How did your kennel get its name?

N/A

How did you get started running dogs?

I took a dogsled tour with Into the Wild Adventures in Whitehorse a couple years ago and was hooked. From there I started figuring out how to run my own dogs. It started with a lot of reading and researching and then I began meeting more folks in the local mushing community and asking questions. I eventually bought a handmade sled from the Dawson Trading Post and Dave showed me how to make my lines; from there I began hooking my 2 dogs and a couple dogs borrowed from a friend (thanks Ben!) up and headed out on some trails/ old roads and the rest has progressed into what is now me running my current team of 8 and having more sleds than I probably need..

What do you love most about running dogs?

Being out on the land with my best buds.

Please share with us some stories or facts about your dogs that will be running in the 2025 YQ450.

Little girl, one of my lead dogs, is the most timid, tiny girl who was never a lead dog at her former kennel. I'm not even sure she pulled to be honest. But she knew her commands and therefore ended up being my first lead dog by default. The only seasoned dog on a team of green ones. One of my favorite traits about her is her ability to maneuver around obstacles on the trail, especially when traveling on the river. A funny quirk of hers is when I'm free running her, she will only come to my recall if I sing to her.. and I'm no singer.

Are you a member of any other organizations involved in sled dog sports?

DPSAY, Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race volunteer.

Why did you enter the 2025 YQ450 and what are your goals for the race?

Bringing a little Dawson City spirit south to the new Quest trail.

What music do you listen to on the trail?

On the trail, usually nothing as I want to be aware of our surroundings. During hookup, I'm usually listening to some weird mix of house music and sad country tunes through noise cancelling headphones.

How did your dogs get their names/How do you choose names?

Little girl was formally named Spark Plug, but it didn't roll of the tongue very well. Nothing else seemed to fit and I just kept calling her little girl and it stuck. Nicknames are LG, mama LG and Lil'Sketchy. Maeby, one of my newest, came into our lives at a point when I wasn't entirely sure about adding another dog to the team. There was a lot of debating, a lot of "maybe"s. I'm happy I took the chance on her.

Share a quick story about one of your indispensable Handlers.

On our first training run this fall my team and I ran head on into a cow moose being chased by wolves. As soon as we all saw each other, the wolves scattered but the cow was now extra upset from running from canines, to running into canines, and she proceeded to beeline it straight for my team. My partner, and trail-support extraordinaire, was following behind in a truck and was able to reach us in time to deter the moose from making contact with my dogs. It was quite a surreal experience, to say the least. Very grateful I had trail support that day..

Tell us about your favorite experience with a volunteer on the trail.

Running the Sunnydale classic in Dawson last year shortly after acquiring one of my current lead dogs, Ghost. We came to a fork in the trail and she was determined to go the way in which her old dog yard is located. Luckily, her former owner was trail support for that race and was able to convince her she wasn't going back to his dog yard; Thanks Guy!