Moving around the world

This past week was very exciting because we got to finally meet our new friend Eduardo who arrived from Sweden over the weekend. He came all this way to pick up his new acquisition, Deer Creek's Jersey. Eduardo was able to spend a few days with our family and getting to know Jersey in order to make the transition a bit easier on her. Thursday, he arrived back home in Sweden with Jersey in tow. We will miss Jersey so much, but are very happy to know the caring man who is now her owner and will take very good care of her. Lots of luck Eduardo and Jersey!

Next month, Cat, BJ, Trapper, and Tiberius will make their long journey to London. They have grown into such beautiful dogs. It will be a bittersweet moment when their time comes to leave Deer Creek. However, I am confident they will be well received in the UK.

Facebook is where it's at...

Just to let you all know, we do a much better job of updating photos and things on Deer Creek's Facebook page as opposed to keeping up (timely) with the blog and website updates. So click on the Facebook badge on the left to see what is going on around here.

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Still moving along

The summer has just flown by! It is only a matter of weeks before full-out training starts. I don't remember such a busy summer considering the very little traveling we've done. Between all of the construction/destruction projects and all of the new additions to the kennel over this past year the days are filled before we even get out of bed in the morning. Most all free time has been spent rearing last fall's Hope and Jena litters. No complaints in that department!!!They look amazing and all have really sprouted in a gorgeous set of yearlings.

This past year has been bitter-sweet in terms of the Seppala kennels we've lost to the economy or impending retirement, which is always sad to see. However, we've been able to acquire some super dogs from those sell-outs/retirments. We are particularly pleased with the addition of Seppaltas Rosie, Yanna, 3 of Seppaltas "A" litter, and a number of others. Specifically, I have been a long-time admirer of Rosie. We've owned others with her pedigree like Vixen and Vira, but it always felt like Rosie was the real deal! She has all the characteristics of a Seppala that I think are important to being a Seppala.

Although I wasn't able to maintain a cohesive race schedule last year due to the stream of new additions, who were all at varying levels of conditioning on arrival, I was able to run Rosie in a couple short races. Her style is so similar to Velvet's style. They run like rabbits everywhere they go, but best of all they do it with the biggest smile on their faces! The next best part is they are both hardcore Gee/Haw leaders!

I am certain that Rosie and Velvet will play a big part in training my yearlings and 2 yr olds over the next couple years. Collectively speaking, we are confident we have finally ended up with the best of the best. It is now up to us as mushers to cultivate, grow, and maintain the level of performance that is inherent in these dogs.

As far the constuction/destruction projects, we finally got around to extending the female yard a few rows. Then moved on to replacing some old, temporary, 100 square foot kennels with 500 square foot kennels in order to better maintain future litters. Replacement of dog houses are next on the list, but seems to be one of those conitnual projects that will never really go away. Next, we expanded the exercise yard. It was really more for organizational purposes than space, but it worked out perfectly. There is a second exercise yard in the works, but with training season on our heals, I am not sure that will happen until spring.

Other big news from the summer was our arrival Zen, Zuri, Zeke and Zephyr (Seppalta's Hank x Sepp-lok's Velvet). As onerey as they are cute :)

Time sure does fly when you're havin' fun!

I am not sure where all the time went. I think about updating this blog all the time but just never quite get there. I suppose I should break this down into months...if I can even remember what all has happened since December!!


Part of what has kept us so busy is raising the fall litters. It certainly isn't ideal for us to have fall litters. Between our work schedules and training, it really is an extra effort to bring them up properly and make sure they are socialized. I suppose sometimes it is necessary though. No more often than Hope comes into heat, we had to take what we could get! The Hope pups are all I had hoped they would be. Nicely built, healthy, loving, GREAT eaters, and ready for anything! The Jena pups are for sure going up fast and big. They are all going to very good sized dogs with LOTS of attitude. Deer Creek's Maxie is going to be staying with here, Radar went to his new home in Colorado, and the other four are awaiting to complete the pet passport red tape before they jet off to the UK



December did end up bringing us *some* snow although not nearly enough. Allan got into full swing of training for the Seeley 200. Many, many late nights of just running and camping his team. Even though the snow didn't really come early enough, we are fortunate enough that he could make long runs from our yard with the 4-wheeler. Not ideal and not how we would prefer to train, but better than not training at all. I suppose the biggest down side what the extra attention that had to paid to feet so early in the year. 800 miles of dirt training does take its toll on feet. Lots of booties. Despite the training method, the dogs came from it very strong and happy. Not one time did they hesitate to leave the yard or camp site.

