Second Chance League

I wanted to run so badly, that I hooked up 6 dogs and ran around Sweren a few times. I put Just (from Daisy Acres) in wheel, along with Angel (yearling), Rondy (SCL yearling) and Skuuga (yearling) in swing, and Feather and Thelma (yearling) in lead. The only dogs I had run before were Skuuga and Feather, so I had no idea how the others would do. Angel wasn't too sure and didn't pull at all, but the others did GREAT! Just is an amazing dog...he was so hard on that tug and his back leg muscles were just bulging! What an awesome dog. :o) Now, as long as he can do the distance, he's going to totally rock! He's fitting in quite well. :o)

Rondy is another little dynamo. She was hard on the tug the whole time. I ran 3 loops (1 mile each loop). Angel ran one and then I took her out. We tried Ashley, Angel's sister, but she was too scared, so we took her out and put Minerva in there. Wow, did that team rock! I had a SPRINT team! Ha ha ha! Thelma wasn't too sure about leading a second time out of the yard, so I stopped and put Skuuga up front. She led ok if she was on the right, but not so well on the left and she kept trying to dive down driveways. So, I stopped and put Minerva in lead....whew, did we take off! We were going so fast, that I was riding the drag...you sprinters can keep that kind of speed! Yikes! Ha ha ha! We did so well, that I took them around a third time. Then we came in and all of the dogs looked good, were still excited and probably could have gone around again. I like ending on a good note like that. Devlyn rode in the sled with me the whole time and would stand on the brake while I switched dogs, untangled, whatever. He had a blast too. Then he came in and ate 3 helpings of dinner!

I did forget to take the camera out to get pictures, so I'll have to do that tomorrow to put updated pics of the dogs online. If Rondy keeps doing as well as she did today, she'll be staying right here at RSK. :o) Man, but I love good runs!

-Tammi

Munchkin ran in the 2 dog class at this year's Valley Funale at Pleasant Valley store. Boy is that dog strong! She was paired with Herod, Devlyn's main dog and those two made a very powerful, fast pair. Munchkin was beautiful out there, putting everything she had into that 1/4 mile run. Then, once Devlyn finished, Herod and Munchkin took another girl around a few minutes later. As soon as they finished that run, they immediately did another one for the next young girl. Herod and Munchkin gave Devlyn a 7th place finish (he did most of his run on his knees, the poor kid!), gave the next girl the 1st place finish, and the last girl a 4th or 5th place finish. Way to go Munchkin and Herod!!! I told everyone I could that Munchkin was an SCL dog and was encouraging folks to take a look at SCL dogs. Later, I found out that Donna was there with Beau, and he did great for her kids, giving them a 1st and 3rd place finish in the 1 dog class. You gotta love these dogs!!!

Rondy is doing well here at RSK and sure is a sweetheart. Her loving nature fits in perfectly and she looks great. I was planning to run yesterday, but I'm trying to let my back heal a bit more before I beat it up again out on the trails. The warm weather is making the trails a bit punchy, folks are plowing up roads and such, so that makes for some rough runs when we're jumping piles of snow and running down icy streets. I can't wait to get Rondy out there though with a few other new dogs to see how they all do. Rondy is still a pup, so won't be doing too much this spring.

Jenny is coming back to us. Though she ran really well, her shyness is just a bit too much for my friend. That's alright though, as we're putting Jenny up as a Kantishna(sp) candidate. I'd love to see Jenny go to an understanding home where she can work through her shyness and do what she loves, which is run! That is one thing...you see a different girl once you hook her into the gangline. I doubt Jenny will ever get completely out of her shyness, but she sure is one heck of a sled dog. She's a good leader as well, though you have to watch the shyness when passing other mushers.

