Soldier

Position: Main Leader

Age: 9 years

Parents: Peter x Otter

Sponsors: Angie Haxby, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Soldier is the main man here at SMSD And Jenny’s main leader! Not only is he very handsome with those striking blue eyes, he is also incredibly smart and loyal! He was a natural-born leader and has run in lead nearly always since the first day he started running in harness! He has also been the father and grandfather to numerous great dog following in his foot steps. Soldier got his name because he was born on Memorial Day. He is also quite talkative and says “whooo!” a lot. He is the father and grandfather to many of our dogs here!

Storm

Position: Main Leader

Age: 8 years

Parents: Peter x Bella

Sponsors: Tracy Wylie and her 5/6 grade class in Logansport, Indiana. The “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Storm is Mike’s main leader and the best at taking turn commands here at SMSD. Storm and Soldier are half-brothers, but Storm has a much more “serious” and intense personality. He always gives 110% and is very strong. Despite his stoic demeanor, his favorite thing is going through doorways and he will excitedly ask to be let through any door (even if it’s one of those display doors on a rack in the home improvement store… lol!)

Trapper

Position: Main Leader

Age: 6 years

Parents: Thor x Alice

Sponsors: Calanthia Tamaskan, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Trapper just got promoted to main leader this past season after showing that he’s got what it takes leading on Mike’s 2nd place 2024 T-Dog team! He is one of the best dogs here at SMSD. Not only is he a great athlete physically, but he also has an awesome personality! He is easy-going and playful, but don’t let that deceive you because this guy is a confident and serious lead dog when the going gets tough! He has apprenticed under Soldier and Storm for many years and will now start teaching the younger junior leaders coming up.

Gamora

Position: Leader

Age: 7 years

Parents: Jasper x Ira

Sponsors: Angie Haxby, Jacob and Kaitlyn Webb, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Gamora is the queen here at SMSD. No one crosses her and she makes sure everyone stays in line! She’s not the best at taking turn commands (she likes to do things her way!) but she is great in lead for passing other teams and running through tough trail conditions or running past distractions without hesitation. As a puppy, she had a white mark on her chest in the shape of the number “7” and she still has that perfectly clear 7 on her chest to this day… must be a lucky number for her! She is the mother to the 2021 “Bird Litter.”

Dakota

Position: Leader

Age: 4 years

Parents: Soldier x Sparrow

Sponsors: Ben Higgins, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Dakota is one of the sweetest and most affectionate dogs! She especially loves children and babies. She is young at heart and still working on learning her commands and focus for leading. She is a bit of a princess and you can almost always find her on the couch when she is in the house! She is the mother to our 2022 “Apples Litter” who all inherited her sweet temperament!

Raven

Position: Leader

Age: 3 years

Parents: Soldier x Gamora

Sponsors: Loree Rizzo, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Raven is surprisingly mature and focused despite her young age! Like her father, she showed a natural aptitude for being a lead dog and already has her commands down pretty well! It’s fitting that she is named after a bird because she loves to be picked up and ride around on your shoulders! She will ask for “ups” and then stay laying across your shoulders without needing to be held!

Magpie

Position: Junior Leader

Age: 3 years

Parents: Soldier x Gamora

Sponsors: Stephen and Mary Shellenberger, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Magpie got her father’s beautiful blue eyes, long legs, and speed. She’s not quite as serious as her sister Raven so she is still working on learning how to take commands and keep focused in lead though she did run lead with her father on some challenging sections of the 2024 T-Dog trail and did great! 

Timber

Position: Wheel

Age: 6 years

Parents: Thor x Alice

Sponsors: Jan A Speer, “Lower 48 Roddewigs”, and Connie Speakman in memory of Wayne

Trapper’s twin brother (there were only 2 in the litter) who is like a sled dog version of a linebacker! This guy is all power all the time and has tons of drive to run. Most of the time he runs in wheel position where he helps muscle the sled around technical turns with his size and strength, but he also can run in lead! However, he doesn’t seem to know turn commands because when he is in harness he is all go and no think so he likely won’t be a main leader like his big brother… lol!

Tobi

Position: Junior Leader

Age: 3 years

Parents: Smallpox x Muskrat

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Tobi (short for Toblerone) joined us from a different kennel with totally different bloodlines when she was just two months old. She has tons of energy and likes to jump straight up in the air when she is excited. She is super tough and if she is running she won’t think about anything else. She has done some training in lead but has not picked up her commands yet. 