We see all the time through races how sleddogs can march through the Iditarod or the Beargrease, but our dogs? We were truly humbled by the stamina and determination. More fairly, we now have more faith in the abilities of our dogs and ourselves. I expect in the future you will see Deer Creek dogs stepping it up

Where the heck is the snow?

It is already December 4th and really no snow to speak of, just a few inches. It seems like maybe last year it was late coming as well, but once it started we were hammered with more snow than we'd seen in years. Hopefully, it dumps soon as the races are all fast approaching. West Yellowstone is just a week away. Although, we won't be heading up there this year, our thoughts, sympathies, and prayers go out to all friends and family of Rodeo. His sudden passing was very sad news and we will alway remember him. May Rodeo's race be a HUGE success and serve as a celebration of his passion and life!

Our race, the Green River Classic, in Pinedale, WY is just around the corner--January 2nd and 3rd. Entries are rolling in. We may not have all the extras (like the tent) this year, but we were extremely happy to have BP at the top of our sponsor list providing the $8,600 purse. I've always liked the GRC because there is always such a variety of entries from all levels of compititon and it somehow still seems so FUN!

On other kennel news, we are happy to announce the arrival of 4 healthy girls and 1 boy from Seppaltas Griffen of Windyridge x Hope of Seppalta. I have been thinking about this breeding since I began in Seppalas, but the reality of it set in just over 2 years ago (since Hope came to live here). And now they are actually here :-) They are just over a week old and seem to really be thriving. Hopefully, they will prove to be as well rounded sleddogs as their parents! If you have any name ideas, please feel free to comment. I haven't had much time to put a lot of thought into it yet, but whatever we come up with, it'll be special!

Jena's puppies are just over 3 weeks and they are growing fast. They have exceptionally outgoing personalities and are very beautiful. We are quite happy with their progress. They are getting to that age that their personalities are forming and they just want to PLAY!

Who's the best?

People often ask us, 'who are your best dogs?' It is never as black and white as one posing the question seems to think. There are so many factors that make up the best dog.  Just like people they each have qualities that make them stand-out. Generally speaking, our best dogs are the ones that have a consistant run most every time, the ones that are well built and angulated, the ones that don't have disruptive habits, the ones who get minimal injuries, the ones that drink and eat when put in front of them, the ones that have an easy nature and super tempermant, the ones that are team players, and the ones who consistantly make the team year after year. I think I could go on and one with more qualities that make the "best".

It is often said by racing naysayers that race dogs are only crazy machines and all that matters is speed, speed, speed. The implication that all other factors like health, temperment, and husbandry are secondary is utterly ridiculous and an extremely naive theory.  I think most kennels that are successful in the long-term know that more goes into "the best" than MPH. I often like to say "Performance First". While some take the phrase quite literally, in the context that I use it, the phrase is meant encompass all those *secondary* factors--when well balanced in these areas, performance will follow more often than not!

So back to the question on who is the best?

I suppose the answer is the retiring and aging dogs, atleast in this kennel.

New friends, Old Friends, New Seppalas, New Seppala Owners!

We've had an exceptionally busy weekend! Wednesday brought a very beautiful, healthy Seppala litter (Corcoran's Junior x Deer Creek's Jena) including 4 males and 2 females. We managed to get their due claws done and mother settled in the living room with them so we can keep an eye on them and handle them regularly. They will probably stay inside the first two weeks, then we will gradually acclimate them to the whelping pen just behind the house. I can't wait until they are 3-4 weeks old!

