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!

Monday, December 29th, 2008 "I believe in memories They look so, so pretty when I sleep Hey now, and when I wake up, You look so pretty sleeping next to me But there is not enough time, And there is no, no song I could sing And there is no, combination of words I could say But I will still tell you one thing We're better together." Jack Johnson "Better Together" It has been so long since I scribbled something down for the journal that I am not sure where to start. My first thought was to talk about the incredible dog team that I am running this year. I still have 25 dogs in training though and it would take too long. My next idea was to talk about Mike and Julie our all powerful guides. They have entertained our guests and dogs without missing a step even though their workload greatly increased after the Riley bail-out. But then I thought Mike and Julie are so busy that they do not even read the journal so I will just tell them directly for the hundreth and first time how wonderful they are. So what to talk about? How about the woman of my dreams who has lead guests through 15 below zero, rain storms, blizzards, sunny days, and windstorms all in the past few weeks without breaking a smile. Tasha, when you get in from camp tomorrow and see this, I hope you realize how much you are loved for everything you do and everything you are! Posted by Ed

Monday, December 22nd, 2008 For those of you have been following our "puppy progress" this fall, I have news to report from our first sold puppy, Nikishka. Nikishka is one of the "Whistle Puppies", our accidental Siberian/Alaskan puppies born in October. We've sold three of the four pups; the two boys leave right after Christmas and Nikishka left last Sunday with Opal Krout to her new home in Arkansas. Opal flew up here to fetch Niki, and then had quite an experience flying her home. Just when you've lost faith in holiday travel, I thought you would enjoy her story: "...want you to know that I had a great visit with Dr. Tim and everything went smooth (Nikishka had to have a vet check and certificate of health to fly). Had to buy a larger carrier for Nikishka. Sunday and Monday night went great. Found out that she really doesn't like snow. She would go out and then try to sit on my feet and climb under my coat. Just in case you every get asked, I highly recommend the Best Value Inn in Harvey, on the intersection of 28 and 41. They put me up in a 2 room suite at regular price because I had the puppy. They baby sit her when I ate breakfast. One of the workers bought her a canvas toy to play with and while I was eating, she took her all over the motel and would play catch with the toy. Before she got through, Nikishka was running after the thrown toy and bringing it back to her. I've never had a dog that learned "fetch" so quickly. It was AWESOME!!!!! On Tuesday morning, I got to the airport without problem and you wouldn't believe how many TSA personal came over and wanted to hold her. I didn't think I was going to get her away from the Northwest agent. No one asked for any certificate or sized the carrier. She was so quiet on the airplane. No one knew I had a puppy on board until we landed and she started to wooooo!!!!!!!!! In Detroit, I took her into the women's bathroom and got her out of the carrier and let her run around a little. She put a smile on a lot of faces. When I got on the plane in Detroit, on my way to Little Rock, everyone around my seat wanted to see her including the flight attendant. So I let her pop her head out and say "Hi" to everyone. They were all so smitten by her blue eyes. Again, she was quiet on the flight but had to tell everyone goodbye when we landed. Before I got off the plane even the Pilot wanted to see her. She went with me to Petco this afternoon and turned heads everywhere. They have a gathering on Saturdays, where people bring dogs and cats that are looking for homes and try to sell them. Unfortunately for them, when she showed up she turned heads and everyone quit looking at the other dogs for sale. I heard a lot of people say..."Now, I would have bought her for sure." She is a great car passenger. Getting better at house breaking. Walks great on a leash and working on "heel". Has "sit" almost figured out. Her fellow pack members have accepted her and vice versa. I wish I had my camera when She met Winston, my Olde English Bulldogge. Winston immediately went into puppy play position when he saw her and at one time he had his leash on but he was just dragging it. Nikishka went over to him and picked up the end of the leash and started walking him around the room. It was sooooooo cute. They love to run on my back deck and watch for squirrels. Right now, she is asleep at my feet. I would like to think she is just sleeping, instead of just recharging her batteries!" Posted by Tasha


