April saw the last of our team's presence on the trails. It never feels like there is enough time to be had on the trails, but the season ended on a very positive note. We ran in the NWSDA Spring Fling 8 Dog Mid-Distance, totaling 9 miles per day. It was unseasonably warm, we took our time, and rested often. We were happy enough to finish second of two teams on such a fun and challenging trail system! Once back home, temperatures continued to rise. It was time to clean the gear and get it hung for next season. Already counting the days! We decided to break with our usual schedule and meet Maddie's breeder in Pendleton for an early season show. It was a small show, only a few Siberians entered. Though, not much love for Keegan and Gypsy. Keegan only able to take home Best Opposite Sex both days with no points available. Never the less, it was a good opportunity for Maddie to reunite with her family and get some good socialization in for when it's her time in the ring! Our first Siberian, Dakota, turned 12 years young at the end of April. Its hard to believe that just 12 years ago we started down this crazy, amazing, road with our first companion. Dakota is now retired from Weight Pull, having earned his Working Dog title last fall. As well as completing two of the 4 qualifiers toward his Working Dog Excellent. Though just a pet with a less than desirable pedigree, that far too many have judged him on, he became our introduction to this wonderful breed and the first Siberian in our kennel to earn a Performance Title of any form. To say we are proud of our pup from the wrong side of the tracks, would be a gross understatement.
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March took us to Utah in search of the last bit of snow to run on. What a great deal of fun the K9 Challenge was! We could not be more pleased with the conditions of the trail, the company of our friends, and how the team performed was more than we could have hoped for. Keegan and Google lead the team both days with ease and experience beyond their time up front. Its very exciting to watch these two youngsters blooming into such a fantastic pair of sled dogs! This is always a bittersweet time of year for us. As April closes in and the temperatures begin to rise our time on the trails is borrowed at best. It's always hard to concede to saying goodbye to the trails for another season. I find myself already making plans for next year, next season, a new training schedule, new dogs to harness, and new goals to tackle. For now we enjoy the trails while we can. With any luck, and weather providing, we will have one more opportunity to run with friends later in April. Gypsy has been maturing ever so nicely. The excitement of her joining the team is palpable at this point! She's already showing quite an athletic form around the yard, and a proficiency for digging, it will be nice change to get her into the ring this summer and see how she stacks up to the competition! I suppose that means I too will have to alter my training routine! Time to dust off the suits and remember what running around a show ring vs running behind a sled or a cart is all about! Gypsy isn't the only exciting up and comer around here anymore. As Madison grows she's showing a lot of lovely potential. A natural beauty that moves with ease and grace. It's always a joy to start a puppy and have all the excitement of the possibilities to come! There are oh so many possibilities coming our way! February flew by and left us with some awesome memories to cherish! With the addition of Google we were able to put together an 8 dog team for the first time in our mushing journey. What an absolute thrilling experience that has been! Mason and Keegan ran lead on day 1 for a great consistent run. Google and Keegan took on lead for day 2 of Priest Lake increasing our times greatly on the trail. To say we were pleased with how these two young up and comers handled the task would be an understatement! After Priest Lake our temperatures rose, the rain fell, and our snow disappeared in the lower elevations. Time to pull the cart back out to keep the training going. Though wheels are not the same as running the sled it's still time on the trails behind some of the most amazing dogs I've had the pleasure to run! We had intended to run the Dogtown Winter Challenge in Cle Elum, but due to a scheduling mishap we were unable to attend. Training continues on regardless though, we still have a few more runs planned in March and April, weather permitting. Of course the biggest news of February would probably be our latest arrival, yes yet another one, Zuska's Footprints In The Black At Keahi *Madison*. Madison comes to us from Susan Parraga's Zuska Siberians. She will be joining us as a future show prospect as well as aspiring sled dog. We have a lot to look forward to with this little one. As well as the rest of the kennel, as we see our running season slowly slipping away we'll have to start changing gears and getting ready to get back into the show ring. What an exciting start to 2016 here at Keahi! Since the completion of our first Mid-Distance race in West Yellowstone in December we've been keeping on the trails training for the next race. Our next adventure took us to Chemult Oregon, where after a 2 year hiatus the Chemult Sled Dog Races were up and running again thanks to a dumping of snow! Our runs were very consistent between the two days. Heavy wet snow fell on us both days, though