Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures

Blanche The Beautiful Retired leader, rainbow bridge

We lost our beautiful Blanche late in the fall of 2012, at the age of 17 and a half. She was doing really well until the only other old dog passed away…then she got very sick.

Blanche was a gorgeous 17 year old gal, retired for many years but was able to go for long walks until she was in her 16th year.  One of my many beautiful all-white Siberians.  When she arrived here at age 9 she brought so much class to our team.  Most important, she really taught me what a leader could do. She was flawless, led with confidence and grace and retired with flair. After a career of being PERFECT she suddenly started steering the team where she wanted to go…HOME! She took the shortest route home over and over again, and finally with the help of an animal communicator I got her message. She lived in the house where she received the special attention and appreciation all wonderful old sled dogs deserve.

Blossom The Awesome Team Dog, can also run Lead

Blossom is Kubota’s daughter and has his same coloration. She is really cute. She has become a leader in training and is showing lots of potential. She is also a very hard worker. In the kennel she is loads of fun and very playful. She is Smudge’s favorite girl and Tart’s mother. Her nicknames include Bossy Blossy.

Bodhi The Boisterous Young Lead Dog

Bodhi is a big handsome cutie, one of the white dogs. He is always making his fur brown by constantly cave digging.  He is friendly, boisterous, smart and very strong. He is also a obedience dog, his summer 2010 participation in AKC Rally trials earning his his Rally Novice title. He is running lead this winter with Twinkle and doing a great job. He can set a nice pace and keep the team going where they need to go.

Bridget The Bouncy Team Dog

Bridget is a pretty and vibrant white girl. She is sweet-tempered but lives to run and wants to be up front!  She loves to play with her pals in the kennel and gets along with anyone.  She is the most like her mother, Rainy, of all my Rainy kids.  She loves letting loose sweet songs from her delicate muzzle.

Darka The Darling Team Dog, can also run Lead

Darka is a sweet and calm girl with a dark sable coat. She is extremely pretty and well behaved. She loves to go to obedience classes or show handling classes. She does tap dances for her favorite people and lavishly wags her tail. She is one of the dogs who calls up the team. If we have stopped on the trail for a few more minutes that she thinks is necessary she will spank the ground with her feet and let out a few barks and all the dogs know it is time to go again. She is beautiful to watch work, she moves flawlessly.

Denali The Delightful Team Dog

Denali is a gorgeous, fluffy and thick-coated grey girl.  She is delightful and a luxury to pet and play with.  She has such a sassy look to her when her coat is in full, very nearly buxom!  She is the howl starter of my kennel, stamping her cute feet on top of her dog house and letting out staccato yelps. Other than being a bit noisy she is a very very good girl.

Hakka The Handsome Team Dog

Hakka is a very big handsome boy.  He is a boy in a puppy suit, very huggable and lovable.  He is good as gold.  He works so hard in harness that sometimes if he takes a wee break the team thinks I have hit the brakes. (He was aptly named after a serious snow tire!)  He is easily as strong as 3 normal huskies.  He is my gentle giant.

Java Bean The Joyful Team Dog

Java Bean is a totally joyful boy. He is white like his his siblings, but he prefers to stay clean.  He loves to run in harness and also to be shown in the AKC conformation ring. He loves attention and to be sung to.  In Whatleigh’s fantasy world, he played the part of BOLT in the movie of the same title.

Kubota the Cuddler Lead Dog

Kubota is the handsome fellow I think of as the poster boy of my kennel. He is very cuddly. His dark sable coat and beautiful parti-eyes are a treasure. Anyone who takes the time to get to know him is rewarded with some serious leaning and possibly with him squishing into your lap! He is an excellent leader, very excited to do his part. These days he often runs just behind the younger leaders as a backup in case they forget commands. Now that he is a bit older he is not fast enough to put up front. Kubota is also a dog I really enjoy showing in the AKC conformation ring. He moves out beautifully and I always feel really proud to accompany such a handsome dog around the ring!

Nikka The Wise Lead Dog

Nikka is a wise-beyond-her-years black and white girl.  She may be retiring before this next season but I cannot think of any of my favorite mushing adventures without warm thoughts of her.  Nikka is the smartest and most trustworthy lead dog I have ever run.  She has always been rock solid with her commands, but more than that she has the ability to keep her head and do the right thing no matter what it is ~ new terrain, new trail, or a new challenge. She is one of the original team members at Barking Brook.

