More photos of Dahlia!

Hi Woody again...here are some more photos of me and everyone at home, including Auntie Lidia!
xo Dahlia

Hi Woody, I am HOME now!!! xo Dahlia

Hi Woody!!!
Guess what? I got to move home, to see MOM and Bridget and Bodhi and gosh, remember our buddies Boomer and Blossom??? Also Auntie Lidia came to welcome me home too, and she spent a day in the kennel with Miss W.
I am having loads of fun. I get to live with all the folks my age and we play nearly all day long every day. Things are getting muddy and mucky now, and I love it! I love to dig a little and get my white bits all nice and brown. There is a wee pup in the house who comes out to play during the day, I'd like to play with him but Miss W says I seem a bit too excited about it just yet. Both Bodhi and I are very looking forward to the day we can roll him around and tickle him.

I must say, I love being home, I wag my tail all the day and am willing to play with anyone anytime! I think Miss W enjoys my smiles, so I smile at her all the time. I also showed her how I know sit and down and wait, and she enjoys my good manners at feed time.

Miss W is a huge whale though, she used to be a bit more fun herself. She says she is having a human baby girl pup in 4 weeks or so. Yikes!

Lots of love to you WOODY!
xoxox DAHLIA

Hi Woody from Vail

Hi Woody
This is a photo of your sister Vail, leading a 4 dog team at race down south. The 4 dog team won the 6 dog class! They were even in the local news.




This is Vail with Boulder again leading a 2 dog team.









This is Vail, baby Morgan, Boulder and Denver. They are about to be mushed by baby Morgan?

Aviemore 2009

Well Guys, Wot a time we have had recently.

We went to Aviemore. Its one of the biggest dryland races in the WORLD!!! Its huge.... I have never seen so many huskies, mals and sammys. It was a bit icy.... do any of you know about bootties made of wool that you can run on ice?

Me and Nakki, Mac, Minnie, Toddy and Spooky ran in the 6 dog class.........and wait for it.... we came 5th out of 29 teams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so chuffed as I ran lead both days.... dont let Dad kid you on that if I hadn't led the team into the heather on one day and taken the wrong turn the other we may have come higher.......

So, after we ran, Mum ran with Reiger and Moose. It was really emotional as my pal, Reiger, did so well. Remember he was so ill last summer, well, he is doing brilliantly and he and Moose came 9th out of over 40 teams....... and if Mum had been fitter and ate less donuts and been able to run up the hills they would have been even higher!!

Then Taggart and Zaki went out. Zaki was really scared on the ice (i dont blame him as it was scary) and he didnt want to run on Sunday. We are all really proud of him and Taggart and Aunty Kirsty as they did so well.

Ok, enough of my blethering ( Miss W, thats a scottish word i have learnt... it means chattering on about nothing). We have a race next weekend about 150 miles away but is is snowing a bit here. Honestly, if i was still at home with you guys you would say this snow is nothing...over here everything stops if they see one snow flake!!!!). So, we may not get to the race. I will let you know.

I hope you like the photos.

Lots of love

Woody Woo xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A days training!!! by zaki

Well last weekend we had a super day, we were all showing off, us n all our pals, 18 of us!!! and we pulled uncle hughs heavy quad, him and my mum (phew and theyre no feather weights either I tell ya...they could do with staying off the xmas chocs if they expect us to do that again!!!!)round nearly 5miles, up and down some hills as well!!

We had gorgeous minnie and reiger leading the team, with nakki, mac, boomer and woody just behind. At wheel was the real workers, toddy and moose, they kept us all goin up the back, me n my bro rocco were just in front of them...oooohhh, I had sooo much fun!! And then aunty Luisas team were just in front of us, so many new pals to run with!!!!