the weather man called for rain (we happily tolerated the snow!) Deep, heavy, punchy snow covered our trails, and overall we had a great time and really could not be more pleased with how the dogs did! Keegan was back in lead with Mason and the whole team worked seamlessly together. Once back from Chemult it was time to literally ring out all the equipment. That heavy wet snow soaked us all! Thank goodness for extra straw on the truck to keep the dogs dry and comfortable! It was back to the trails after a few days of rest and relaxation for us all...But with Priest Lake just around the corner, we didn't want to take too much time off! The biggest news of the month is the arrival of our latest addition to the team and to the family! We like to welcome, from NorthWapiti Siberians, NorthWapiti's Who Knew "Google"! We are absolutely thrilled to have this amazing opportunity to add this lovely girl from Karen Ramstead! Google is a young female with a start in leader training, Karen says she's still got some of that young easily distracted. We look forward to continuing honing that natural talent with her as she helps our team continue to grow. Karen describes her as fast and driven with a bit of goofy that she gets from both of her parents. We so look forward to getting to know this girl at home and in harness. Look for her in our team at upcoming events! Another year has come to pass, and we take the time to look back at all we have to be incredibly grateful for. 2015 was a fantastic year for us here at Keahi, in a number of different ways. Keegan joined the team at the tail end of the 2014/15 season. Running in both the Flathead Classic 4 Dog and Camp K Spring Fling 6 Dog, performing exceedingly well and started becoming a well rounded working dog. He continues to develop with the team, helping us achieve our first mid-distance run in West Yellowstone at the start of the 2015/16 season. The show season was fantastic for us too! Keegan came back to the show ring as a young Special in the midst of some very tough competition. Though not every show had a lot to report back on, we were able to pick up 14 points toward his GCH as well as all 3 Majors. He was awarded our first ever Best Of Breed win and made the first cut among a large group of very nice males at our National Specialty. In addition to all that Keegan and I enjoyed in the show ring this year, we also added our next generation of working/show dog in a half-sister. Gypsy has only shown a couple of times this past year, but was awarded a Puppy Group 2 and also made the cut in her very large puppy sweepstakes class at the National Specialty. We very much look forward to her joining the team next fall, she's already showing us the athlete she is destined to become! We've upgraded some equipment around here as well. Though we LOVE our Sled Dog Systems sprint sled, our future running goals were pointing us to getting a sled that would help carry us into those goals. Picking this sled up and running it for the first time in West Yellowstone we can already see how this sled is going to help us in reaching theses goals! On the dog box front, we can finally call our dog box completed! Adding security bars, LED lighting, roof ladder, and sled rack. We're very pleased with how the project has finally come to a close! We've been very happy with how functional this box has turned out and are looking forward to future projects! So as we charge into 2016 we are looking forward to more fun times with our awesome dogs and great friends! See you on the trails! With the show season at an end for us it was time to hit the trails and start working on building our team for the 2015/16 season. Our first race came up quick after the National Specialty. We participated in the Spokane Dirt Rondy 6-Dog Sprint class, taking a third place finish over all and a second place in Purebred. Overall very pleased with the consistency exhibited by the team over the two day race period! After the race it was time to get back into a training schedule as our next race comes up quickly. The West Yellowstone Rodeo Run, with hopes of running the 12 mile 6-dog class we have some work to put in! Throughout this time we've been seeing some less than favorable behaviors from young Keegan. He's, lets just say, very enthusiastic about his role as a working dog. Unfortunately he channeled this energy in the form of line chewing, forcing us to upgrade our gangline to a cabled line....as well as sometimes gnawing on our handler (aka the husband) which was not appreciated. Turning to experience for advise it was suggested he may be trying to tell us something. That something turned out to be, I AM A LEAD DOG! Since putting Keegan in lead, a role he's taken on with a great sense of maturity and proficiency, his behaviors have been turning more positively toward forward facing energy and less wasted energy. We've had on our first taste of snow this season. Though nowhere near enough to pull down the sleds. It has rejuvenated training efforts. It certainly has given us a pretty backdrop in which to train and added some unique challenges to the trail. Covering icy patches, adding resistance to the already tough trails. The snow has since faded into rain and mud once again. It keeps it interesting. With clean bills of health, updated vaccinations, and some very happy working dogs, we look forward to seeing our friends on the trails this winter! Its still early, and lots of training opportunities await