Trail Breaker Kennel

I recently went to Fairbanks Alaska to attend the National Council of Space Grant Directors Meeting. One afternoon we visited Trail Breaker Kennel and talked with Susan Butcher and her husband, Dave Monson. Susan is a 4-time winner of Iditarod Trail race (1986-88,90). Susan and Dave have run in and won almost every major dog sled race worldwide. Additionally, Susan has even taken a team of dogs to the 20,230 foot summit of Mount McKinley! I loved the place and the dogs, Alaskan huskies. They started with Siberian huskies and have bred them for long distance racing. Their kennel is quite successful at winning races.

(61K) 276 x 450	Dave Monson talks to our group while husky puppies play in the foreground. He was a very gracious host. We spent two delightful hours with him.	(50K) 300 x 450	Bonnie Bryant with puppy. Adorable!
(66K) 450 x 284	Susan talks to folks on the riverboat (out of view to the right) about dogs and sledding.	(82K) 436 x 450	All the time I was in Alaska I froze. Susan seems quite comfortabe in shorts.
(80K) 450 x 356	The dogs are readied for a run around the lake. They pull the all terrain vehicle (ATV) on the right.	(68K) 450 x 311	Lead dogs tension the line so that the other dogs can be attached more easily. Their adult dogs range in weight from 45-60 pounds. Nina the malamute, my dog, weighs 92 pounds. It was quite apparent that sled dogs racing (huskies) are much smaller than sled dogs for working (malamutes).
(50K) 450 x 191	Susan keeps the team under control as Dave runs alongside. Dave did not keep up for long. The dogs were so incredibly enthusiastic about running. It was difficult to keep the dogs from taking off before the rest of the team was ready.	(67K) 450 x 176	The motor of the ATV is left on idle to provide resistance for the dogs to pull against.
(75K) 441 x 450	That is a typical dog house for the mature dogs. The white dog shown has some kind of disease and is not raced.	(66K) 450 x 249	This is a typical house used for young dogs becaose like to chew. These houses are hard to chew and are much cheaper to build. They are made out of cheeze containers. The only problem with them, according to Dave, is the young dogs all smell like cheeze.
(78K) 450 x 425	Classical dog sled. This was used to win one of the major sled races.	(58K) 254 x 450	This is a high tech racing sled which costs over $2000. It also has one a major race.
(61K) 450 x 213	This is the new kennel.	(60K) 446 x 450	Susan and Dave's home.
(42K) 450 x 300	The grounds of Trail Breaker Kennel! What a lovely place. Susan and Dave arewonderful people who seem to throughly enjoy what they do.