We were finally blessed with cooler weather late this week and during the weekend (but, only a very thin sheet of snow Friday morning). I managed to harness break all the March puppies that had yet to be put in harness. This is one of my favorite parts of mushing. The Seppala is so natural in harness that harness breaking puppies is not much different than taking out my older experienced team. The first mile is usually a little bouncy and I try to maintain a very slow, steady speed while they think about what is happening to them. By the end of the first mile they usually have figured out I simply want what they want...to run! The majority of them find pulling as natural as running. By mile two, everyone was properly lined out loping a slow steady pace. The picture is hard to tell but I mixed 7 older dogs in with the yearlings. 16-Dog team front to back: Griffen and Eden, Brody (yearling) and Java, Rustov and Oquirrh (both March pups), Leticia (yearling) and Gambit (March pup), Ismene (March pup) and Bristall, Rhea (March pup) and Junior, Hoodoo and Russia (March pup), Leroy (Yearling) and Hank. Rock Stars!

On Thursday, we finally had the opportunity to meet our new friend Heinz Bieber. He flew over from Germany to pick up his new Seppala, Kaya. Having only phone and email contact with Heinz over the past several months, we really didn't know what to expect from our visitor, but it was quickly evident we had a new life-long friend. Heinz was able to spend quite a bit of time with our family and Kaya. We even found time to take the team for a couple runs with Kaya to see what she was made. And of course, being a suberb Seppala, she was SO GREAT! We were so happy to have Heinz spend his time here with us and we are looking forward to his next visit with his wife Antje. We also intend on taking him up on his offer to visit his second home in Sweden!

Finally our good friends, Danny and his daughter Kayla, showed up on Saturday to spend the weekend running our trails and to socialize. Kayla and Taylor are both intend on running the Junior Race to the Sky this year, so they have both been working very hard to get the kind of conditioning on their dogs they need to be successfull. We LOVE it when the Corcoran's visit! The first pic is Taylor with her Seppala team. 2nd picture is Kayla and her Alaskan husky team. And the 3rd picture is Danny Corcoran with his Seppala team.

You can click on pictures to view bigger.
Taylor's Team front to back: Ophir and Aargon; Marshall and Google; Alanta and Trixie; Iris and Queche; Gaia and Heph


Kayla's team front to back: ? and Echo; ? and Rookie; ? and Otis; Opal and ?; Stoner and ?


Danny's Team front to back: ? and Oreo; Uther and Unik; Timber and Yeti; ? and Layla; Rodeo and Waldo

Happy Birthday Hope and Hoodoo

Thursday was Hope and Hoodoo's 10th birthday! They are so loved here and they are still such GREAT sleddogs! I wanted to post this on Thursday, but I just ran out of time. This picture was taken just this last spring. Always loyal, reliable, and adored.

More Seppalas Spreading out...

It has been a busy summer and fall with Seppalas moving about the country! Balancing the number of dogs and pedigrees in our kennel is always a tedious uncertainity. But every year it seems that our small network of mushers are able to spread a few dogs around. Everyone seems to have slightly different goals in mind, so finding teams that better fit a dogs style, wether it be to bring one in or send one away, is always interesting and fun.

Earlier ths summer, we sent Angel up to Doug Willett who in turn bred her to Rambo as she awaited her new owner, Elsie Bobby, to come get her and take her back to Alaska. We are also very excited for Elsie to be able to start her new Seppala Kennel with such and exceptional breeding. We have a BIG soft spot in our hearts for Rambo! Congrats Elsie!

TJ Shrader took a Marshall x Madonna female, QT, who I know is going to be such a wonderful girl and likely a leader--she is very driven. I love sending dogs to TJ because I know I get the see them often :) Matt Maurer took a Marshall x Madonna male who I am sure will be one of his next great leaders. Quaker is the spittin' image of Marshall. Marshall being one of my all time favorites, I know I will regret it in the near future :-) But on the positive side, Matt absolutely adores Quaker (inspite of Quaker's strong desire to constantly reproduce...hahaha):-)

And the lastest to leave was Oakie and Quizno. Peter Duncan was kind enough to add a leg to his long journey across the US and back to Alaska in order to pick up them up. I hope that as they get to know each other, he sees the exceptional qualities in them that I see.

What a fabulous weekend we had!

This weekend Dee Dee Jonrow came to Casper to speak about her self, her team, and the Iditarod. Her original itinerary was to speak to one of the Casper schools on Friday, but through some connections, Pam Dunn (Grandma Pam at our house) of Timbermist Tracks and head of the Canines for Charity Sleddog Race was able to organize an event on Casper Mountain slated for Saturday afternoon.