Pearl The Perfect Team Dog

Pearl is a lovely grey and white girl who I often refer to as “perfect”. She is a hard working sled dog, tender mother to her pups, fun obedience dog (funny too…sometimes choosing someone else to be obedient too in class!) and fabulous snuggler.  She can run anywhere on the team including lead.  She has lovely manners in the house, on the team and the kennel.  She is the mother to Blossom and Boomer.

Pema The Prettiest Team Dog

Pema is a gorgeous white girl with a creamy thick coat.  She is sweet and polite but don’t pass her by without petting her!  She loves to have her nose kissed.  She is an excellent worker and would be a great leader except that she likes to run on the left hand side of the trail.  She was named after Pema Chodron, a buddhist nun.

Rainy The Happiest Team Dog, retired Lead Dog

Rainy was the lead for our team until 2009 when she retired to point position.  She is pretty, dainty and delightful. She is the mother of 2 fabulous litters of puppies.  Her puppies at BB are Java Bean, Pema, Bridget and Bodhi.  She loves babies of all sorts and often stays in the house to help me tend our human baby, Emma-Lizzie.

Siepa The Soulful Team Dog, can also run Lead

Siepa is a soulful boy. He is a handsome black and white fellow with eyes like warm cocoa.  He is smart, gentle, and loves to be cuddled.  However in harness he is very intense. He can be counted on to bring the team home from any position and takes his work very seriously. He is one of the original team members at Barking Brook. I never ran him in lead until one day I realized he had learned his turn commands solidly. Now he gets to run up front on occasion, though the responsibility seems to weigh heavily on him.

Super Smudge Team Dog

Smudge: cuddles like a lap dog, blazes a trail like a jet, wags like a happy hound! Smudgie is a handsome devil, dark sable with crazy parti-eyes.  He has a zillion nicknames, more than any dog in the kennel.  He is a great little sled dog, hard working and happy.  But he has other talents too…he can wiggle his eyebrows!  He is also a great cuddler. He is a little smaller than my other male dogs, so perhaps I have let him get away with jumping up more than I should have. But I do have to say he is light on his feet and so good at making my heart melt. He is kind of fun to hug, always gives a big smile and a long gentle gaze. Sometimes I just grab hold of his cute paws and let him have my undivided attention just because he asked for it. Why not? You only live once. Smudge is a sure fire worker on the dog sled tour team. His enthusiasm to take off (yipping, jumping in the air, wagging his tail furiously) is easy to see. He often runs next to his pretty daughter little Sweet Tart. They make a nice pair with their wildly marked faces and dark coats. Lovely!

Tart The Tender Team Dog

Tart is a cute little girl who has loads of personality (that might be plural…).  I expect great things of this tiny wearer of many nicknames (Tartlette, Sweet Tart…)  Tart was named after the desert Treacle Tart.  She is much like her father, Smudge, full of life and hilarious sounds. Lately she is reminding me of the little dragon Iskierka in the Temeraire book series.

Triton The Intrepid Team Dog

Triton is possibly the softest and plushest dog I have ever met.  His golden undercoat is like a cloud, and I cannot pass a day without burying my face in his forehead and kissing him.  Triton loves to run in harness but we have to be careful of warm temperatures because of his heavy coat.

Tula The Terrific Team Dog, can also run Lead

Tula is a big, gorgeous gray girl.  Her beautiful brown eyes melt your heart and her pretty coat and tail are sexier than a little black dress. She is an invaluable team member, hard puller and no nonsense sled dog. She is smart and opinionated so therefore challenging but rewarding to work with in obedience. She has competed in AKC Rally trials and completed her Rally Novice degree summer of 2010.   If she were a human she would have played rugby for sure!  She is very physical, springing up and down from her large dog house with incredible power.  All this energy translates to a great dog to have on the trail.

Turbo the Super Charged Team Dog

Turbo is a special boy. He lost sight in one of his eyes fairly young, but did not let that slow him down.  He is a big cuddly bear and also an extremely hard working and fast dog.  He gives 100% when the team is working, and lies down in a puddle when the team is stopped.  He will even tip his water bowl to make a puddle if necessary. Turbo is one of those super cute boys with gorgeous head and pretty coat.

Twinkle The Twinkliest Lead Dog

Twinkle is a stunning black and white girl. She is a leader and a hard driving, strong dog. She loves her special people and her dog friends and plays like a puppy.  Twinkle has taken advanced obedience classes but never competed.  She has a special connection with her musher, Whatleigh, and sometimes the two of them communicate on the trail without spoken words. She has overcome a lot and is an incredibly special girl.