Sled dogs

We just got home from BC.( Canada). Plenty of snow and good trails. We ran the dogs 5 of the 7 days we were there. The last two runs were 40 milers up a nice hill. Dogs doing well in general, all tho we are down to 11 reliable dogs now. Early injuries, limited number of dogs and training opportunities make it hard for us to keep more dogs in training. Not like this is a new problem just a long standing frustrating annual issue not likely solved unless we quit our jobs and MOVE!.( not) Our first major race was just canceled due to too much snow and bad weather. We are still debating a big Montana race in FEB 2008. Not sure if the dogs or Joe are ready for the challenge but we may just go anyway:):)
NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED.

Jessica is back home for 4 months, John is in IRAQ. Tight quarters and 2 stubborn women will make life a challenge but we will get thru it!!
Poor Joe...
Leanne starts a NEW job tomorrow, better pay and nicer group to work with. Jeff has started college part time while he works, 3-4 years to get his computer engineering degree. It is never to late to start, way to go Jeff. My business Alpine outfitters grew 40% last year and the way orders are rolling in already we should see that percentage rise. Nice to see the momentum but the work load has been rough on me. I have 2 full time employees and 1 part time bookkeeper. Being the boss has it moments..
Right now I would rather be in Wyoming running dogs.
Seems the old adage is still true for us:
It is either Time & NO Money or Money and NO Time.
Oh for a winning Lotto ticket:)
Back to the grind for now..

Becky 1-6-2008

The Christmas Letter - Our Year in a Nutshell...

“Whatever does not destroy me makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzche

This past year has been a rollercoaster ride of events for our family. None of us could have foreseen what was in store for us this year.

Joe and Becky didn’t get the chance to race the dogs much at all last year. About a week before they had planned to leave for the Wyoming race, Jessica had to be taken in for emergency surgery. She was originally scheduled to have her gall bladder taken out in February. Her body didn’t seem to want to wait that long, so after many trips to the E.R., they decided to just get it out of her a.s.a.p. It took her a few months to get back to normal but she is doing much better now.

Then, in March of this year, Joe hit the big one. That’s right, 50. We had the black balloons, black beads, and black cake to celebrate. We took him out mid-night bowling and he had a great time. Although he had received his present about 9 months before his actual birthday, he was still in good spirits. In case you didn’t hear about his big present, Becky bought him a 2007 Firefighter Special Edition Roadking Harley Davidson. I think it’s the best present he has ever received. He loves it and they take it out every chance they get.

In April, Joe took a trip to the Doctor for a sore throat that would not go away. This led to many tests and the eventual prognosis of tonsillar cancer. He had the tonsil removed and was given 8 weeks of Radiation and Chemotherapy. It was hard on his body and he lost quite a bit of weight. It was a chore to try and eat. Unfortunately, the only thing he could eat with out too much pain was chicken noodle soup. The ordeal was hard on us all. This is the strongest man we know, the one who runs into burning buildings to save lives, so it was quite hard for us to see him in pain. A few months after the treatments he went back to the Dr. for another PET/CAT scan where he found the cancer had gone into remission. He is now on an amazing road to recovery – unfortunately for us, as he has begun to recover we have seen his appetite return in full effect – we can barely afford to feed him.

September was a stressful yet exciting month for us all as well. On September 22, 2007 Leanne and Jeff were married. It was the event of the year. The wedding was beautiful and so was bridezilla. We were all so happy to be part of that magical day. After the wedding they fled to Maui for 10 days. They loved it so much and had such an amazing time; they didn’t want to come home!

All in all the year has been a test for us. It tested our strength as humans and as a family; however, it seemed to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. We had so many people who offered to help us in anyway they could. Thank you everyone for your support through the tough and joyous moments of this past year.

Happy Holidays everyone, and a wonderful New Year to you all.

Everyday stuff

Things around here have been insane. we are suffering from a successful business.
The orders have been coming in steady and strong from months now. Even with the addition of 2 more to the sewing staff we are working 16 hours a day to get thru the holidays.