The turn-out was great. One of our local racing clubs, CMM, decided to coordinate their annual camp out with the event as well and contributing to the event. The ISSSC, another club we belong to, also decided to hold their annual meeting in coordination with the Dee Dee Jonrow event. So needless to say we had a lot of other mushers was more fun than I anticipated. It is always a lot of work to go anywhere with the dogs, but camping with them was not quite the same. I think it is something we'll do more often in the future.

The weekend started on Friday when we arrived mid-morning. We opted for a spot a few miles away so we could run a little easier from our camp site on longer trails. After setting up, Allan and I had to make a couple trips back down the mountain to get our kids all coordinated and tie a few loose ends, but we were finally all settled in before sundown. Some people ran the 7 and 10 mile trails and other decided to take the shorter 3 mile trail twice a day. We got see see how the other teams are looking and developing.

Barrie Raper brought her rockin' team that are unbelievably strong. She also brought part of the best entertainment, Casey...she has quite an arm for 2! Emily Wade came to run Bud Light back and forth to Allan. Lanette Kimball with Sepp-Lok also made it out to share all her insight with us over the campfire. Danny, Jocie and Kayla Corcoran (aka "the griswolds") were most of our entertainment. Next time you see Danny ask him how you hook a snow hook to your sled. TJ Schrader and Lindsey Owen brought those wonderful little Boogie pups...and yes, Grux is the best! Matt Mauer and Sue Crawford brought the best cook ever, Isabella, and it was her birthday...Happy Birthday Isabella! Matt's little Angela also came along for the trip and she was an absolute doll, what a trooper!

Dee Dee discussion was very open and candid. She was an amazing speaker and very "real". We very much enjoyed her and her views on mushing, dog care, determination, and obvious love of her dogs. The day was in the high 80s and the sun was bright. The food was plentiful and everyone was so nice.

We arrived home mid-afternoon on Sunday and TJ and Linsey had decided to stay another night. We got unloaded, the chores done, and ate dinner when we decided to take a team out for a run just before dark. TJ and I decided to run my main Seppala team since it was only the yearlings and older dogs I took camping. And as luck would have in that short 3 miles, we ending up getting caught in an unannounced *monsoon* rain storm. The rain drops stung as they pelted us. We didn't know what to do, but keep forging ahead and laughing at our bad luck. Thank goodness my team felt the same way and they forged ahead like it was another day in the park. When we arrived back to our shop at what felt like an eternity later, the dogs (and us) were drenched to the bone. I must had been holding my breath the whole way back, because I suddenly had a huge headache. But the dogs, in all their drowned-rat appearance, were very upbeat and happy despite an incredibly fast run home.

Thanks all of you that made this a great weekend, we had a blast!

Gearing up for training season....

It looks like the mild summer is going to make training season come a little earlier this year. Allan has already hit 5 mile runs with his Alaskan team. Several stops and a big drink of water the dogs come home feeling good and ready for more, although he is having to wait until almost dark. I wouldn't be surprised to see him jump to 10 miles by mid September. Usually unheard of in our fall climate.

I think this weekend, I will give the Seppalas a run on the three mile and see how it goes. If I go after dark, with a breeze, we should be OK with several breaks and lots of water. I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised as Allan was by how his dogs took off in the warmer temps (60 degrees F) with no issues. Of course, my dogs have are much heavier coated than his. I can't really think of one of his that has a heavy coat right now. The Sepps have had an odd summer in terms of shedding, by now we are usually on our second round of brushing coats out. I think the cooler summer and a TON of rain, made it hard for them to really shed. I still have 4 that are almost done and 1 that is really just getting started. But it seems to be working itself out.

I am excited to get started though. I had some really promising yearlings last year that I can't wait to see what they will do this year. The attitude of the entire kennel is good and it is obvious the dogs are *feeling* the imminent season looming over them. In the early cool mornings the kennel has become a consistant alarm clock even before the sun rises. I love their morning welcome!