us on the trails! We'll see you out there! October was an absolutely thrilling month for us here at Keahi Siberians! While the weather was not favorable for much training, there was still plenty of things going on. The highlight of the month was definitely the trip to the Siberian Husky Club Of America's National Specialty show in Topeka Kansas. It is always amazing catching up with old friends and making new friends while celebrating this amazing breed that has brought us all together in one location. Being completely immersed in the breed for a week with our friends just never seems like enough time! Gypsy made her debut on the show scene in an extremely large, competitive, class of 6-9 puppy bitches in Puppy Sweepstakes and made the cut! Gypsy's sister Shelby went on to win the class, we were so very proud of her! They both made their breeder very proud and happy. I was very pleased how well Gypsy showed for me amidst a huge class and a lot of pressure competing at this level. Very excited to see where this little girl's show career ends up taking her! The excitement carried on through the remainder of the week. Keegan competed with his momma Ruby and sister Shelby for Brood Bitch, unfortunately the trio did not make the cut. The class was large and incredibly competitive. From there, Keegan made his debut in the Parade Of Title Holders, where he was honored for his achievement of his Championship Title the prior year. Then it was on to Stud Dog with his sire, BISS GCH Bralin's Jack Be Nimble SD and sister CH Bralin's Single Serving where they were awarded a Second Placement in the group. It was a long, busy, and very rewarding day. It was such an honor to be able to participate in such amazing events with his family. The next day it was on to the main event, Best Of Breed. Young Keegan and I were extremely thrilled to be able to make the first cut from around 80 dogs into the top 30. Keegan showed amazingly well and received a lot of very nice complements throughout the week. Thank you to all of our friends for all of your support and helping make this week a very memorable one. Looking forward to next year already! The drive home is still a bit of a blur, but we made it back in one very tired piece. Both of the kids enjoyed the day playing in the mud and running around the yard just being dogs. Training will resume within the next few days and into a new routine for the remainder of fall! September was a very memorable month for those of us here at Keahi! We were invited to hit the road with a friend of ours to have the opportunity to show outside of our regular area. What a welcome opportunity that was! Its always nice to see what is showing outside of your regular show area and meet new people! Our first day out in Farmington Utah was a good start to our trip with Keegan taking Select Dog in a nice group of Specials. Day 2 from Farmington started off very well with Miss Gypsy taking to the ring for her first 'real' show. She was such a happy girl in the ring, the tail never stopped wagging and the smile shined the whole time. She was awarded a 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy Group 2 in a very competitive group of 11 puppies! Such an exciting moment for us and a wonderful way to start her show career! Day 2 wasn't done with Gypsy's success, not by a long shot! To our extreme surprise and honor Keegan went on to win his, and our, FIRST Best Of Breed! From a very lovely selection of Siberians, Judge William Shelton found our young man and saw him shine. I could not have been more proud of my boy in any moment to this point. My heart still beams to reflect on this moment. This boy is one in a million to me, and it's amazing to have that recognized. The rest of the trip was filled with wonderful memories with great friends and good people. Not to mention fun dogs! Though the success in the ring didn't carry through the rest of the trip I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. Upon our return home we found the temps to be favorable to hit the trails and start our fall training. We will be focusing on building a more competitive 6 dog team this season with Harvest, Mason, Keegan, Weaver, Denali, and Rogue. We still have a few more turns in the show ring coming up, but we'll be transitioning into harness sports as the temperatures continue to be favorable. We are looking forward to everything the next month has to offer! A while ago, while perusing Facebook, I came across a post from an acquaintance bemusing their recent experiences in showing their Siberians in AKC conformation. To read their post was very disheartening to see how so many newcomers perceive the welcome from what are supposed to be some of our breed's mentoring members. Of course, their experience has not been a pleasant one. But as I read and really let it sink in, I realized I could not fault their post. To be entirely honest, our experience has not been too different from theirs. People lurking in the shadows just waiting for a slip, a mistake, a mispost, a misquote, ready to pounce and spread it around like wildfire. In our limited experience in showing we have come to find there seem to be far too many mean spirited people who seem to revel in causing turmoil in the world. Set on complaining behind people's backs rather than working to make a change. Why is this? Unfortunately, many feel this kind of behavior is very counter productive. It does very little to help your breed or your sport