einstein--3rd place It was a fabulous race day, with clear skies, cold weather and fast trails. Doug was the crow favorite as the first ever TCSDR snowboarder. Tasha and Vanessa's teams consisted of the 8th month old Pittsburgh Steelers (with Bert and Martha as leaders), Ryne and Mike tried to show them up with their "fast teams". Maliko was only a minute away from a trophy and Pat got to race against the "fast class" of "those hound-looking huskies". The big story of the day happened when all the Youth Class racers (Jake and Emma VanderMeulen and two more kids) all took the wrong trail, came to a stop sign, realized they were all lost, helped each other turn their teams around, and made it back to the chute. They were all recipients of the Sportsmanship Award at the banquet this morning. Thanks to our kennel photographer, Ed, we have a new photo album http://www.natureskennel.com/racing/photogallery.php?id=9 (It's the 2010 Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race) Posted by Tasha


Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 We are just about finished with our holiday week sled dog tours both at the kennel and Boyne. We had great snow, great guests, and great help from all our guides: Ryne, Vanessa, Maliko, Doug and Sam and “support staff”: Tara, Tim V. Lynne Witte, Mike Loeffler, Pat Moon, Brian Wisebaum, and Michele Seng. Thanks for making the holiday stretch fun and bearable! We return to Boyne the weekend of January 16th, and resume overnight tours at the kennel this week. I will get more photo posted here soon, but in the meantime, be sure to log into the Nature’s Kennel Facebook page for the latest pictures. Happy New Year!! Posted by Tasha

SEARCH the Journals

Journal Archive

► 2013
   ► February
► 2012
   ► December
   ► November
   ► October
   ► September
   ► August
   ► March
   ► February
   ► January
► 2011
   ► December
   ► November
   ► October
   ► September
   ► August
   ► July
   ► June
   ► May
   ► April
   ► March
   ► February
   ► January
▼ 2010
   ► December
   ► November
   ► October
   ► September
   ► August
   ► July
   ► June
   ► May
   ► April
   ► March
   ► February
   ▼ January
► 2009
   ► December
   ► November
   ► October
   ► September
   ► August
   ► July
   ► June
   ► May
   ► April
   ► March
   ► February
   ► January
► 2008
   ► December
   ► November
   ► October

- top -