Dearly Missed

Picture taken 7-02-09
This is the GREATEST Man I have ever had the privilege of knowing and dearly loving.
Allan T. Berge, Sr.
RIP: 7-03-2009

Still remembering 8-21-09
Allan Sr. is still very much missed in our home. Looking out the window of our home, across the hay fields just a short distance from the house is a constant reminder of what we miss. I am very greatful to have had him as my father-in-law as well as the rest of his family. I miss hearing him talk about his Norweign ways, and I will miss seeing the big smile on his face when lufsa was served at a family meal. Although, I will always be greatful he never made me eat lutifisk, even though he talked alot about it.

I am happy to have certain memories of him that I will always carry with me...like the time he came to run his own team of sleddogs in his cowboy boots with the rubber covers on them dressed in his bright green and yellow John Deer snow suit; how he always liked it be 90 degrees all the time (I am sure an indulgence after growing up in North Dakota); the pure joy he got from giving me the ride of my life at 90 mph on the snow machine to catch my sleddog team as I whipped like a flag in the wind, hanging on to him with every bit of fear I possessed (it didn't matter to him that the dogs were probably only running about 14 mph); how consistant he was about showing up the day elk tags were due to make sure Allan Jr. mailed his in; and most importantly seeing him be the best role model my son could ever hope for.

Allan was 100% Norweign and his strong work ethic and love of family proved it. No matter how he felt, I never heard this man speak ill of a single person. To me those three traits is what defined him as a man and made him of one of the few great ones left. I will always miss you.

Summer days at Deer Creek

The dogs seem to passing summer with a sort of nastolgia. This picture is reminds me of two old ladies enjoying a cool summer evening.

Renewed life...

Spring is my absolute favorite time of year. We finally get to go outside without an extra 15lbs of clothing, the dog yard always seems to get a facelift, the evenings are SO much longer, and new puppies seem to be everywhere!

While it is all work, it is also quality time spent in the kennel. Grooming is my favorite. All that under-coat is exahuasting, but I love doing it...especially on a cool, breezy, evening. There always seems to be a handful of houses to replace or repair (and this year I think I may actually get to paint all the houses). We also use the spring to evaluate the tie-outs, collars, snaps, and anything else that wears over time and breaks when you least expect it...


My MOST fav is the puppies. Although we take great care in maintaining the kennel in such away to avoid accidental breedings, they do *occasionally* happen but the culprit is always caught in the act! We had one due to training-run-love and another where a determined Romeo broke a snap AND scaled 2 6ft fences! Ok so it looked like he dug under, but idea of such determination is romantic, right? Of course, he was not motivated enough get himself back out before we came out to see what the other dogs were tattling about. Even though the potential father was caught in the female yard, it is always a long, drawn-out wait to see who the lucky mom is!

In anycase, I thought I'd share this year's puppy photos! We have had so much fun with all of them!

Winter is finally here

We've had a terrible year for snow. Casper Mountain trails were useless most of the season. But the last couple weeks (following a teasing bout of warm windless days) we have had storm after storm, 18 inches, 4 inches, 4, inches, 3 inches...too bad the County already retired the groomer for the season,the mountain trails would be ideal. However, down in the plains, where our home sits, the sun quickly melts off the wet heavy snow and quickly turns to mud. So if your gonna go, you'd better get up and go!

That being said, we thought we better get the young dogs in harness to see if they remembered the lessons of the previous weeks. I gotta say they are an impressive bunch. They all inherited the wonderful personalities and work ethic of both Madonna and Marshall. Marshall is the easy going guy who gets his job done. He doesn't bother anyone and no one bothers him. He also possess a muscular build and very nice front shoulder angulation which gives way to his flowing movement and beautiful reach.

Madonna has a daintiness about her that just makes you love her. She is very affectionate and has passed this temperament to her puppies. But when you put Madonna in harness, she gets the *crazy* eye--I love it! Both Madonna and Marshall are incredible, smart leaders. You can actually see them *think* about their decisions...I hope the puppies show this intelligent trait as the build their racing careers.
Sunday's hook-up went very well and the pups all ran and pulled as if they were season veterans. All of them are so easy and natural. I spent lots of time this year just free running them either behind the 4 wheeler or letting them chase the border collies across the endless, rolling fields that make up our landscape. Usually, it is more fun to use my kids to run the puppies, er, maybe it is the puppies running the kids.