Joe had his 3 month check up and is still cancer free. He still a long road to go but each day gets easier. He is training the dogs for 3 races this year. Our main focus is going back to do the RACE to the Sky in Montana. It has been 12 years since we last raced there. We are looking forward to that racing format again.

Jessica's boyfriend John is headed to Iraq in JAN 08.( he is in the Air Force)
She is sad but supportive. We pray for his safe return home.

Leanne and Jeff are back from the Hawaii honeymoon, tans faded and both back to work.

We will be heading to Canada after Christmas for a week to run dogs in the snow.
January starts the racing season and our usual sled dog equipment order crunch..

back to the sewing sweat shop for me now.

Happy Holidays

Thanksgivng.

Thanksgiving
We are blessed with the best of both worlds.
For many years now we have been celebrating our holiday in Canada. Since Canadian turkey day is in October we get turkey dinner twice!.

this year was very special since ALL the kids and their significant others were able to join us. We packed up all the dogs, boarded the cat and headed North for the weekend.
cool temps, and a teaser of snow greeted us.

We ran dogs, played board games and a few games of pool. Yes their is a pool table in the cabin..go figure, eh?

We took our annual Christmas card photo at a friends log home down the road.

It was by far the best Turkey day we have had so far.

Enjoy the holidays

Dirt racing

I have been lack in my postings. Busy time of year for us with training for the races and sewing for Alpine.

Joe is back to work and feeling pretty good. He still has mouth pain and eats with caution. He has put back on ALL the weight he lost during treatment so he is recovering anyway..hee hee.

We entered the dirt race In Roslyn, WA. Joe WON his class running 10 dogs about 8+ miles each day. I ran the 6 dog mid class and place 3rd. Great training and getting to see old friends make this a special weekend for us.

Now on to the training grid for snow racing..

Pinewood Fun Run..Canada

Another successful year for getting together and having fun with the dogs.

I think everyone who attended had a good time. The weather was great for the event and the food was awesome. Richard and Paula are the ultimate hosts.

Joe and I were glad to once again share our slice of heaven with old friends and some new ones.

We talked about hosting an event next year Called the "I-dirt-a rod".

A three day camping /training run on dirt. Non-competitive but with some local support. Any thought or comments PLEASE let us know we welcome your ideas.

Thanks again for making this a great weekend for us.

Joe & Becky

The Rescue

Just when you think you have everything back to some normal...

Over the last year + there have been a group of dogs in a shelter in Northern California.

Victims of a musher who got in over his head and did the wrong thing. ( that is a story for another blog) The dogs were being held as evidence and were finally released. They has only a few weeks to find homes or be put to death. A Local GOOD Musher stepped up and too over. We were asked to help these dogs out.

Joe and I made a 1400 mile round trip to pick them up. We ended up with 4 of them.

Could you leave 2 behind to be put down ?

4 young males..they had been in the shelter for over a year since they were 4 months old.

The staff did not socialize them at all. They could not even get near them.They had NO collars on and were terrified of anything that moved.

Needless to say catching them, putting collars on and taking them to our dog truck was a chore.

After 12 hours of driving home I was surprized to see them calmed down and ready to join our group. They have adapted better than I expected.

They LOVE the soft beds and treats and toys we have for them now. They watch our other dogs and I hope they will learn from them HOW TO BE DOGS again..

They want attention and like it when we do pet them. They do however need a great deal of special one on one work. Unfortunally we had only planned on taking 2 so the task is a bit more than we were ready for.

Jessica has named them George, Fred, Percy and Ron for the Weasley brothers in Harry Potter.

Seems to fit .

If anyone out there has the time, space and a desire to help one of these dogs , let us know.

They really need to be one on one to learn that people and the world are a good place. I think they will be awesome companions. They deserve a chance....You can see it in thier eyes.

Second hand dogs do really give first class love...