Dog Mushing
Neyomok, Lead Dog
On the Beach, Gustavus
Meet the team from Gustavus. The Great Alaska Husky Ranch
Alaska! My Great Adventure
Sandy Beach, Juneau
Follow along to meet all the members of the team. I hope you keep checking back in for more stories, pictures, and video of Dog Mushing
Mackenzie River Huskies
An Alaskan Breed of Husky made for Alaskan lifestyle and pulling heavy loads for great distances.
The Leaders of the Pack
Glacier-Wheel Dog, Alpha Male
Glacier is the big guy, Alpha Male, he rules with his quiet Prescence. With a lot of patience. But when he has finally had enough of whatever nonsense, usually the girls, is going on he just walks in between them, stands there and gives that look only a leader can pull off. Then quiet begins again. Glacier and Casa are the biggest well over a 100 lbs so they are the wheel dogs. they have the power to maneuver the sled around corners. But when it comes to work, Glacier is the best at avoiding it. watch the lines and his line is always slack. does just enough work to keep up, letting all the little girls do the work. When all in the house I look in his eye and imagine the only thing he really cares about is Bacon.
Raven-Lead Dog, Alpha female
Raven is another quiet leader. extremely intelligent, The best Lead Dog of the Mackenzie pack. Before Neyomok came along she was always the only one I trusted to go on long rides through the tundra. But she too will only put up with so much, while Glacier uses his quiet bulk, she will tear into anyone who defies her. She had several pups and I always look around to see if anyone has one of her pups.
Neyomok-Joylee’s Lead Dog
Neyomok is a Siberian husky, they were bread for their intelligence and the ability to travel very long distances on very little. Amazing stamina. And oh my did the girls fall in love with him. When ever the Mackinzies escaped I could always count on the girls showing up at my house. Had to put an actual lock on Neo’s chain when he was on his house outside, he figured out how to disconnect every connection I tried. And yep he would escape and beat a path to his girlfriends house. I had a lite weight wheeled sled that one dog could pull and thats how we traveled around Gustavus.
Bear-Line Dog
Bear, the sweetest guy. He just loved everyone. But he always had to have his lap time. All 180 lbs of his fluffy self just had to fit in my lap or he would get so depressed he wouldn’t eat.
The Little Girl Power
Meet the 3 hardest working 50 lb little girls of the Pack
Foxy-2nd Lead Dog
She lives up to her name. the prettiest little thing and she sure knows it. She always wants to be lead dog. we give her a chance once in a while, but oh boy does she get us into trouble. Following a moose path off into the brush. Once she saw a flock of swans in the little lake and dragged us into the water. But always a happy face and looking at us like wasn’t that fun? I did a great job right? Always right there with Kachina when it comes to finding trouble or organizing an escape.
Tearsa-Line Dog
Tears is the sweet and shy little sister. I think her matto is work hard, be quiet and stay out of trouble. Just trying to get along and follow the leader.
Ruby-Line Dog
Oh Ruby, the trouble maker. When its was dinner time, everyone got tied up and fed a mixture of dog and slump, ( whatever meat we had on hand or given by local folks come spring, cooked up in a big pot) Let off house after dinner. Ruby would dump her food on the ground, sit in her house and wait for the others to come eat her food she could have a reason to start a fight. We thought Raven was picking on Ruby, fighting, but it turned out Ruby would walk back and forth in front of Raven wanting to take over top spot in the pack, then Raven would finally have to put Ruby in her place. Poor Ruby just had to eyeball Raven ever so often to try for it, but never won
The Big Girls
Twice the size of the little girls and always ready
Tatiana-2nd Lead dog
Nauty as we call her, smart but very silly. Always ready for whatever everybody else is up to.
Kachina-2nd Lead Dog
Kachina is Foxy’s partner in crime.
Casa-Wheel Dog
Casa the largest girl, sweet and shy, and definitely not the smartest of the pack. If she doesn’t have a dog in front of her to lead she just hasn’t got a clue. unfortunately even though she is the biggest girl she is the lowest in the pack. Whenever hostility breaks out it always ends in pick on Casa.
China-Team Mom
China, the lady that started it all. China’s pups were the biggening of a team. She became the official greeter. Then spends the rest of her time hanging out in front of the heater in the house
Pukilani-Neyomok and Ravens puppy,Siberian & Mackinzie
Mattie-The new Pup, Siberian
Pack Life
Although the dogs had houses they were never chained unless we were mushing or it was feeding time. They lived pack style on 2 acres of land.
The house was also a hang out with us humans. Nothing like having a fur covered floor. And all 160 lbs of Bear just had to have his lap time or he would get depressed
Neyomok was adopted from Homer Alaska. From a breeder that provided Disney with Don Juan, or DJ for short. DJ starred in Disney’s movies Snow Dogs as Demon and Disney’s 8 Below as Max. Fans of the movies loved meeting Neyomok and he was so happy to oblige.
Neyomok
Disney Dog, Don Juan, DJ
Every Morning Mattie would head out into the forest and make her call to the wild. Come back, sit and wait. Then here they came walking into the yard. A Momma Moose and her Calf.
Momma would meander around the yard eating from the bushes, then the Calf and Mattie would play. This went on for an hour or more everyday till mom decided it was time to go. She would have to walk off back and forth a few times before the Calf would finally stop playing and follow.
This might sound ok, but its incredibly rare. Moose are well known for chasing & attacking dogs. To a moose a dog is a wolf.
People would show up just to watch this amazing friendship, not believing that it could possibly be true.
Mattie and the Moose
Mattie and the Moose became so popular in our little town in Gustavus with residents and tourists that the Fish & Game got involved. Claiming that Mattie was harassing the Moose. And if Mattie and the Moose continued to play together they would shoot Mattie. No Matter how much everyone explained they came to play everyday.
So I had no choice but to keep Mattie from going out and calling her Moose Pals. The Moose came everyday anyway for a very long time. But poor Mattie had to watch them through the window. Until they finally stopped coming by.
But about 2 years later I saw a Moose chasing Mattie through the yard. I went out to call Mattie in but by then they were laying in a puddle together cooling off. And I realized this young Moose was her old Pal. I went back in and grabbed the camera but this is the only photo I managed to capture. It was the last time I saw that Moose, he never returned. But it was amazing to see them play just one more time.
After my Husband Mathew died of cancer I got Mattie and named her after him, Mattie Was such a strange husky, friends to animals small and large. I like to think naming her after Mathew she channeled a little bit of his Friendly light. He attracted people to come talk wherever he went. Making friends out of everyone he met.
Mattie and Buck. Buck belongs to friend only known as Gold Miner Dave. Buck decided Mattie was the best pal ever, came running to meat up with Mattie whenever we went to Sandy Beach. Mattie was taken way to soon by cancer at 6 years old. I felt so sad for Buck, every time I went to Sandy Beach Buck would come running and look around for his pal. It was really so sad to watch him looking and waiting for Mattie.