Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Racing & Adventures

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Tuesday, June 18th, 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, November 29th, 2008 I'm getting ready to take the dog show on the road. I sometimes feel out of touch with the rest of the country as I sit in the middle of the woods where my main connection to the outside world comes through the internet as I listen to WFUV streaming radio from New York City while watching the chickadees at my birdfeeder. When I do catch a news broadcast (which is about every other day or so) it seems amazing that we are all still alive and that there is life past McMillan. Well, I'm about the throw myself (and Momo and Tasha Canine) into the rush of society. We head toward Chicago tomorrow afternoon for our 10-day school program circuit. I feel it's good for me to be reminded that not everyone lives at the end of a seasonal road, heats their cabin with a tiny woodstove, and has the luxury of skiing or sledding with a pack of dogs at any time. I'll be headed to the world of "luxury" living with power grids, paved roads, and supermarket shopping. Meanwhile, Mike, Tim, Michele, and Ed will have the luxury of running dogs, plowing snow, and holding puppies. Tim has been doing a fantastic job training our young dogs, and his Iditarod team. There's a few series of photos below which illustrate yearling traininig at it's finest. Mike has been working with Ed and the main team. Mike has amazing "dog sense" and will do great this season running the big guns. After packing up her house and talking her boss into a leave of absence, Michele has finally arrived for the season. She's reunited with her Siberians (oh, and husband Tim) and has already had to be drug out of the puppy pens! And Ed, well he's usually either hooking up dogs, unhooking dogs, or scrounging for lunch in between runs. The early snow has brought a bit of winter heaven to us here as there are no snowmobiles on the trails yet, very few people in the woods, and no tours have started yet. It's like having the entire U.P. just to ourselves! Posted by Tasha




Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 Question: What is missing from the photos below? Answer: Fourwheelers!! Yes, snow is here (about 18 inches of it, the earliest significant snowfall in our memories). Yes, quads are in the shed (for at least a while anyway). And yes, we are running sleddogs now insead of quaddogs! We had to make a pretty fast transition from fall training mode to winter training mode. Ed and I took the dogs on a long quad run on Friday in the georgous fall sunshine and on soft sandy trails. We hadn't planned to run on Saturday as it was the openening day of deer season, so we played around the dog yard and watched a few flakes fall from the sky. When we went to bed there wasn't much on the ground but by daybreak, we had about a foot of fresh snow. It hasn't stopped since, so we packed the fourwheelers up and dug out the sleds. Everything didn't quite go as planned, as the snowmobile threw a fuss and refused to start. So, it is now loaded on a snowmobile trailer and headed to the shop. Ed has been religious about starting it each month and now that winter is here, it wants to stay in the shed. To complicate the snow situation even more, our tractor (i.e. snow remover) is at the tractor repair shop with what may be a major transmission problem. Ah, the beauty of winter. I got to experience the madness of winter yesterday by driving to Marquette with Vixen and puppies. I would have delayed my trip but the puppies had to have their dew claws removed (it must be done 3-4 days after birth) so the trip went on. It's about a two hour drive on good roads to Marquette, and on bad, snow covered roads in the middle of a blizzard along the shore of Lake Superior, it can take around three hours. There can certainly be disadvantages to living in a remote area, one being that we are quite a drive from a major town. Marquette is our closest location for major services (Menard's, Target, Dr. Tim's vet hospital, etc.) I usually have a long list of "supplies" on the refridgerator to get when I go on a trip to the "big city". So, the day was scheduled for the trip to Marquette, off we went in the raging snowstorm, and got all our shopping done as well. The next trip ahead is to Escanaba (also two hours away), to pick up meat for dogs and a few other things on the "list". There are also advantages to small town living. I certainly shop less (and spend less money) as there are no stores begging you to "come in and see what's new in our line of plastic junk you don't really need." The other is that everyone in the "neighborhood" is willing to help out. Howard Scherer (a neighbor at a mere eight miles away) came out last week and hauled my tractor to the shop as I didn't have a large flat bed trailer, our postmaster is excited to see us when we come to get the mail, and the Shanty Bar is my UPS pick up and drop off location (and has been known to deliver my packages by snowmachine if I don't get to town in a timely manner to pick them up). Ahh...life at eight miles off the power grid. Posted by Tasha



Friday, November 14th, 2008 November 14, 2008 "Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." --W C Fields Ask Ed Question: Who is the greatest musher of all time? --Chad from California Joe Redington Sr. has been noted as the greatest musher of all time. Because without him, there would not be an Iditarod and without Iditarod, dog sledding would most likely be a hobby, not a sport. As far as racing is concerned though, how great is a Kentucky Derby jockey that rides a mule? Many mushers have been at the top of sport with the help of a good team and that one special lead dog. Musher/Lead Dog combinations like Doug Swingley/Peppee, Rick Swenson/Andy, and Susan Butcher/Granite dominated their competition while the four legged part of the duo remained in their prime. When I reach the top of the sport, I will not be the greatest musher. I will be the human with the greatest dogs. Photo Note: Nature was not* one of the world's greatest sled dogs, but was one of the world's greatest companions. Without Nature, there would have never been a "Nature's Kennel". Posted by Ed


Thursday, November 13th, 2008 Vixen's Puppies are Here!! I've been waiting and waiting all week for puppies to arrive, but after looking at the clandar yesterday, I realized they were not even due until today. And right on time, puppies are here! I took Vixen for her normal morning walk this morning but after we got back toward the puppy pens, she headed under Cindy and Meghan's house and wanted to stay. I got her out and settled into her own pen. About twenty minutes later, two puppies had been born. I headed inside to give her some privacy, and and went out an hour later to find that one more pup arrived. However, all three puppies were very cold and not moving much toward her to nurse. Ed and I quickly hustled Momo and Tasha Canine out of the house to make room for distressed mother and chilly puppies. Our whelping houses are full insulated mega dog houses filled with straw and usually more than suitable for birthing. But, for some reason, Vixen, a first time mother, wasn't doing so well. We made Vixen a nice bed on the floor next to the woodstove, got the puppies warmed up with warm blankets and held them against our skin, and everyone was much happier. Through the afternoon she had three more pups, and now all are nursing and making normal puppy cooing noises. I'm sure Tasha Canine and Momo are NOT pleased with the fact that they are confied to a pen tonight, never mind they have a warm bed of straw, extra chewies, and a huge dog house to sleep in. Hopefully by tomorrow the pups are all doing well and mama is calmed down so I can move them back to the outside pen, and my spoiled house dogs can whine about their night spent as "common" sled dogs. Posted by Tasha


Sunday, November 9th, 2008 Sorry it's been a while since the last journal entry, but website revisions have taken up all my "computer time". There are several inches of snow on the ground here this morning. Yesterday I ran half of Ed's dogs while he took the rest of them and did a camp-out with Dr. Tim. It was a beautiful fall day, great for photos and smiling dogs. I have the other half to run this morning, after I dig out my snowpants and warmer boots!! I think it's time to buy some bird seed. The Whistle puppies are as adorable as ever, very tubby, and fun to bring in the house to hold. We've sold the white male, but still have three who need to be wrapped up and delivered for Christmas! Posted by Tasha

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