JEFF KING (Alaska)
Watch out for Jeff this winter! In addition to signing up for the Iditarod, he is also signed up to run the Yukon Quest! It is going to be an exciting and busy winter for Jeff!
Jeff is often recognized as the “Winningest Musher in the World.” He holds four championship titles for the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1993, 1996, 1998, and 2006. Jeff took first place in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest in 1989 in addition to earning close to thirty other first-place titles in races across Alaska and other parts of North America. Jeff was inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2006, at age 50, he became the oldest musher to win the Iditarod. Jeff King has twice received the prestigious Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for exemplary care of his dog team. He has logged more than 150,000 miles on a dogsled over the past thirty five years.
Jeff moved to Alaska in 1975 in search of adventure. He quickly became interested in dog sledding and Alaskan huskies, devoting all his spare time and money to building his own team, while developing a construction business. He began racing in 1980. His competitive nature and athleticism had found a new outlet, and Jeff set his sights ever higher, entering his first Iditarod just one year later. In 1992 he decided to devote his full time and energy to training and racing, setting aside his construction business. He won his first Iditarod the following season.
Jeff enjoys living just outside of Alaska’s Denali National Park and sharing his life with his sled dogs. In the summer months, Husky Homestead welcomes visitors from around the world to watch his sled dogs in action, hear stories of adventure, learn about Alaskan Huskies, the tradition of dog mushing and the life and spirit of Alaska, the last frontier.
Visit Jeff’s Husky Homestead web site: http://www.huskyhomestead.com/
ALIY ZIRKLE & ALLEN MOORE (Alaska)
Howling Dog is very proud of Aliy’s and Allen’s last season’s performance; highlighted by Allen crossing the Yukon Quest finish line in first place! And Aliy and her team finished second in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Boy, what an exciting race that was!
Allen and Aliy, husband and wife, are the proud owners of SP (Skunk Place) Kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska. They run a relatively “small” kennel by competitive mushing standards (only about 40 dogs) and pretty much every dog gets to race! Aliy races the Red Team and Allen races the Black Team. The goals and strategies for each team vary from race to race, so the dogs may run on either team at any time. Aliy and Allen dedicated themselves to the individual dogs through excellent health, nutrition, training and care.
Both Aliy and Allen strive to be good-will ambassadors for the sport of sled dog racing, balancing winning performance with exceptional sportsmanship, community outreach and advocacy for the amazing Alaskan Husky. And we are proud of you, guys!
Visit SP Kennel blog for training and racing updates: http://www.spkenneldoglog.blogspot.co.nz/
HEIDI SUTTER (Alaska)
Heidi Sutter is the latest “addition” to Team Howling Dog. And we are sure she will make us proud!
Heidi lives in the wee village of Chistochina, located in the Cooper River Valley. Heidi, along with her husband Darrin Lee and daughter Emily, own and operate KMA Kennel. KMA Kennel is currently home to 25 sled dogs. Heidi has been racing dogs for 12 years.
Last year Heidi focused on mid-distance races, competing in the Copper Basin 300, Yukon Quest 300 and the Kobuk 440. This year Heidi will be running the 2015 Iditarod.
Besides being a musher and domestic goddess, Heidi is also a general education and special education teacher in Glennallen High School and at Slana School. Heidi specializes in working with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders as well as emotional disturbance. KMA Kennel is super excited to be part of the Howling Dog Alaska team.
You can find out more about Heidi and her huskies at www.kmakennel.com
AMANDA VOGEL (Minnesota)
Amanda Vogel is originally from Bay City, Michigan, and now lives in northern Minnesota, just south of the northwest Ontario border. Amanda was introduced to the sport of mushing in 2003, and after a few years of learning the basics from a recreational dog sledding club, she began building a kennel that would allow her to race professionally.
Today, Amanda is the owner and operator of Snomad Racing and is one of the top competitors in mid-distance sled dog racing in the lower 48. Her most recent achievements include being awarded Rookie of the Year, earning a 4th place finish, and passing another Iditarod qualifying race, all of which were accomplished while competing in the nearly 400 mile 2013 John Beargrease Marathon.
Snomad Racing also travels for exhibitions and speaking engagements, works on TV, film, and modeling projects, and puts winter and mushing products to extreme tests for sponsors committed to making the toughest gear and equipment on the market. When Amanda is not training and racing, she is found raising pups, exploring woods and waters, and laughing with good friends.
More information about Amanda and the Snomad Racing sled dogs can be found at www.snomadracing.com , www.facebook.com/snomadracing , www.twitter.com/snomadracing and www.facebook.com/amanda.vogel.125 .
KATI & MARTIN DAGENAIS (Quebec)
Kati and Martin own a relatively small kennel of super-fast dogs specializing in limited class racing.
Their past accomplishments include winning the ISDRA gold medal in the 8-dog class in 2008 and in 2009 a gold medal in the 6-dog class at the IFSS World Championships in Daaquam, Quebec . In 2012 Kati and Martin materialized a lifelong dream of going to Alaska for the first time and winning the Limited North American Championship in the 6-dog class. And all this was topped by Kati winning the gold medal in the 8-dog class during the 2013 IFSS World Championship in North Pole, Alaska!
Kati & Martin’s goal for his season is to travel to Germany for the 2015 IFSS World Championship and to meet again with their European mushing friends. And of course they hope to defend their title!
Visit the Dagenais Kennel page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dagenais.kennel
RICH KISSELOFF (Illinois)
Rich enters the season coming off a successful skijor season last year. Rich’s highlights included taking first place at the Midwest American Championships, the Noquemanon/Animoosh 12K Skijor race, and second place behind the reigning National Champion at the Barkie Birkie skijor race. He also won and placed in several other races in the bikejor and scooter classes. Rich’s main dogs Ovi and Pasha are now entering their prime years and he is excited to get the season started and hopefully continue where he left off. Look for him and his dogs proudly wearing the Howling Dog Alaska logo!
In his spare time, besides training the dogs, Rich enjoys racing cyclocross and doing cross country ski races. He also dedicates a lot of time with the Windy City Mushers promoting and helping new people get involved in the sport of “urban mushing” in and around the Chicagoland area.
Visit Windy City Mushers, a Facebook page Rich runs and supports: https://www.facebook.com/pages/WindyCityMushers/370560473046323
DALLAS JOHNSON (Minnesota)
Dallas is new to Team Howling Dog. As an accomplished cross country skier, he got involved in competitive skijoring a couple of years ago after he introduced a Eurohound to his home. Comet, a female bred in Howling Dog Kennel, turned out to be a perfect match for Dallas. They both are very fast, athletic and driven. Dallas has two successful mid-western skijoring seasons under his belt, including a few victories. The ultimate goal for Dallas for this season is to travel to Germany to take part in the 2015 IFSS World Championship. We sure hope his dream will come true!
Besides his passion for skiing and skijoring, Dallas is also an avid sailor.
Become a fan of Dallas and Comet and follow their success on Comet’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/comet.johnson.7