Awesomeness....

Where to start....

I've mastered washing dishes with half a gallon of cold to room temp water... definitely buying paper plates next time I'm at the store though.  It take so long and after a full long day of work I am not in the mood to do dishes to eat. 

Dogs have finally adjusted to the time change thankfully.  I however am still adjusting to the time change/ sunlight vs darkness thing.  Totally throws me off working at 7:30am and not seeing it get bright till 9am... so weird.

Days are long lots of work to be done for all these athletes.  I was introduced to one of the dogs by Deedee and she simple said, "This is Jarvi he has finished 3 Iditarod's for me"  Basically I had to remind myself I can't ask a dog for an autograph because that is amazing start to finish 3 years never being dropped.  Tough dog that's for sure! But basically all of these dogs are top athletes and it is so awesome to work with them and getting to know their attitudes.  I think I finally have all of the names down for all the dogs here minus the puppies those 9 will be getting their names tomorrow probably. Sorry I haven't had a chance to take a lot of photos this past week.  I have been learning so much I feel like a part time butcher too.  These dogs eat like kings: beef, fish, moose, turkey, and dry dog food.  So we have to cut it up for snacks for mixing with water and for mixing for food. I've learned how to properly boot a dog though I need lots of practice to get better and faster at it, and how to harness and get them hooked to the sled.

So Top Left: Bad parts of fish thrown out because these dogs do not get scraps.  Top Right: after cutting lamb, beef, and fish this is the "meat dust" from the saw so we freeze it then cut it up for snack for them later on. Bottom left is all the cut salmon for now.  there are 3 4x4x4 foot boxed packed full of fish plus a 6 foot freezer... Bottom right: stacks of cut lamb, beef, turkey...


Lucy and Chase love it here, Lucy occasionally will follow me around while I do chores the other day she followed me right through all the race dogs who kept picking on her.  She was definitely brave to get through there.  She also hangs out with Python he is 15 and roams free around the kennel. Chase comes up to an enclosure where I work or gets hooked up by the race dogs.  I think I will hook him up to a sled soon.

They just pass out every night and it is so good to have them both by my side everyday.  I <3 happy dogs :)

Lets see other awesome things so far....

Friday night is movie night, so Deedee, Mike, My friend and I all piled into their truck right after an all day ice storm and headed off the their friend Martin's house.  Now she kept talking about Martin and his dogs and the whole time I'm sitting there thinking to myself, "is this the Martin that set the record for the Iditarod for 8 days?"  Well you guessed it... it was that Martin. 

We just hung out at his house watched a movie with a few other people, his dog handlers which one is also from Wisco! and a few other friends.  I'm in awe of his kennel and the fact we are all just causally hanging out.  

So as most of you know I wanted to go to vet school and focus on sled dogs.  So through out college I did a lot of research and followed the top 2 vets that researched sled dogs.  Well guess what names Deedee mentioned... she said oh you'll have to meet our friend Mike Davis.  He is the reason I applied to Oklahoma state for vet school. Deedee showed me where Dr. Davis does his research at Martin's kennel and told me she'll bring me over to help when he gets up here this season.  WOW... that is just one example....  I love dogs, but I love science also and I love to learn more about the physiology of sled dogs.

Then we got into wildlife around here.  I guess this area is one of few where grizzly bears and black bears share habitats. Awesome, not so much but at least they are hibernating now, I hope. This is also the area where moose migrate to for the winter from the mountains. Again, awesome, if you do not know moose are HUGE and very dangerous.... I guess last year they had to kill a few because they walked right through all the dogs and started kicking them... I'm not quite sure what I will do when I walk up on a moose one day probably late at night just making the hike to the bathroom.... 

There are also wolves that start to hang out by the edge of some trails. Once people start feeding dog teams on the trail I guess that draws in the Wolves.

