Unfortunately we lost Maxx in October 1999. He was almost 14 years old and led a long, happy life of being one of the only Labrador Retrievers to be the boss of an Alaskan dog team.

Maxx moved to Alaska with us in 1990. He had a funny streak when it came to new dogs as we added to our team. Whenever we brought home a new adult dog,everything was fine. He and Splinter, Miki and Misty got along just fine right from the start. We figure the new dogs know that this was Maxx's house and he was in charge.

But, Maxx did not like puppies. Whenever we had a new litter, he made it very clear, right from the start that he did not appreciate the little critters running around the house and harrassing him. Generally all it took was a low growl from him and they learned not to mess with Maxx.

One day, while working in the yard, I heard the back door open. Maxx figured out how to push on the bottom corner of the storm door and it would pop open. He headed straight across the back yard toward me. I was concerned as he headed toward Dunukuluq, one of our young males. Expected trouble as Maxx walked between Dunukuluq and his house -- probably the dumbest thing he could have done! -- Dunukuluq just stood and watched Maxx go past. He had a look on his face that really said, "That's Maxx and Maxx is in charge."

Maxx had a few funny quirks. He didn't like puppies. He, unlike every other other lab in the world, didn't like to go swimming. Everytime we tried to take him somewhere in the car, he got sick. In spite of his peculiarities, we all miss the old man of our team.

SPLINTER

Splinter is the mother and grandmother of our team. She is the first sled dog we brought into our home. We moved into our house on a Friday and dad brought her home the following Wednesday. One of 5 pups. Her brothers include: Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo.

On her first run with a team, Splinter panicked and refused to run. The other dogs kept running and dragged her for about 20 yards. Dad stopped and put her in the sled bag (a bag that is in the sled for carrying gear, food, passengers, or dogs). She got a ride for the rest of the day. Now she's learned that pulling with the team can be fun. Maybe she was just humiliated that day and decided she'd pull instead of ride.

Splinter is the mother of Bleeny (her first litter); Yukon, Kantishna and Princess (her second litter).

BLEENY

Bleeny is one of our first pups. She and her brother Drook were our first litter. Bleeny is a very pretty dog and she knows it. She's got a really conceited attitude. She also loves to ride in the van or truck (not in the back with the rest of the dogs, but up front with dad). She likes to go for rides for no particular reason, just to go.

Her brother Drook was one of the last sled dogs to go to Antarctica in 1993. Colonel Norman Vaughan took several teams back to Antarctica when he attempted to climb the mountain named after him by Admiral Byrd when he (Vaughan) drove the first dog team on Antarctica when Byrd made his historic trip to the South Pole.

Bleeny is the Russian word for pancakes. Drook is the Russian word for friend.

KANTISHNA

Kantishna is from the second litter of pups we bred and raised. He's named after a mining camp and river located in Denali National Park. For the last four years he's run as a 'swing dog' (the pair of dogs immediately behind the leaders). Last season, at the very end, we had a problem with one of our leaders and dad substituted Kantishna up front. He did really super. This season he should be one of our main leaders.

Kantishna has a real introverted personality. He's very shy. When dad stands at the window and says his name, no matter which way he is looking, he'll start to wag his tail and his ears go back so we know he's listening. He's also the only dog we have that will smile at you. When we talk to him, he smiles just like a person.

Kantishna and Belle are the parents of Rex, Dunukuluq and Weenuq.

YUKON

Yukon is named after the Yukon River that flows from Lake Bennett in Canada to the Bering Sea (almost 1800 miles away). He's Kantishna's brother. One of the peculiar things about Yukon is that he is left handed. When the team is lined out, he must be on the left side of the line. If he is on the right side, he'll jump over the gangline and force the other dog to jump over him to the right side - after that, everything is fine.

PRINCESS

Princess is Yukon and Kantishna's sister. When she was born, she had all the prissy qualities of a princess - and still does today. Several years ago she broke her leg in an accident in the backyard so she's now retired from the hard work of the team. But, she still gets to run with the gang on short hops, just for the fun of it.

MIKI

We got Miki as an adult dog so her name was already set. She's one of our lead dogs. She weighs about 45 pounds and doesn't hesitate to let our other, much larger, lead dogs know she's the boss. She'll run for the first 100 to 200 yards trying to bite the other dog's ear. When somebody walks near her, she rolls over on her back to have her belly scratched. Miki is also the most vocal of the team. She let's us know when it's dinner time and she'll even talk back when we talk to her.

MISTY

Like Miki, we got her as an adult. She works really great as a wheel dog. When we stop for a rest, Misty is always the first to be ready to go. Misty is a registered Siberian husky.

MIATUQ (MY-a-tuk) 

Miatug is our biggest husky. We got him from Colonel Norman Vaughan when he was about 8 weeks old. He has unusual eyes. One is brown and the top half of the other is brown while the bottom is blue. He's named for the dog in Jack London's book White Fang, at least it's the Han Indian name according to the Walt Disney movie version of the book. Miatuq's parents come from Dee Dee Jonrowe's and Pecos Humphrey's Iditarod teams.

WEENUQ (wee-NUK) 

When he was born, Weenuq was a fat tan and gray puppy. "Weenuq" is the Aleut word for baby sea lion. As he grew up, he continued to mature into a beautiful gray and black husky. Now he looks like a classic malamute.

REX

Rex didn't get a name right off. We figured something would eventually come along. One afternoon, we were watching the video Jurassic Park while playing with the puppies. When the tyranosaurus rex came out for the first time and growled, the little nameless puppy growled back. So, he'd found his own name.

DUNUKULUQ (DAH-nuk-a-luck)

Dunukuluq was a small, coal black puppy. And as most puppies look, he was fat and round. He looked just like a tiny black bear cub. We have an Aleut friend who named him Dunukuluq, which means "baby black bear." After being a fat, fuzzy little puppy, he's now a tall, sleek adult dog that looks more like a black wolf than a black bear.

GYPSY

When she was born, the Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame had just come out. Gypsy had a happy-go-lucky sort of personality right from the start, so that's how she got her name. She's the first husky we've had that enjoyed playing with balls by chasing them and bringing them back to us. She also enjoys her squeek toys. She'll work on them for weeks at a time, unlike her sister Thumbelina who generally eats them within a few hours.

THUMBELINA

Thumbelina is the youngest of our team. When she was born she was also rather small, so the name just seemed to fit. Now she's actually bigger than her sister Gypsy. This will be both of their first experience running with the team. We always try to introduce them to team-work by putting them alongside one of our older, more experienced dogs so they can learn the ropes that way. It also helps to put them toward the back of the team so they can see the other dogs running in front of them.

All photos Copyright ©1998, Douglas Beckstead