Meet the 2020 A-Team!
This page introduces you to the 2019 Nature's Kennel A-Team. These are the 21 dogs that will be training and racing with Laura in 2020. The page also includes information about our dog sponsorship program that allows fans to sponsor their favorite dog in exchange for race and kennel memorabilia.
The Nature's Kennel Racing Club is dedicated to supporting Laura's 2020 Iditarod team. All of the proceeds go toward the A-Team and their training and racing adventures throughout the 2020 season! This is how the club works; once a dog receives a sponsor, the sponsor's name and picture will be listed next to the dog and that dog will no longer be available for sponsorship. They become that person's sponsored dog for the entire race season. Once you have sponsored a dog, you will always get the first chance to sponsor that dog again for the following race season.
Benefits of joining the club include exclusive Nature's Kennel and Iditarod memorabilia. Scroll to the bottom of the page for detailed information on the memorabilia that you will receive!
THANK YOU!
To Our 2020 Dog Sponsors!
The A-Team is now fully sponsored for the 2020 racing season!
But don't worry, if you are looking for a way to support the team you still have options!
MAPLE
Age: 7
Race Record:
2014-Iditarod
2015-Canadian Challenge, Great Northwoods Challenge
2016-Yukon Quest, CanAm Crown 250
2017-Iditarod
2018-Yukon Quest, Canadian Challenge
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200
Maple is Laura’s main leader and is truly an incredible dog and athlete. She excelled in both the
2016 and 2018 Yukon Quest and led the team for the majority of both races, never seeming to doanything less than perfectly. She is extremely smart and will do anything for Laura. You can expect to see her at the front of Laura’s team during especially challenging sections of trail.
ELMER
Age: 7
Race Record:
2014-Iditarod
2015-Eagle Cap Extreme, UP200, Canadian Challenge, Great Northwoods Challenge
2016-UP200, Iditarod
2017-Iditarod
2018-Yukon Quest, Canadian Challenge
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200
Elmer is another fantastic leader. He’s a steady dog who loves everyone and every dog in the
kennel loves to be paired with him. He learned a lot during his time spent in lead with his sister, Maple, in the 2018 Yukon Quest. He and I greatly strengthened our bond during that race and I am super excited to continue to watch him excel as a great leader. He is very patient with young dogs and is an excellent partner for leaders in training.
WINKLE
Age: 7
Race Record:
2014-Iditarod
2015-Eagle Cap Extreme, UP200, Canadian Challenge,
Great Northwoods Challenge
2016-Yukon Quest, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe
2017-Iditarod
2018-Yukon Quest, Canadian Challenge
Winkle is best described as continually happy, hard working, and passionate. Laura
jokingly calls him her “husband” due to his awesome personality, and Ed makes fun of the
exaggerated ”poop dance” that he performs while running. He is always a rock solid dog that has finished every race that he has started. Winkle had a rough season in 2019 with a nagging injury keeping him from hitting the race trail, but he has had months of TLC to hopefully be ready to roll this year.
BAKER
Age: 7
Race Record:
2014-Iditarod
2015-Eagle Cap Extreme, UP200, Canadian Challenge, Great Northwoods Challenge
2016-Yukon Quest, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe
2017-Iditarod
2018-Yukon Quest, Canadian Challenge
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
Baker is always one of the first to wake up and start barking to leave a checkpoint. He’s a big
dog who seems to be made of solid muscle. He is a bulletproof and extremely lovable dog that gives the best doggie kisses on the planet!
RUBY
Age: 5
Race Record:
2016-Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe
2017-Iditarod
2018-Yukon Quest, Canadian Challenge
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200
Ruby is a superstar! At the Yukon Quest finish in Whitehorse in 2018 she became a 3 time 1,000 mile race finisher before her fourth birthday. She is a happy and passionate dog who loves to experience adventures out on the race trail.
LEWIS
Age: 8
Race Record:
2013-Bogus Creek 150
2016-Yukon Quest, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe
2018-Yukon Quest
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge
Lewis joined our team in the spring of 2015, and being a 4 year old with limited race experience we had no idea of how much he would bring to our race team. He had a good training season in 2016 and made it into Laura’s team for the Quest where he ran a very strong race, and joined
Maple in lead for many of the legs. He followed his Quest finish with an Iditarod finish on Ed’s
team, again leading for quite a few runs. After his Iditarod finish he was Laura’s superstar in the
Percy DeWolfe, leading and motivating the team the whole way and logging 2,200 race miles in a 2 month period. Lewis is all about friends and will run with any dog anywhere in the team.
BENCH
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Iditarod
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
Bench is a super fun and talented dog that seems to float effortlessly down the trail. He never works too hard, but always works hard enough. He had his debut year on the A-Team in 2019 and earned his way to the top of the ranks. He spent a lot of time in lead with Maple and Elmer and gained confidence and skill throughout the year, and I can now confidently refer to him as one of my main leaders.
PEREZ
Age: 4
Race Record:
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 100, Hudson Bay Quest
Perez has had a very reserved personality since he was just a pup. He has taken much longer to mature than most dogs, but the wait was well worth it. In 2018 he spent the year training with Ed and he grew up a lot as Ed created a bond with him. Then in 2019 he spent the season in Minnesota where he trained and raced with Blake Freking. His shell has now officially cracked and he is starting to show his true personality. He will be one of my leaders this season and I would not be surprised in the least if he turns into my go-to dog.