grow in a positive way. So what is the point? What is there to gain from this kind of behavior? I can't find any justification behind nasty rumor milling and spreading dangerous falsehoods when we should have the same goals in mind. Those goals should be mentoring newcomers into the breed to carry on a positive, healthy, sound future for your breed. Newcomers who will carry on a sport or activity your dogs compete in that you love so much. Turning newcomers away because you don't like who their friends were, how they got started, things years in the past that they have learned from, doesn't serve any real purpose. Especially when so much of what has happened since was a direct result of you turning your back on a newcomer looking for guidance all those years ago- When someone comes looking for guidance, give it. If you can't pass them on to someone who can. Don't leave these people twisting in the wind and get upset when people that are deemed unworthy pick them up, dust them off, and put them on a path that they can choose to follow or not. At the end of the day what you do with your dogs is what really matters- Let the dogs to the barking and keep the rest to yourself. Its been a trying summer in so many respects. Temperatures have been so much higher earlier and longer than usual which keeps us busy fighting fires, busy managing the kennel with being so tied up at work, busy balancing travel and showing dogs with a crazy, nearly impossible to stay ahead of, work schedule. Banging our heads against the politics of the dog show world, which have been at their worst this year. Losing sight of why we do what we do could have been an easy way out. But at the end of the day, we continue and will continue to do what we do for one simple reason. We enjoy DOING things with our dogs! Remembering that we are in it for the love of our dogs keeps a smile on our faces and keeps us coming out to play. THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TOWe are still out showing Keegan. Working away toward his AKC Grand Champion title. He's looking young and juvenile compared to most of his competition, but he is one of the youngest dogs in the Best Of Breed ring most shows. Which is okay by us! He will get there when he is good and ready, and will last longer not maturing too quickly. Of course it would have been nice to have him be as successful in obtaining his Grand Champion as he was his Champion title but we won't be greedy! We are just enjoying the time spent with our boy and keeping up our practice in the show ring. Little Gypsy took her first try in a puppy fun match while in Enumclaw this month! I love the quick learning curve this little girl showed! I think she will be just as fun as her big brother is to show! She won her 'class' both matches and was awarded Best Opposite Sex in the breed behind a lovely male puppy from Poku Siberians. We are very much looking forward to working more with this little girl in the show ring! We still have a few months before she's old enough to start competing in the 'real' shows! The SHCA Siberian Husky National Specialty is just a little over two months away and we are getting VERY excited to get back to the mid-west and reconnect with our friends from the area we don't get to see more than this one time per year if we are lucky. We are also looking forward to taking in the whole show and everyone doing what they love with their dogs. Its such a wonderful exhibition of this breed and their owners/handlers! I'm really looking forward to trying to get there to see the Agility Trials! Most excitingly, in our opinion at least, temperatures are starting to drop enough in the early EARLY mornings that we may be able to start getting the team out on to the trails and start prepping for doing what these dogs were meant to do. RUNNING! I know that I'm not the only one here looking forward to harnesses coming back out and covering some miles on our favorite trails. Our goal is to start training earlier and be more prepared for our race schedule with hopes to expand that schedule. This is planned to be Keegan's first full season in harness and we are looking to hone the 6 dog team we ended last season with into a competitive force. With the return of Fall means the return of Weight Pulling! This will be the last year for Dakota to don the weight pull harness. He has one leg toward his WDX title, needing 3 more qualifying pulls, we will see if his retirement year will be his year! Denali will also be working for his additional 3 qualifiers to his WD or WDX title whichever he is able to achieve. It's been a trip having our oldest pet become our first performance titled dog in our kennel, but it has been a trip worth taking! Dakota may not have the best pedigree, nor the most ethical breeding behind him, but he has had the biggest heart and working drive of almost any of our others have. Its been a true honor having him introduce us to this wonderful breed, help us get started in mushing, and becoming a weight pulling champion. |
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August 2023
CategoriesAuthorGrowing up in Montana my love of the Siberian Husky started at a young age. It has been quite a journey so far. There has been much to learn and still a lot more yet to learn! I truly believe that we are never too old, too experienced, or too full of ourselves to learn something new. I also believe that knowledge is useless unless we are willing to share it with others. |