We had a year like any other, full of highs and lows. This year, in particular seemed full of very high highs and very low lows. We endured our first full winter without our beloved Tkaya, so of course, that was weird. He so loved winter -- he was a true malamute to the core. But we honoured him by making the most of a very very good winter season. Conditions on the trails were glorious and I remember a lot of sunshine. We sledded most every weekend and throughout the weekdays when time allowed. I was hopelessly devoted to my running routine and on many occasions, young WiiGii joined me to add comic relief to the monotony of some of those runs. WiiGii showed talent in the sledding department, too and was even able to adapt to single-lead duties, which is exceptional for a young dog's first season. Frannie also stepped up to the plate as a very savvy single-leader. Their Black Ice roots were coming through! The Vancouver Winter Olympics also made for a positive vibe and we wholeheartedly cheered on our Canadian contingent, who did not disappoint. Canadian pride was at an all-time high and Olympic fever, dogsledding and marathon training got us through a long but glorious winter!
Spring arrived and I was off to the races. Not many dog events on the schedule, but running races sure were. I completed a half-marathon, a 30-K marathon, a full-marathon and my first ultra (50k) marathon all by June. My brag for June was that in one year's time I had literally gone from getting off the couch to running 50K. The summer was a hot one, which we are not fans of. I had some races to compete in, but nothing was on tap for the dogs, which I did not regret, considering the heat and humidity at the time.
At the end of July, Bailey & Bob & Dolores Sturdivant's incredible boy, Tuk, blessed us with four puppies. Two boys and two girls. This brood proved to be a very important source of love and comfort for us in the coming weeks.
At the beginning of August, we experienced one of the biggest highs of our year, and show career. Maliik re-emerged on the show scene, just weeks away from his 12th birthday, to win Best of Breed over Specials,  Working Group 4 and Best Veteran In Show at the Barrie Kennel Club dog show. This was such a meaningful win to us with three brothers each winning their very own "Bests" at various stages of their lives. Tyler as a puppy, Tobe throughout his prime and Maliik as a veteran. It truly doesn't get any better than that.
Since the spring, we had been dealing with a terminal illness in the family. Edmund's father was sick. Mid-August 2010 was a turning point in our year, taking a perfectly awesome year to date and throwing it off tangent so badly it has been hard to get back on track in any area. One day, mid-August, Kali became acutely ill. After three very trying days of attempting to normalize her condition, she passed away in my arms. This was a loss so devastating to me, I am not over it yet and it will take a lot of time still. She died of complications from diabetes - a keto-acidosis crisis that lead to coma, shock, death. She was a stoic girl and didn't display signs of diabetes such as the textbooks describe. Hindsight being what it is, there were signs, but they weren't acute, not did they lead me to think diabetes, or illness for that matter. They were very subtle. Diabetes is commonly referred to as "the silent killer". Silent, I'll say. I hope I am not the only one who learned from this devastating ordeal. I am torn-apart by her loss and haven't been able to right myself since. Not four days after her death, Edmund's father passed away peacefully, in his bed at home with his family by his side. Terminal cancer claimed another. August wrapped up on a very low note.
So along came September, and we coasted through. I ran another marathon, just to prove to myself that I was still functioning on some level. I ran another in November, just because, that what runners do. I am so grateful to my inspirational running-mates - girls, you know who you are. Love to you all.
In October, November and December, the Spiritrun gang re-emerged on the show scene again. Cassie needed to finish her American championship, so she did with a 5-point specialty major at Munroe. Crystal played in the veterans ring and Elliott got serious in pursuit of his American championship. Up in Canada, Lucan put the finishing points on his championship, too. Colleen Belanger's Deuce and Madison continue to perform by raking in titles, points and credentials in such vast quantities that I can't even keep up.
I traveled out to Denver to watch the AMCA National Specialty and was so glad I did. I spent time with old friends, deepened existing friendships and made brilliant new ones. I spent time with Lichen, the sire of our fall litter (I am getting to that) and took a jog with Cruise, the soon to be sire of our spring litter.
In late fall, we said a heartfelt goodbye to our first Best In Show winner and Spiritrun flag-bearer, Tobe. As hard a goodbye as it was, Tobe lived a full & glorious life. He let me know, very clearly, his time had come. He was in my arms & I really couldn't have asked for a more peaceful and poetic closure to a life most definitely "lived". I thanked Tobe for bringing "greatness" into my life. Tobe made my life "grand" and gave me experiences in life most breeders could only hope for. A very good friend of mine, and fellow Working Group competitor, stated to me that Tobe and I were one of the most connected teams he had ever seen and the love we had for each other was tangible. It was a compliment I will forever hold dear, from a friend whose words mean a lot to me.
We are winding up the year both physically and emotionally drained, but with health, hope, and promises of bright futures on the horizon. At the end of November, Gabby, Tyler & Frannie's lovely daughter, gave birth to 9 healthy, bouncing baby malamutes, sired by the impressive Lichen out of California, and these little beings are filling our days with joy, puppy kisses and anticipation of bright futures ahead. We are undetermined who we will hold onto from this litter as the depth of quality is definitely there, but between the Tuk and Bailey puppies and these Lichen and Gabby babies, the future at Spiritrun looks very bright. We are blessed, and have some pretty amazing angels up above who are guiding us along -- provided we are keen enough to hear the messages.
From our kennel and home to yours, we at Spiritrun wish you all a very happy, prosperous and successful 2011 in all aspects of your lives!

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We had a great time at the Cleveland Cluster this past weekend. I showed Elliott, Can CH Spiritrun's Grandstand Man to two BOW wins and two RWD wins, and a BBBE in Breed win. He showed wonderfully.

Uncle Deuce, in his nakedness, managed some conformation placements but the BIG DEAL for his was earning his first AKC CD leg with a high score of 180! So awesome for Deuce and owner-handler Colleen!!!

Our travel buddy Laura Heft earned a BOS and a couple of Select Bitch awards on her beautiful girl, Tassi, too!

Here are some video clips from YouTube. Visit our YouTube site for more!

Congratulations to Annika and Darren for being the proud owners of new Canadian Champion Spiritrun's Hunt for Lucanus, CGN. Lucan finished his championship at the Brandtford show in Dec 2010 under judge Heather Langford. Now Lucan needs some time off to enjoy winter pursuits and to mature a bit.

And we just received confirmation that Cassie, Am/Can CH Spiritrun's Singular Sensation will be the first Spiritrun bitch to grace the floors of Madison Square Garden this February at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. We are so excited!!!

At the Credit Valley Shows, my Standard Wirehair Dachshund client Victory's Mr Magoo, won a Puppy Group under judge Wendy Paquette! He also earned another two points towards his championship!!!