Well, I'm off. Happy Monday and Happy Spring everyone! :o)

Today, Jenny will be going to her new kennel for a trial run. Manny will be picking Rondy up (she was in isolation at a friend's kennel due to kennel cough), and will be swapping her with Jenny. Jenny has been with us for a year now and though she is getting a bit better, she's still really shy. However, the person interested in Jenny is good with shy dogs and just like me, likes to work with these dogs to help them develop into good working dogs. Jenny does run lead, though I swear she has a governor and doesn't ever break out of her efficient little trot, not even down hills (not that I mind that...I keep my dogs a bit slower on downhills to avoid injuries). I will keep everyone posted on Jenny's progress as things go.

I'll try to get a picture of Rondy up today or tomorrow, time permitting. Grades are due at school in the next few days, which has me quite busy. I look forward to getting out there with Rondy and working with her and the other 2 "sprint" dogs we have in the kennel (Thelma and Skuuga). Additionally, we've added Rocket and Dusk to our kennel. They came from Eric and Melanie Butcher and are truly nice boys. Both ran in my CC 200 team last weekend and did well, though my team came down with a virus that, coupled with my back injury, found us scratching at Pleasant Valley Store, the halfway point on the 200 mile race.

Check back for updates on Jenny and Rondy. You can also check out our kennel blog at http://runningswiftkennel.blogspot.com. Have a great day folks!

-Tammi n the furkidz

Rondy is the newest addition to Running Swift Kennel. She is a nice little 10 month old pup, who has a very sweet demeanor and a wonderful attitude. She was turned over to the shelter from a sprint kennel, who stated that she was too slow for an open team. At only 10 months, and being a hound at that, there's no way to know whether Rondy is too slow or not. That's ok with us. We'll train her and work with her over the next year to see how she starts developing. In our experience, it takes about 2 years for a hound to fully develop. They need to be given the chance to grow and mature into sled dogs. Therefore, we'll wait to see how she does over time.

Currently, Rondy is in isolation due to a bad case of kennel cough. We will not start working with her in harness for about 2 weeks, once she is over the illness. Doc May put her on antibiotics and she'll just be resting and getting well. I'll post pictures a bit later and get Rondy added to our website.

Good news! We have someone who is interested in our shy, little Jenny! In about a week or two, Jenny will go out on a trial run, to see how she'll do with another musher/team. I'll post updates as they occur. :o) In the meanwhile, we're preparing for the Chatanika 200, which starts next Friday, March 17th. Wish us luck! I'm thinking I may need to shop for a wetsuit if the warm weather keeps up! Ha ha ha!

-Tammi n the hounds

Hello again. We were all caught up in the Quest 300 and the aftermath (what a wicked trail/weather this year!) and didn't get on a computer much in the past weeks. I ended up with a back injury and then a freak of an infection in my foot, which required minor surgery and a short lay up. Needless to say, I haven't been on the runners at all. However, I've finally been able to get my shoes/boots back on (Yea!) and will be running this weekend. That is, AFTER my son races in the JNAC. The Junior North American Championship Races start today, March 3rd and run through Sunday, March 5th. Devlyn is racing in the 2-dog class and is very excited. He'll be running with Herod and Lovey as his dogs. Both are good, solid dogs who are wonderful with children. Come on out to the ADMA track and root the kids on. Plus, they are always in need of sled handlers and volunteers; so, I know that everyone would appreciate the help if you are willing and able.

Jenny is still hanging out with us, though she was not in my Quest 300 team. We were worried that her shyness would compound and create a lot of problems on the trail. It was a good thing that we didn't take her, with all of the problems that developed on the race! Still, she'll be hitting the trails again soon, as we train younger dogs and get these newer dogs on the trails more (Skuuga, Swift). We are also gaining an addition to the kennel. Rondy, the 10 month old pointer cross that Carol K. skijored with, will be our newest foster. If she does well (which I really feel she will), she will be adopted by us. She sure is a sweet girl and I look forward to working with her.

If you are interested in reading about my Quest 300, click on the link below for the News-miner story:
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113%257E7244%257E3238939,00.html

Cheers!
-Tammi and the hounds