Meet Our Foster Homes

Bruce
I was fascinated with mushing long before ever coming to Alaska, but I had to wait to step on my first set of runners until finally moving here in 1982. Ever since that first winter, I have kept a kennel that has ranged from 10 to 25 dogs. At different times I've toyed around at the fringes of racing, but for the most part have stayed a 'serious' recreational musher. At one time the dogs were my only winter transportation and they hauled everything from water to sheets of plywood.

Since moving back to Fairbanks a few years ago, I've really come to appreciate how running dogs gives one a chance to disconnect from the usual day-to-day distractions and simply focus. I'm living in Goldstream Valley and, in addition to the SCL fosters, currently keep around a dozen of my own dogs. Most of our runs stay in the 15-20 mile range with a couple of longer camping trips each winter.

Many times I've found that a dog that wasn't working out for a competitive kennel, whether because of age, gait, speed, or stamina, made a fine addition to my own lot. No one has unlimited resources or skills, and finding a better fit is often the best solution for both the humans and the dogs.
Back to fosters page Bruce's training log