Last but not least, Sunday woke up early just to get morning chores done before my friend and I hit up the bar for the Packer game!!! Felt weird going to a bar at 9am, but then again just felt like being back in Wisco ;)   I finally meet some townies, or Willowbillies as some of them are called.  I've also seen quite a few moron houses now.  Moron house= start with very simple shack (kinda what I'm living in) then each summer people add more on and more on and more on.... get it... haha yeah the houses look pretty goofy to in some cases.  

So after the Packer game, at least they didn't loose... I got to help give the puppies their vaccines, and took out Dartini's stitches from his surgery. Felt so good to have Deedee's confidence in me to do it on my own! 

So far I love it here, hard work every day, but absolutely love taking care of these spoiled rotten dogs :)

Again thank you everyone for your support makes it so much easier to be so far away knowing all the love and support I have behind me. 

Packer game in Alaska... felt like home :) 

Meet Dratini, yes like Pokemon, I took his stitches out.  He is retired and will be a house dog now.

I don't know what to call this, but before a sunrise and when the moon is still fading away.

Alaska Sunrise....

 This is one wheel of dogs, this is the game liter.

Left to right: Clue, (Mom) Taku, Checkers, Solitare

not seen: Twister, Scrabble, Domino, and Dory (she is from the Finding Nemo liter)

A Whole New Style of Living

First off, the flight went very smooth both dogs were zonked out for the trip and when I landed were very ready to get out of their kennels.  Here are a few shots of the plane ride over Canada and Alaska.

Somehow I was lucky enough to get an entire row to myself for the flight!! Made sleeping so much more comfortable. 

 These are just pictures of the flight honestly took my breathe away, it was so beautiful!

This is the Anchorage airport.

I was met by my friend at the airport then we crammed Chase and Lucy in the truck and headed up to the kennel to drop them off before grocery shopping. 

Reasonably price food is about a good 40+minute drive from here. So hopefully I stocked up enough to make it 2 weeks before we go back.

My cabin... well my cabin has no running water.  So that means to cook clean or drink I have to haul water from a different building to my cabin. This also means I have no bathroom.  I have an outhouse or I can walk 5 mins to the other apartment where the shower and bathroom are.  I do have heat and internet which works great though!  This is definitely going to be a whole new style of living for me.

This is the view from the back corner of the cabin

From the front door, simple and sweet

So as many people keep asking, "how is it up there?"  Well for my first day of work it was -32F and by the end of the day -28F.  So very cold, my eye lashes make neat icicles I've never seen before.  Today went great learning what needs to be done every day for the dogs. have a lot of names to learn, but I'll get there. 

The time change is interesting my dogs woke me up at 3am for breakfast... they will learn to get use to it I hope. 

If anyone has any good recipes or how to's for cooking with a crock pot, and with moose, fish, bear, lamb, and beef that would be great.... I definitely lack on the cooking side of things...

Dreams Do Come True!

I was told by many that I should start a blog to keep my friends and family undated on my newest adventure so here I go... I will do my best to keep this updated, if nothing else at least with photos.

First a little about myself...
I am a recent college graduate just looking for work in my field of study, biology, since I was not accepted into the veterinary program this year(7 rejection letters, ugh).  I spend most of my time volunteering or working with children. I coach a high school girls full contact rugby team which took 3rd in state this past season with it being my first season coaching! SO PROUD! I also coach inner city flag rugby for youth 6-13 year old.  Winters I coach downhill ski racing for high school and youth and if I'm lucky I get some racing in as well. Beyond coaching I am a CNA at a nursing home caring for the elderly in their last few stages of life.  Hard work but all very rewarding. I have had plenty of ups and downs in my life, but always kept fighting through.  College took a little longer than planned due to unexpected circumstances, but I'm glad it did because I then got to meet the most amazing rugby family in the world at college when I transferred back.

