Super Alaskans
Hi there and a great beginning of March to you all! The warmer weather has continued from last week with lots of sun and the temperatures between -5˚ - 0˚ celsius degrees. Luckily, not heavy snow falls. We've got some rest after the busy times and I think my face got some colour already!
"Today I start with our super Alaskan huskies that are all part of our future racing team."
I will start a series of posts where I introduce our dogs in few different "categories". I will talk about our dogs a lot in the future since they are our children after all so it will be a lot easier for you to follow the stories if you know who am I talking about.
Today I start with our super Alaskan huskies that are all part of our future racing team. Compared to the traditional and classic Siberian huskies that you see in all the movies and advertisements Alaskan husky is officially a mixed breed. During the past decades the breed has been mixed with different athletic breeds in order to develop their long distance running talent and abilities. They are, even scientifically proved, the best long distance runners of all the dog breeds. Due to the mixing Alaskan huskies sometimes look very different compared to Siberians with different body shape and more variety in the colour and length of their fur coat.
At the moment we have 6 Alaskan adults and and 4 youngsters that are 9 months old now and already training with the adults every now and then. In addition to that we also have younger Alaskan puppies that are still living a kindergarten life. So let's go!
Qilak
Born in 2015
Leader dog
Qilak is the first Alaskan husky we got. She came to us from our friends when she was less than 3 years old and has been our trusted team leader ever since. Her talent and soul shine brighter than the cosmic light. No matter what happens out on the trails we can count on her senses and wisdom that is beyond our understanding. Her name 'Qilak' means 'sky' in Alaskan native languages.
Anyu
Born in 2015
Leader/team dog
Anyu is a sister of Qilak but she joined our family later, in 2019. Like her sister, she is also one of our most reliable leaders and runs besides Qilak most of the times. Anyu has a humble and calm heart and she is always ready for new and exiting adventures. Her name 'Anyu' means 'packed snow' in Alaskan native languages.
Atka
Born in 2019
Wheel/team dog
Atka is Qilak's son and born here at our kennel. He is a goofy boy with lots of energy and power. He would just love to run, always. Atka is one of our biggest males and looks a bit funny with his ears and eyes but he's super kind. His name 'Atka' means 'king' in Alaskan native languages. I'm sure he knows it.
Vassi
Born in 2019
Wheel/team dogs
Vassi is an energetic and playful boy with great talent for long distance running. He was born in Sweden and came to delight us last summer. This is our first winter together and we are convinced that he is a perfect match to our pack and team. Vassi has gotten his name from a lake in the Swedish Lapland called 'Vassijaure'.
Harley
Born in 2019
Team/wheel/leader dog
Harley came to us last summer together with Vassi. Her spirit is, what you could describe, electric and she sparks inner fire. Harley has a deep passion for running that comes from her parents and family lines. She has a unique way of smiling with her ears and she loves stealing everyone's attention with her sweet princess like manners.
Iditarod
Born in 2017
Team/leader dog
Iditarod is our smallest sled dog but you must not let her size fool you, she is super strong. Iditarod joined our pack a bit over year ago and once she came she stole our hearts with her calm but fierce soul. Even though she is born in Finland at our friend's kennel her parents and family are all from Alaska. Her name 'Iditarod' comes from a name of a village and also the name of the world's longest sled dogs race 'the Iditarod Sled Dog Race' in Alaska.
Singa
Born in 2020
Future leader/team dog
Singa is one of Iditarod's puppies that were born at our kennel last May. She is very much like her mother by her nature and actually best friends with Iditarod as well. From the first moment she went running with the team she was ready. Such an amazing talent. Despite her young age she has already been running in the lead with Qilak as well and did super good. Her name 'Singa' means 'lion' in Indonesian language and she got the name from her lion like colour.
Kaltag
Born in 2020
Team dog
Kaltag is also one of Iditarod's puppies. Like Singa he also reminds a lot of her mother. This smiling boy is a super talented sled dog and has been running with the team already on our longer training expeditions like a pro. He hasn't tried running in the lead yet but we are quite sure he will also be a leader dog in the future. His name 'Kaltag' comes from a name of a village in Alaska. One of the check points in Iditarod Sled Dog Race is in Kaltag.
Nome
Born in 2020
Team/wheel dog
Nome is also a son of Iditarod. He is the most energetic and the wildest one of this litter but also the lap dog of them. Like his siblings he knew the drill of being a sled dog from the very first time he was running with the team. Like Kaltag's name, his name 'Nome' comes also from a name of a village in Alaska where the Iditarod race's finish line is located.
Polar
Born in 2020
Team/wheel dog
Polar is the fourth puppy of Iditarod's litter. His appearance is the most similar with their father who has also come from Alaska few years back and lives at our friend's kennel. Polar's character is something between Nome and Kaltag, not that calm than Kaltag but also not the energetic than his blonde twin. At first, Polar needed a bit more training how to run with the team than the others but now he's already a super dog. He got his name 'Polar' because he looked like a little polar bear cub when he was a tiny puppy.
Senja, Kaamos, Alta, Muotka, Murmur and Metsä
Born in August 2020
This group of six piranhas are still growing to become sled dogs. Their parents belong to our friend but they have been living at out kennel since they were two weeks old. They are, what we call, in their kindergarten phase where they play, wrestle, eat and sleep. Of course they have already started practicing running with harness and leash and basic life skills of sled dogs. They will most likely to be able to start running with the team a little bit in late spring but more properly next Autumn.
What's next?
So here are all our Alaskans. The present team and the future stars. We are so happy about the lines that we are able to breed and have in our team and so excited to see how they will go in all the future races that Jussi will take part in. Next week I will introduce the next 'category' of our dogs. Which one? That's a secret until next Thursday. Let's wrap this post up with a picture of the super team taking off for an adventure with Jussi!
Life is the best, enjoy!
xx, Inka
