We love our dogs more than anything and treat them like the family members they are. Approximately 80% of our dogs are born and raised by us at the homestead, and 20% are acquired from world-class racers who wish their favourite dogs to end up at what has been referred to as the “Club Med” for dogs.
With 50 dogs in our yard it is a little difficult to show them all to you! Here are pictures and profiles of just a few of our four-legged guides. There is no doubt that they all look forward to having the honour of pulling your sled someday!
JACKSON
Age: 8
Born: August 29, 1996 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Princess and Psycho (Quest finishers)
Position: Lead
Jackson is one of our main leaders and a beautiful dog inside and out . Jackson is a perfect example of how dogs with epilepsy can achieve their potential and become tremendous sled dogs with the right medication and training strategy.
On the Herschel Island Expedition in 2001 he was the lead dog on the lead team on the Beaufort Sea, both to and from the Island and was never tired. In a whiteout in which we travelled 90 km in one run with visibility down to 20 metres, his unwavering leadership and determination were truly appreciated!
MOLSON
Age: 2
Born: September 15, 2002 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Tequila and Bailey
Position: Team and lead-in-training
Molson represents the future of Uncommon Journeys. Born into a litter of 9 siblings, he is one of the biggest and strongest males. Pure white, Molson is an exceptionally beautiful dog with great confirmation and an attitude to match. He and his brother Caymus are definitely vying for alpha of the litter, and both are excelling running at lead and at team. His desire to run for our guests is matched only by his excitement at mealtime and he makes quite a show when the dog dish is dropped! With dogs such as Molson waiting in the wings, we are confident that the future of Uncommon Journeys is in capable (and enthusiastic) paws.
HERSCHEL
Age: 4
Born: July 12, 2000 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Annie and Chubby
Position: Wheel and lead
Herschel is the largest and strongest dog in the yard. With a weight of close to 90 lbs., Herschel has the bulk and strength to pull just about any load. He lives to pull and would have made an incredible weight pull competitor if he had received that type of training. Fortunately for our heavier guests, he loves pulling sleds for a living! And fortunately for the rest of our dogs he is an incredibly gentle giant who loves the company of people as much as other sleddogs. For a dog of his size Herschel is unusual in that he has the size to be a tremendous wheel dog, yet also has a fast enough trot to do well at lead. Herschel has absolutely beautiful eyes, one icy blue and one eye which is half blue and half brown. This unusual combination inevitably makes him a favourite of our female guests. Herschel knows he has this effect on women, and has been known to lick our female guests’ cosmetics off with one slurp of his racquet-sized tongue!
TEX
Age: 10
Born: 1994 Hans Gatt’s Kennel Atlin, British Columbia
Position: Lead and Team
Tex is one famous dog! He has been on all three consecutive Yukon Quest winning teams for Hans Gatt (2002, 2003, 2004). Even more astounding, he won the race in 2004 as a nine year old. Another example of how incredible these dogs are, Tex has had such a tremendous career in spite of the fact that he has asthma and can only train once there is snow on the ground! Finally showing signs of slowing down, Tex was given to us from Hans knowing how well we would care for him. Tex, like all of Hans’s dogs, is very well trained and incredibly giving. We fell in love with Tex the moment he arrived and know he will make someone an amazing pet in a year or so.
MILES
Age: 6
Born: February 26, 1998 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Dawson and Amy
Position: Lead
Miles has really come into his own in the last two seasons. His confidence gets stronger with each week of training and his desire to lead is inspiring. Miles is another favourite of our guests and he has three families all wanting to adopt him in a couple years. He is truly a big suck and knows just the body language necessary to entice guests to come and rub his belly! At 70 lbs. and a veteran of the Herschel Island Expedition, Miles is another big boy and when he surges off the line you can feel it all the way back at the sled! 2005 looks to be a big year for Miles with him possibly looking to become the alpha male of the yard with Percy finally showing signs of slowing down.
NICOLAI
Age: 5
Born: 1999 at Harold Tunheim’s kennel in Norway. Acquired from Hans Gatt.
Position: Lead and Team
Nicolai is one of our latest adopted dogs. He came in 6th in the Iditarod as a two year old with Harold Tunheim. Hans Gatt purchased him from Harold that year and ran him in the next year’s Quest, dropping him in Dawson as he was overheating. Nicolai is part Greenlandic dog and as such has incredibly thick fur which is perfectly suited to our camping trips and expeditions to the Beaufort Sea. He has a very friendly disposition, incredible endurance and a “can do” attitude which makes him a real asset up at lead.
HARLEY
Age: 5
Born: September 26, 1999 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Ruby and Buma (Multiple Wyoming Stage stop winner)
Position: Lead
Harley has developed into one of our most dependable lead dogs. She will run with anyone and is eager to please. She is long and lean and has an exceptional trot that she can continue when most other lead dogs are forced to lope. Harley loves to camp out and finds the woods to be a fascinating place. She will study a raven or squirrel for hours allowing them free access to her food dish once she has had her meal! Harley is an incredibly loving dog and we hope that she is maturing into the alpha female of our yard.
JUNIOR
Age: 5
Born: 1999 Acquired from Darren Roraborough, Fairbanks, Alaska
Position: Lead
Junior ran the Quest in 2002 coming in 10th with Rookie of the Year, Shannon Brockman of Fairbanks. We acquired him from Darren, as Junior did not enjoy the stress of the race scene but he loved to pull. He is a true Gee/Haw leader who enjoys teaching younger lead dogs. In 2004 he was selected to be Harley’s mentor and partner at lead and the two dogs obviously enjoy each other’s company. We are looking to Junior to step up and be one of the lead dogs on the lead team this year and so far he is showing all the signs of becoming one of our all-stars!
WILLOW
Age: 8
Born: August 29, 1996 at Uncommon Journeys
Parents: Princess and Psycho (Quest finishers)
Position: Lead
Willow is probably the dog most often remembered by our guests. Houndy in appearance and behaviour, she absolutely loses her mind when it is time to run. Many photographs have been taken with Willow two feet off the ground just seconds before the take-off! What makes her all the more amazing is that she is one of the meekest and sweetest dogs in our yard. She has been a key member of our team on every big trip we have completed over the past six years, including Herschel Island. As one of the first puppies ever born at Uncommon, Willow has found a very special place in our hearts and she will most likely be retired here at the Homestead spending her last years on our bed!
BETA
Beta is a real success story for Uncommon Journeys. He had been abandoned at the local Humane Society shelter and had lived in a small enclosure for over a year. Rod and Martha went to the shelter to discuss a donation to the shelter and fell in love with Beta immediately! Beta was brought home that night and he immediately jumped on top of his house and howled at the moon! He is a strong dog and has turned in to an incredible sled dog. He joined us for the Tombstone expedition this April, performing exceptionally well and will undoubtedly find himself on the sea ice headed to Herschel Island one day!
