OUR
KENNEL.....
We have 50 dogs that we care for in our racing kennel. Our
dogs also spend their summers on the Juneau Icefield doing
tours for Cruise ship passengers.
All of our dogs were born
and raised at Rubicon Racing Kennels. The breed is the Alaskan
Husky, which is not a recognized breed by the American Kennel
Club, but a mixed breed of working dogs. They are bred for
their performance, not looks. They come from the best bloodlines
in distance dogsled racing (Buser and Swingley). Our pooches
are certainly part of our family and get plenty of love,
care and exercise. Having raised all of our dogs from puppyhood,
there is certainly a strong bond. Another advantage is that
all the dogs have run together their whole life and work
extremely well together.
Most of our training is done near Goose Creek (about 20
miles north of Willow). However, they get trained all summer
in Juneau, Alaska, giving rides to tourists. (Link to Ak
icefield expeditions). Between Matt and Sarah , we hope
to put close to 3,000 miles on each dog before the 2009
Iditarod. Wish us and our dogs the best of luck!
TOP 20 PICKS
We have narrowed our dogs down to the top twenty, and the
best 16 will be on the way to Nome soon. Since we had been
training up to 28 dogs there were some very tough decisions
on who would have to wait until next year. Here are the
Top 20.
-
Trapper
The Patriarch of the kennel. Our main guy who loves to
lead and eat. Matt says "he is the best leader I
have ever run, and my best friend in the world."
Enough said.
-
Carl Lewis
This 5 year old leader is a crowd favorite. We have had
more requests by folks, to turn this ebony beauty into
a couch potato, more than any other dog. People will have
to wait a few years for this fellow, for he is one of
the best athletes in the game. We apologize to all the
female dogs out there, as Carl is neutered.
-
Amp
A strong finisher in the '07 race, this 4 year old is
very much like her dad (Trapper). Always happy and willing
to go. As the most intelligent dog on the team, she will
always implement the commands.
-
Millinocket
AKA Millie. This slightly neurotic blonde is one of the
toughest dogs we know. She has finished in a lot of races
and absolutley loves racing. Unfortunatley, she doesn't
like training and hates doing tours in the summer.
-
Martina
Named after Martin Buser, because he gave her to us as
a puppy. She is one of the main leaders. At five years
old, she doesn't know any commands and has been known
to be "dumber than a box of hair." Where she
lacks in intelligence she makes up for in drive, because
she will go no matter what.
-
Mazama
Named after the vocano in Oregon that became Crator Lake,
in case your wondering. The shyest dog in the kennel also
has one of the best attitudes. She is a 5 year old team
dog.
-
Krakatoa
Like his sister Mazama, "Krak" loves to go.
He will voice his displeasure even if the team slows down
a little bit. He feels most comfortable running in the
team and will never lead. Hopefully, we will never stoop
so low and try to sell Krak.
-
Hasty
She has all the makings of a great leader. At 2 years
old she has it all: drive, attitude, confidence and speed.
A great young prospect for this years Iditarod. She ran
in lead for most of this years Klondike 300. We hope to
get a litter of pups this year from her.
-
Seventh Gear
A brother to Hasty, he is very simaler except he likes
it back in the team. One of Matts favorites, "Seventh"
loves to be loved.
-
Nadi
This 3 year old "little girl", is a real beauty
to watch run. Blessed with a smooth gait, it seems as
though she could go forever. She likes to run anywhere
in the team and has some leadership potential. Another
possible breeder after the race. Turn on's: running and
eating. Turn off's: laziness.
-
Big Daddy Cool
Yes he is very "big", but not neccessarily dumb,
as he understands the commands gee and haw fluently. Unfortunatley,
he will never be a real "daddy" due to a surgical
procedure last year. But we all still think he is "cool."
-
Heavy Duty
He is a 3 year old team dog and a very solid puller. Looks
just like his father Logan, who is out of Happy Trails
Kennel. The only bad thing about that breeding is that
Heavy Duty was a single pup, and we would love to have
more of the same.
-
Double Time
Not one of our strongest leaders, "DT" performs
best in the swing dog position. She is only 2 years old
and we hope she can grow to be a great leader someday.
She is the sister to Hasty, Big Daddy and Seventh Gear,
all of which were named after greyhound racing champions.
-
Electra
She seems to always be in the shadow of her sister Amp.
However, she is a great leader in her own right. Never
does she look tired and worn, but always appears to be
chipper when it is tough going. When it is windy and visibility
is low, you will find Electra in lead.
-
Nintendo
The biggest dog on our team is also our most laid back.
He is a hard driving loper that will not go into a trot
until late in the race. At only 3 years old he is fast
becoming one of the main leaders.
-
Nemo
He mostly runs in swing but will lead enthusiastically
when called upon. He was given to us by Bill Steyer as
a puppy. Nemo is a smaller male, who before being neutered,
sired a litter of his own.
-
Succatash
Will probably not make the team this year due to her age.
She is two years old going on six months and is not ready
mentally. Matt says "she is a french fry short of
a happy meal." Unless, something catastrophic happens
this team dog will remain on alternate status.
-
Queens
An Iditarod finisher last year, she is a very valuble
swing dog, who assists the leaders very nicely. She is
the oldest dog on the team this year at age 6.
-
Ninja
This black beauty was denied the chance to go to Nome
last year because of a minor injury on the very last training
run before the race. Hopfully, she will get a chance to
redeem herself this year.
-
Olive
Oyl
Disliked by all the other females, Olive knows what she
wants and is not afraid to go after it. Although she has
never been in a fight, when all the dogs are loose, you
can hear her growling constantly. Pretty much a team dog,
she usually will run next to a male.
More
kennel history -
Click
Here
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