MORGAN
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Yukon Quest 300, Iditarod
2019-UP200
Morgan is a happy go lucky dog that is always having fun. He is an extremely talented athlete and loves to run at the front of the team. This is his first year on the A-Team and I am excited to have his happiness on the team.
THOMAS
Age: 6
Race Record:
2015-Iditarod
2016-Yukon Quest, Iditarod, Percy DeWolfe
2018-Yukon Quest
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
Thomas is the egotistical boy of the team. He is awesome and he knows it... sometimes all too well! He is super hard working dog and is a cheerleading machine. He LOVES to go! 2019 was his best racing season yet and he really enjoyed traveling to either side of the country to explore new trails.
HAWKEYE
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Yukon Quest 300
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100, Hudson Bay Quest
Hawkeye had a great season training and learning with Ed in 2018, and proved himself to be ready to step up to the A-Team for the 2019 race season. He excelled on the A-Team last year and had a blast on our racing circuit. He is a really fun dog that can be both calm and relaxed or completely insane bouncing off the walls with excitement. Hawkeye has become a very good leader and loves to take commands as fast as he can!
RADAR
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Iditarod
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
Radar is Hawkeye's brother, and Radar also had a fantastic year on the A-Team in 2019. He was one of Ed's favorite dogs to work with and run 2018, and he became a solid and fun leader on my team last season. He has a calm and mature demeanor and is a major cuddle bug in bed!
LURB
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
As a two year old on the A-Team last year, Lurb showed me how passionate he is about racing. He loves the excitement of new trails and new teams and it was so much fun to watch him mature throughout the year. Lurb is a lot like his half-brother, North, and he can hardly ever stop moving. He is named after me, bearing my childhood nickname so that makes it even more fun to have his happy energy joining the team.
MARK
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250
Mark is another newbie to the A-Team! He is the smallest male on the team but has a beautiful gait and a lot of passion to boot. He gained experience training and racing with Blake Freking last season and I'm really excited to have him on my team for the 2020 season.
MITCHELL
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250, Hudson Bay Quest
Mitchell's personality is a mixture between his two brothers, Lurb and Mark. He loves to play and is the only dog on my team that likes to run around carrying sticks. Mitchell also spent last winter gaining experience training and racing with Blake Freking. He's a really cool guy and is one of my favorite working buddies when I'm doing projects around the cabin or kennel.
ERIN
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250, Hudson Bay Quest
Erin is a female version of her brother, Lurb. She is insanely hyperactive and very rarely stands still. The smallest on the team at 45 pounds, Erin loves to run and is a very hard worker. She also gained great experience with Blake Freking last year and with patience and time I believe she will turn into a great leader someday.
JAKE
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, UP200, CanAm Crown 100
Jake had a great debut season on the A-Team last year. He has incredible passion and is very mature for his age. He loves the race trail and I'm really excited to see how he does in a 1,000 mile race.
HARLEY
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 100, Hudson Bay Quest
Harley has a wonderfully strong personality. When he is really happy he actually smiles by lifting his top lips up. He finds it very challenging to hold still for very long, which is a trait that I tend to like. Harley also spent last season gaining experience training and racing with Blake Freking. This little ball of sunshine will fit right into my team.
JETT
Age: 3
Race Record:
2018-John Beargrease 100, Midnight Run, Copperdog 150
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250, Hudson Bay Quest
I remember watching Jett run as a yearling and thinking out loud that I could picture her making the A-Team someday. She lived up to my expectations by having a great season with Blake Freking in 2019, even spending time in lead during every race. She is a very happy dog and I look forward to seeing her continue to grow self confidence throughout the next year.
ANNA
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Iditarod (started)
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250, Hudson Bay Quest
This is Anna's first year on the A-Team. She is very high intensity and has an amazing work ethic. After a great year racing with Blake Freking last winter, Anna has finally matured enough to earn her spot with the "big dogs"!
MARY
Age: 4
Race Record:
2017-Iditarod
2018-UP200
2019-John Beargrease Marathon, UP200, CanAm Crown 250, Hudson Bay Quest
Mary is an extremely active girl who is never at a loss for words! She is always happy (often obnoxiously so) and has seen a lot of different places and races in her 4 years. She finished the Iditarod with Trent Herbst at 16 months old, and was barking to run more at the finish line. Mary also finished every race with Blake Freking last year and always received an A+ rating from him. Her energy is wonderfully contagious!
Want to Sponsor a Dog and Join the Nature's Kennel Race Team?
Your $500 Mighty Mutt Club Membership Includes:
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Your name and picture displayed on the Mighty Mutt Club webpage
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Nature’s Kennel t-shirt
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Nature’s Kennel bumper/window sticker
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Nature’s Kennel 2020 race team poster
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4x6 photo magnet of your Sponsored Dog
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Your dog's dog tag from the Iditarod Race if they participate
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Postcard from Anchorage or Nome
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2020 Iditarod Race Program
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Your dog’s dog booties worn in the Iditarod or other races throughout the year
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A trading card for your sponsored dog
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The official 2020 Iditarod Poster signed by the 2020 Iditarod mushers