Saturday, December 20th, 2008 It's hard to imagine that at this time two years ago we were looking at grass in the yard, canceling tours, and worried that snow would never arrive. It's also hard to imagine that last year on this same weekend, we had to cancel our first weekend of dog sled rides at Boyne due to warm weather. This year, I'm groaning as I listen to the weather and watch yet another storm system come toward the U.P. It was -25 here last night, which had to be a near record setting temperature reading, and I groaned at that too. So much for winter solstice, it feels like we've been in the depths of winter for some time. Now don't go getting the idea that I'm complaining about winter, but I just can't believe how cold, snowy, and "wintry" it is compared to the past few years. Unlike last year, we were able to start our rides at Boyne Higlands this weekend (yeah!!). We take Ed's main team down for a break from long training runs and they LOVE all the guests and attention. Boyne really spoils us with the well groomed trails and special ammenties. Ed loves the fact that he doesn't have to groom the trails, plow the drive, fix dinner, or make his bed! I took a quick trip down to the resort to make sure the guys had everything up and running (ok, I really went down to sit in the hot tub and go to dinner). Tara, our superstar Boyne employee is back to help with all the "little stuff"; getting guests loaded and unloaded, keeping everyone on schedule, and making sure the dogs keep smiling. Tara is a Sophmore at Petoskey High School and we are thrilled that she wants to spend her weekends (and Christmas break) with us! Oh--speaking of Christmas, I played around the other night and made our very own Kennel Christmas Card. Be sure to check this out...(the dogs are Momo, Gimili and Big Ben). http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/70bTE48NLimDGxmlEDh5 Posted by Tasha


Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 Wow, what a whirlwind of activity! I realized that the last journal entry I made was when I was still trying to make my way out of the big city and head for home. I had a fabulous week on the road, met many great teachers who are doing fabulous things with their students as they use sled dogs as part of their curriculum, and was hosted by many great friends for quick overnight stays. As soon as I got back, there were some major changes that took place at our kennel. Tim Riley, who had been scheduled to run our young dogs in the Iditarod, decided that Nature's Kennel was not for him, and left us for the season. This happened quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Tim had just returned from the Iditarod rookie meeting and seemed very excited about the upcoming race. We are very disappointed as he was gifted with the dogs and worked very hard toward achieving his goals. His wife, Michelle, also decided to head back to her job in Hastings. So, after being hit with this news with less than two days to go before our first tour of the season (with eight middle school students, three teachers, and two overnight stays mind you), we had to go into overdrive mode. I made a "please can you come and save us" call to my dad to ask him to come up and help with the tour, we told Mike that he'd be guiding kids instead of doing a camping trip with Ed, and I got ready to guide instead of getting things organized and prepared. (If you haven't figured it out by now, there is a legitimate reason your emails and phone calls have been a bit delayed!). Ed had already had plans for a presentation at a corporation in Livonia for a company party, so he had to be away on Sunday. Ahh, never a dull moment. The group that came was from Logansport, Indiana. Mrs. Easter, who is in charge of the madness, has been here three times with her students in the past and calls this her "vacation". We need to talk about what qualifies as a "vacation", Ann!! Ann has the monumental task of organizing the trip, doing fundraisers, getting local support, and preparing the kids for this adventure. All we have to do teach them how to dog sled, get them to winter camp, feed them, give high-fives, and makes sure everyone has a good time. We were excited for the group this year as we have a ton of snow, perfect for trails and snow forts. However, when the bus arrived on Sunday, I had to give my introductory talk on the bus as it was pouring rain. The drizzle continued through out the day, my dryer got a workout keeping the kid's clothes dry, and we all made it to camp soaking wet. That night the weather changed, and our soft trails turned to ice, with just enough snow to cushion the trail and make things VERY fast. By Monday afternoon, the temperature had dropped to zero, the snow started falling in buckets, and during the night the kids got to experience 16 below while winter camping. The good news is that the tour was a success. The dogs were amazing as they got harnessesed, re-harnessed, tripped over, loved-up, slept at camp in both rain and a raging blizzard, and covered over sixty miles of trail. The kids had a blast, Mike and I survived the craziness, Ed made it to Detroit and back in record time to help out (and bless his soul spend a night in the tent with the group), and my dad saved us all. Posted by Tasha


Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 While I've been on the road (and only have one more day left!!), life in the real dog world still goes on. Our snowmobile has returned home, so in addition to running dogs, Ed has been finalizing our new touring trail. The trail will leave our kennel, run north across our new property, and then head out onto State land. Our local DNR is very supportive of dog mushing and this year we have an official permit allowing us to put in a well marked, winter-only trail system for all winter enthausists (dog mushers, skiiers, snowmobilers, snowshoers, etc.). I never thought that mushing would involve so many legalities, but since we do operate a commercial dog sledding business, we thought it necessary to make sure that we are following all state laws regarding trail usage and marking. Ok..enough boring legal talk! I received an email today that I could not resist sharing. Darlene Henning owns Here and There Acres, better known as Nature's Kennel Retirement Home. Some of our most beloved dogs live with Darlene (Mouse, Mickey, Quill, Cub, Hiccup and Sneeze). Darlene came on one of our winter tours 4 years ago, and has since become an addict herself. Her son, Cliff, also has caught the sled dog bug (Cliff is also our all-star dog truck driver when we go to the Iditarod), and Cliff has Razzle, Vinnie, Patrick and Sage. Here's Darlene's most recent adventure... "I just had to tell you – "I ran my first race this weekend with the help of Mouse, Sneeze and Hiccup. It was a fun run for Make a Wish in Fond du lac. It was a four dog race, but I hadn’t been on a sled yet this year so I opted for three dogs. It was great! We were passing people left and right and just zipping along. I can’t remember when I had so much fun. I came in pretty much in the middle of the pack – there were 31 mushers and I came in about 14^th. Cliff on the other had, it a fantastic job – I am sure I am going to steal his thunder here – he would have rather been first to tell you, but I can’t wait – He took third. He was running Sister Sage, Quill, Mickey and Razzle – his first purse!" Posted by Tasha

Friday, December 5th, 2008 An update from the road...Momo and Tasha Canine are definately in their element traveling and working the crowds. TC goes crazy when we pull into a school and see all the kids. I roll the window down, she sticks her head out and give a loud "Wooo Wooo". No more sleds and snow for these two, they'd rather ride in the car during rush hour, sleep during the presentations, wake up for a mid-morning snack, take an afternoon nap, get pet by hundreds of kids, and roll around on the carpet. Momo stole the show this morning by scratching her back on the floor in front of a hundred 6th graders. The teachers here at Hillside Middle School let me know the program was excellent. They could tell all the kids were engaged as not one asked to go to the bathroom during the 1 1/2 hour program. I think I can use that as a new marketing promotion, "Pulling Together, keeping students focused on sled dogs, not the restroom." The news from the homefront is snow, snow, and more snow. It sounds like everyone is doing well. Tim Riley headed up to the Iditarod Rookie Meeting, Michele is iloving up my puppies and doing a practice tour run today with our friend John Brown, and Ed and Mike are taking the A team on several really long runs. Our snowmobile and tractor are still out of comission, so the trails are still being packed by dog team and the driveway is being packed by, well, I'm not sure what! I called the tractor repair shop to let them know that the snow is falling in buckets and we NEED to plow the drive. I'm not so sure they quite understoon the urgency. We love snow, but trudging though it makes our life a bit harder. At this rate, the kids from Logansport, IN (who come for their overnight dog sled trip December 14th) may have to bring their shovels along to get into the kennel! Posted by Tasha

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