Cheese

Position: Junior Leader

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: Shannon Kimmell, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Cheese! Cheese was originally named Mac (short for Macintosh since he was part of The Apple Litter) but Mike kept calling him “Mac n’ Cheese” so he responded to Cheese and it just stuck! Cheese has super long legs and the speed you would expect from them. Though he is a young male, he is surprisingly focused and has really been shining in lead under the guidance of both Soldier and Storm. He’s even already picking up the turn commands! Cheese also seems to never get tired and is always the first to be ready to go again after a long run or race.

Braeburn

Position: Junior Leader

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Mr. Braeburn is very serious about things in life but that means he too is excelling as a leader in training! He’s even more focused than his brother Cheese but those two brothers are best buds. Unlike Cheese who is super friendly and loves to give hugs, Mr. Braeburn prefers only to sniff people rather than get pets and also seems to only like hanging out with his brother over all the other dogs. Look for these 2 as a brother duo in lead together in future years!

Honey

Position: Junior Leader

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Miss Honey is spoiled rotten… she is a princess and very smart. Honey had a bad vaccine reaction as a young puppy and almost died, that may be part of the reason she is so spoiled now! She is showing some promise in leader training and ran lead in 2024 T-Dog until she decided it would be fun to try and go visit the spectators near the river shore or chase the ski planes landing on the river next to us. As she matures, I’m sure she will gain the focus needed to be a lead dog. 

Cameo

Position: Junior Leader or Swing/Team with Liberty

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Cameo is our smallest dog at only 45 pounds, but she is mighty! No one told Cameo that she is small and she doesn’t let her size hold her back. Though she is the smallest, she makes up for her size with how “talkative” she is with all the various noises she likes to make to communicate with the world. Her favorite game is tackling and taking down our 90-pound Malamute, Dancer.

Liberty

Position: Swing or Team

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Liberty is our shyest dog, but she is incredibly sweet once she gets to know you. She is the polar oppoopposite of her sister Cameo and is more quiet and contemplative. She does like to nibble your chin, we call them “love bites.” She often runs next to her little sister, Cameo, whose charisma and enthusiasm helps Liberty feel more brave and confident.

Jazz

Position: Team or Wheel

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Jazz, or “Jazz Hands” as we call her, took to her name well and is crazy and upbeat. She is super energetic and loves to play. She is very sweet and tries to be a lap dog (even though she is too big and wiggly to be a good lap dog!) She inherited her striking blue eyes from her grandpa, Soldier.

Gala

Position: Team or Wheel

Age: 2 years

Parents: Emmett x Dakota

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Gala is the biggest female of the “Apple Puppies” and is a go-go speed demon. She only has 2 speeds: sleeping and 1000 mph! She is a laser beam of speed and focus but she has not run a lot in lead yet. This next winter she will definitely get some more time in lead and hopefully become a junior leader and start learning to be a lead dog!

Bella

Position: Main Leader (retired)

Age: 15 years

Parents: Bronson x Otter

Sponsors: Angie Haxby, Heidi Palmer, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Bella is the old lady of the pack at 15 years old. She is still spry and active in her retirement, though she is mostly deaf (or maybe she’s just ignoring us, lol!) In her younger years, she was a main leader for Jenny leading the team to numerous 100 mile race victories, three top 5 Jr. Iditarods, top 5 Beargrease Marathon, and first place for the Race to the Sky 350. She is the mother of Storm and aunt to Timber, Trapper, Gamora, and the Apple Litter.

Thor

Position: Wheel (retired)

Age: 10 years

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

In his retirement, Thor is the official puppy-sitter! He loves puppies and is so gentle and patient with them but also won’t hesitate to protect them! He’s one of our biggest dogs but has always been great with even tiny newborn puppies. Now in his older age, we refer to him as “Grandpa Thor.” He is semi-retired as he still runs on short, slower runs with the puppy team or trail clearing team.

Dancer

Position: Wheel (trail clearing team)

Age: 1.5 years

Sponsors: “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Dancer is Mike’s Alaskan Malamute puppy. His parents come from well-known working Malamute lines and he has proven to be quite the athlete even with his Alaskan Husky pack mates. He may not be as fast as the others, but he’s as strong as probably 4 or more dogs! Dancer runs primarily on the trail clearing team, but is actually able to keep up with the race team on shorter runs early in the season! He is named after Jenny’s father’s first lead dog, who was also a Malamute.

Alduin

Position: puppy

Age: under 1 year

Sponsors: Jacob and Kaitlyn Webb, and the “Lower 48 Roddewigs”

Our newest addition to the pack is this smart little firecracker! His daddy is Soldier and he definitely has his papa’s smarts with some extra sass from his mother (who belongs to someone else). He’s named after a fierce and intelligent black dragon character, and the name so far seems to be fitting! Fortunately he is quite affectionate too and refuses to anywhere but right next to us on the bed (which has his father a little less than thrilled about sharing the bed).