So anyways I have been applying and interviewing for jobs basically anything that a biology degree would work for.  Last week I received 3 rejection emails within an hour and was pretty bummed out.  I went for a drive to sit by the river and relax, I was up north visiting friends from college, and I received a phone call from a friend who got an amazing job out in Alaska working for Deedee Jonrowe.  I was kind of in shock to hear from him and then even more so when he said someone quit and they are looking for another dog handler. He had Deedee call me and by the next morning she had offered me the job and asked how soon can you get to Alaska.  My friends and family were so incredibly supportive and excited for me I bought a plane ticket that night to move out there in 10 days!

Now this is so exciting to me because in 2nd grade my teacher taught us about the Iditarod.  I fell in love with dog sledding and huskies instantly.  I spent 5 years of my life saving up for my first husky, I got a dog sled for Christmas in 5th grade and over the years of having huskies took 2 of them out to CO to pull for a sled dog tour kennel in Winter Park.  I have dreamed about going to Alaska to see the Iditarod since 2nd grade and wanted to focus my veterinary medicine, if I ever got into school, on sled dogs. I adopted my 24th dog last January a 12 year old husky oh by the way I'm only 24 years old. 

So basically this job opportunity is a once in a life time experience working for the most famous female sled dog racer in the world and she picked me out of all the people who applied to come work for her.  Not only that but she is allowing me to bring 2 of my dogs with for this experience!! This is more than I could have ever dreamed of!

So now after a crazy week of barely being able to eat or sleep with excitement and spending every penny of savings I had I am leaving for Alaska in 3 days!

Beyond blessed that I have such a supportive family who will do anything to help me reach my dreams.  I know this will be hard seeing as we will all be in different time zones from FL to WI to CO to AK! A huge thank you to all my employers who were so thrilled about this opportunity I received they are granting me the leave for 5 months so when I come back in April I'll still have work!  So thankful for the girls rugby team and my friend who helps me coach because they are all supportive and I get to show these girls what it means to chase your dreams!

I have been asked by many how I can just up and move to Alaska like this....
It is oddly simple; I've never made such a clear cut choice in my life. This is a dream of mine, a once in a life time experience.  I have jobs that are willing to let me go, and family that supports me.
For all my friends, I love you all! Each and every one of them have shown so much support and excitement for me its breathtaking feeling so loved and supported by them. Though I'll miss everyone a lot and AK can get lonely I'm sure, I know real friends will always be there for me and still be there when I get back. Taking this job was easy, and even easier knowing that so many people in my life realize how much this means to me and how big of a dream this has been for me. 

So for anyone out there getting door after door slammed in your face I'm sorry I know it is hard, discouraging, frustrating, and dark.  I promise you though: take it day by day never settle for less than what you believe in and keep fighting. 

Dreams do come true you just have to keep believing in them! Always be ready to embrace the unexpected, you never know when your chance will come!!!!

 Here is Amber she is 7 years old and from my 2nd litter of huskies

 Pictured is Penny, my baby girl. She was my first dog I ever got, first dog I hooked up to a sled, and my first love.  Chase is my crazy Samoyed he is now 8 years old. He will be coming with to Alaska with me!

 This is Abby, my first Siberian Husky I spent 5 years from 2nd-7th grade saving up every penny i could to get her once I convinced my parents getting a 3rd dog was not a bad idea.... She like Penny was hit by a car a few years back.  Abby along with getting a dog sled were dreams that came true for me! Abby is also the mother of Amber and Cole.

 Meet Cole, he is my big strong boy at 7 years old he has taking over the top dog role in my family after his mother died and protects and keeps his sister in line.  This is him looking in a mirror for the first time.

These two will be coming to Alaska with me Chase and Lucy.  Lucy was adopted last January and is now 12 years old lost over 10 lbs and can keep up with all the young ones.  She was a blessing, and it was meant to be.  I met the lady that took her in after her owners passed away and we all hit it off, it worked out so well Lucy fits right into this family of mine. 

This is the kennel I will be working at.
Deedeejonrowe.com