Over the long weekend in February, The Township of Georgian Bay, the Honey Harbour Community Co-Op and Spiritrun Kennels host the Honey Harbour Winterfest and boy do we have a good time! 

On Saturday, we gather in the park with many of our dogs present to receive thousands of pats and to give sled rides to children and adults alike. It is a constant flurry of activity and we were so blessed over the entire weekend with the most pristine and perfect winter conditions you could conjure up. The dogs were incredible ambassadors for our breed, with many malamute-friends present to educate the public about our incredible, albeit challenging breed. And of course, we would be remiss if we did not mention the delicious fish fry -- a feature of the day that rivals the dogsledding rides. Yes, the fish fry is "that" good!

Saturday evening was a pot luck gathering at the home of at our Spiritrun home. We reviewed the amazing photos that Tanya Hawley shot all day, tasted various wine and beer beverages and simply socialized. It was a great night as it always is.

Both Sunday and Monday (Family Day holiday in Ontario) continued to deliver sunny, cold and snowy winter conditions and the trails around Spiritrun were in the best shape they have been in for years! Suffice to say, we took full advantage and everyone got out on the trails to learn dog-sledding, refine their skills, try ski-joorring or go snowshoeing. Our weekend is designed for pure, unabashed FUN. There is no competition, no timeline, no restrictions, other than be responsible with your dogs, safe on the trails, respectful of others in passing and patient while teaching or learning. It is a no pressure weekend, and when the weather co-operates, it is one of the most fun weekends possible.

Thank-you to everyone who attended and assisted in making this weekend an outrageously fun and successful three days! There are so many of your to name, so know that I am grateful to each and every one of you for your contribution, your willingness to help and play and for your smiles. Did the dogs have fun? YOU BET! We are grateful to the Honey Harbour Community Co-Op and the Township of Georgian Bay for making this weekend possible. It is our opportunity to "give back" to a community that allows us to thrive with what we do. A huge shout-out to the Hamilton Venture Scouts who come back year-after-year and help out like it's nobody's business. To say a Venture Scout troop has become our family is so wonderful -- these kids have grown up before our eyes and with our dogs. They assist with set-up and take down at the park for Winterfest, assist with dog training, management and chores, assist with trail maintenance and grooming and contribute a great deal to the fun quotient of the weekend. Words are not enough to thank them for all they do for us! We look forward to next year! 

We have just returned from another wonderful Westminster Kennel Club dog show experience. This was Elliott's year and he made us proud. Elliott, Am Can Ch Spiritrun's Grandstand Man, CGC, had not been shown since the fall at the Nationals, but despite the hiatus, it was clear he was excited to play in the rings again. Although he was not selected as the winner of the breed on the day, it was clear that he was a strong contender, sound in conformation and aesthetically in full bloom; and beyond all of that, he was excited and happy to show and showed well. It was a small entry of dogs and bitches, but strong in quality. It always gives me such pride to look up and down our breed line-up, and to be impressed with the quality of the exhibits. I just wish more Alaskan Malamute breeders and exhibitors would choose to attend this showcase of shows.

This was the first year that we showed at the new venue, Piers 92 & 94. Breed judging now includes class entries, provided they have won a minimum of one major, which can make for some exciting upsets! Our Samoyed friend Stan, Am Can Ch Vanderbilt's Stand By Me, breeder-owner-handled by my travelling companion, Judi Elford, finished his AKC Championship by going Winner's Dog at Westminster. That has a sweet ring to it!

It was critical that I attend this year, with a dog, to get a clear understanding of this new change of venue, to scope the terrain and figure out the logistics. It was a smooth operation and the only negative was that Elliott despised the shuttle bus experience both over to the Piers and back. He is not used to "city bus" travel and it really rattled him. Fortunately, he was able to recover quickly. Perhaps next year, we will order up our van out of the Valet and drive over to the Piers. Something to consider.

The benching and vendor booth was a marked improvement in comparison to years past over at "the Garden". Vendor booths were more abundant and accessible both to exhibitors and the public and the benching set-up was far more spacious -- you could BREATHE! 

Elliott absolutely loved the attention he received on the bench all day long. He was a perfect Ambassador for he breed, as were all of the other malamute entries. And as always it was fun to talk and share laughs and good times with fellow malamute breeders and exhibitors. Thank-you to our NY-friend, Fran, for bringing us some baked goods to enjoy. It is a long day, after all. Congratulations to everyone who competed this year!!!

The highlight of our trip was being invited by NBC Sports to participate in a little fun bit for the Westminster telecast, called Best In SNOW! The producers wanted to take advantage of the snow scene in Central Park and invited a few "snow" breeds down to frolic and burn off some energy -- they even "sent a car" for us. We all piled in a Pet Taxi and headed down to the park for this fun shoot. The dogs had a blast! Elliott and Stan were even being recognized on the street as we were packing the van to leave NYC as "those Snow Dogs we saw on TV!" 

Westminster has come and gone for another year and we are already excited about next year. There is something very addictive about this show!

To view the breed judging for the Alaskan Malamute 
CLICK HERE and scroll down to "Alaskan Malamutes".

Goodness me, it has been over a year since my last post! Needless to say, the puppies that we had last January, 2012 have all gone to their new homes and are blossoming into amazing young dogs. 

Everyone here is doing well. We had a fairly quiet and uneventful year in 2012. I have been busy developing a new business venture and Edmund has been busy building a new house (for resale, not for us). 

I attended a small handful of shows in 2012: Westminster with Cassie in February where she won a Best of Opposite Sex; the Purina National in March; the Canadian National in May where Shelby finished her Canadian Championship; and the American Nationals in October where everyone in our "camp" placed in their classes. It was a good year -- quality over quantity. 

Overseas, beautiful Izzy produced a gorgeous litter of puppies, sired by Chase, for our good friends at Laouen Ki Kennels, Didier and Guillaume. Here in North America, Elliott spent his summer holidays at Nyrakym-Samaljankan Kennels in New Jersey with Karyn and Jari where he sired a stunning litter of puppies out of their red beauty, Bijou. We are certainly excited to see what these puppies turn out like as they mature!

And back home, the geriatric unit continued to thrive. With three dogs in their 15th year, one in his 12th, another in her 10th and one in her 9th, it is clearly evident that we are top-end loaded with the invaluable geriatrics and feel so blessed each and every day to have them in our lives.

As I write this, I should be packing my bags, as Elliott and I join Judi and her Sammy's on our annual epic adventure to New York City for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. We are always excited to make this journey. I will owe you a follow-up blog entry next week when we return!

Cheer us on via live-streaming video on Tuesday February 12th at www.westminsterkennelclub.org!!!!