Looking for a home...

I regularly check rescues and shelters in the Rocky Mountain states. To some degree, we all have a responsibility to do our part. That isn't to say we have to take in every stray or abandoned dog, but we can do a little extra when the opportunity presents itself--I really think that is innate to any breeding policy. Our basic policy is to never turn a dog away if it came from our kennel. Additionally, many times over the last 12 years (and to our own determent), we have fostered a number of dogs in order to find suitable homes.

Lack of time and the cumbersomeness of updating my site has kept me from posting our rescues or others looking for homes. However, now that I have this blog, I will try to be much better about it!


In any case, I found this sweet looking rescue named Jazz in a shelter in Fort Collins. The description says she is from Seppala racing lines. I have no idea what this girl's pedigree background is, but she certainly looks like she could be part Seppala--possibly Howling Spirit lines. I'd imagine there is a good chance that she'd make a great recreational dog for someone even though she has been raised as a pet. So if you considering a pet to get in the snow with, give her a second look before you "buy".

Sping is in the Air

Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait! I especially love it because I work for an accounting firm as a tax accountant and the busy season ends just as the weather turns sunny. Spring and Fall are my favorite--especially Spring because the new babies start showing up from puppies, to calves, right down to the baby antelope. The daylight lasts longer and the temps set just right allowing conditions to take a team out. We all especially enjoy spring runs as they are shorter without the bitter cold. The *green* doesn't last long around here. The bottom picture was taken over Memorial weekend a couple years ago, the top picture was taken just a few weeks later.


Each spring we come up with a few major projects to get done before the heat of the summer hits. Last year we did a major expansion to the dog yard. We increased capacity of the kennel; replaced all fencing that was less than 6 feet tall, replaced any depleted gates with brand new 6 foot walk through gates (with latches that can not be lift with a nose--sorry J. Lo). The biggest part of the project was putting in 100' of a solid, 6ft wooden fence. It sure has cut down on they way the wind and drifting goes through the back side.

So this year we'd like get in a second exercise pen, the original yard has turned into the puppy area. The hard part is going to be deciding how to set it up...I have an idea, but I think it will take a little arm twisting to convince Allan :-) There is also still about 60' of chain link on one side of kennel we'd like to swap out for the solid wood fence. I suppose the majority of the work will come through general maintenance--painting and replacing.

Just for fun, here is our first kennel (and my first Seppala, Bristall). Yes, just three pens! I'll never forget Allan's declaration as he finished the third pen, "...now this is it, no more kennels or dogs!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Say again?

Even though he started his racing career with Alaskans, it was really Bristall that won his heart :-D

I love my Frankie dogs!!

Riverdance's Frankie

I have yet to meet a "Railroad" Frankie prodgeny that I haven't fallen in love with. They have the sweetest personalites, they eat like there is no tomorrow, and they love to run! Something about her really adds a certain quality to the Seppala line. Maybe the quality is a kind of quality we need in our dogs to counter the legenday *aloofness* of the Siberian Husky in general.

Even the cross-breed Piranah litter shows an uncanny ability to be lovable, yet work hard. Frankie babies take the old adage, "work hard, play harder" very seriously. I am always surprised at how many pedigrees show Frankie in them, yet she was no super sleddog herself. What she produces are definitely something to admire.

Frankie was definitely meant to make a difference. She survived as nursing puppy who prematurely lost her mother which is seen in her undying loyalty. She survived being hit by a train which seen in the odd scar across her back. And she survived a terrible dog fight that nearly tore her throat out as heard in her whispery bark. Frankie is now living the life in a wonderful retirement home, enjoying the laid back life of family, hikes and just being a dog. However, her progeny lives on in so many pedigrees today. We are happy to have had the chance to love Railroad Frankie!

This is my tribute to Frankie prodgeny!



Xaire of Seppalta--Owned by Doug Willett

Hartum's Eden

Deer Creek's Leno

Deer Creek's Katie

Seppaltas Monkey Owned by Doug Willett

Seppaltas Xafod Owned by TJ Schrader

Wakita - Owned by TJ Schrader

Articsepps Wing-Owned by Tabetha Berge





These are just a few of the Frankie progeny out there running down the trails. I will post more pictures as the become available.