It is quite a sight to look over our yard with so many eyes and ears attentive and watching for signs that it's time to head out for a run on the trails. As the weather cools towards winter, the air around the dogs seems filled with a restless anticipation. It is often Barney or Junior who is first to vocalize this with the beginnings of a howl. Soon others join in and the song moves through the kennel like a wave. A friend of mine, whose name coincidentally happens to be Melody, will tell you this is a truly spiritual experience.
We now have 300 Alaskan sled dogs, having grown to our present size out of increasing demand for our programs.
In the beginning, Chocpaw was a committed Siberian kennel and was introduced to the Alaskan in 1983 when we had the opportunity to work with 8 dogs from Tom Soper.
Zonker, Barrel, Hammer and Lilly were responsible for our conversion to the Alaskan and since then we gradually moved away from purebred dogs finding the Alaskan to be tougher, more willing and more durable.
Our dogs have been carefully bred for strength, stamina, endurance and speed. To these criteria we add as essential a friendly disposition. The personalities of our dogs are as varied and individual as found amongst humans.
Below I introduce you to just a few
Alladin is 10 years old and runs Lead position with Flo.
He is definately a charmer with his ice blue eyes.
Here he is seen chilling out on the drop chain after a good run out to camp.
Chase is 9 years old and runs in Point position with his brother, Chevy.
Point is the middle position on our 6 dog teams.
While Chevy is the more outgoing of the pair, Chase remains the strong, silent type.
Schooner and Steamer are seen here in harness and ready to go.
Brothers, they are two and a half years old and run Point position on expedition.
Last winter these long legged creatures trained and ran in the 4 Dog Novice race at Kearney, Ontario
Here's Red, just hanging out on a cool summer day.
He will be three years old this coming winter and runs on Wheel position with Rum.
Red likes to pose pretty for his pictures.
And sends everyone this "high five"!
As we get this page of our site going, we will feature more of our dogs.
If you are up this winter, snap a picture of your favorite and send it to us with a story from your trip.
"Folk will know how large your heart is by the way you treat a dog."
Charles Doran
Chocpaw Expeditions