Iditarod...here we come.....maybe ;)

See all our fab pics......see how tired we all are now!!!!!!

heres reiger n minnie, awwwww

and mad moose!, and my new running pal taggart

i guess woody needs no introductions!!!

spooky above and wanna be husky , the noisy pest boomer!!

rocco my bro below and another one of minnie just cos she is gorgeous!!

lots of luv n pawz
zaki, sled dog extraordinaire!! (see me above!!!)

(well i think so anyway, even tho they all call me pesky and the baby with the dodgy back end hmmmm!!)

We all think this is really funny. Hope you like it.

lots of love

Woody Woo and his gang xxxx

Toddy's son Togan

This is Toddy's son, Togan

i'm relaxed!

Hi miss W, wee one and Granny Donna

i'm relaxed, snuggled into my pal Boomer. Its well below freezing tonight so i have to keep Boomer warm!

Lots of love

Woody Woo xxxxxx

Toddy's Family

Here is Cousin Toddy and his latest 'misses', Jubin, and their children.

Above is Tilly Pip named after Great Granny natalie. This lovely black boy is Nuk.

And this is Jack.

And this is Pearl.

Here are Nuk and Tia playing after their run.

Uncle Matt and Shionach took 5 of the pups for a run. Jack is at lead next to Shionach, then Pearl and Tilly, then Nuk and Tia. Its a shame Ed, Bear and Misty werent there too.

My First race

Hi everyone

Sorry i have been quiet recently, i have been very busy working. And then we went on holiday to Culbin forest near Nairn and Forres. Can you find it on your map Miss W?

Here is Mac and Minnie at lead and me and Toddy at wheel with my dad.

Our Grandfather, STORMY!

This is our Grandsire, Stormy. He is Rainy's dad! Ruby went all the way to Alaska to "visit" Stormy.

Alaskan's Snowstorm of Anadyr, veteran Iditarod leader from 1998. Born April 28 1990. His dad and mom were: Alaskan's Jodi of Anadyr and Alaskan's Snowflake of Anadyr. Stormy was owned and bred by Earl and Natalie Norris of Willow AK.

These photos were taken in July of 2000.

Our great Grandfather OTIS, and then great great Grandafather OTTIS!

This is Ruby's father, our great grandfather, Northstar's Alaskan Otis SDO. (Can Ch. Northomes Snowmist Ottis SDX x Alaskan's Gray Mouse of Anadyr). He was born May 16, 1987. He ran single lead! Wow! He was bred and owned by Peter and Donna Johnson of Blackwater (formerly Northstar) kennel.


This photo is from the Yankee Specialty Show in 1993. That is Donna with him.











This is taken April of 1991, showing that Otis had some coat! Again Donna is with him.









This photo had no date, but noted on the back of the photo is that he finished the Labradors 400 twice.











This is Otis's sire, Northomes Snowmist Ottis SDX, at 9 years of age. He was born march 27, 1978. Photo date is June 11, 1987. His handler and owner was CKC judge Kim LeBlanc of Coldwater Ontario, Snowmist Kennel. His breeders were Art and Judy Allen - Natomah kennel. He was a stud fee puppy to the Steads.

Our Great Grandmother, Natalie!

This is Natalie, our great grandmother. She was Ruby's mother.
She was out of Northomes Snowmist Ottis SDX and Alaskan's Gray Mouse of Anadyr.
Her registered name is Northstar's Alaskan Natalie SD. (Northstar was the Johnson's original kennel name, now it is Blackwater). Her birthday was May 16, 1987. She was a first string dog and also ran lead. She ran lead in parts of the movie Iron Will! She was one of Donna's favorite dogs, and I have heard Donna describe Natalie with such words as vivacious, and to quote Donna:

I really loved running her, as she has been my favorite female (so far) in the years that we have owned dogs.

This photo was taken in 1992 in Alaska. She has recently had puppies, including our grandma Ruby!


Another Donna quote:

1992 was the year we were training Natalie to be a part of Iditarod! Part-way through training, it was Somewhat Notieceable that Natalie might be pregnant. We were aghast! How could this have happened? Her belly was widening out and 'swaying' a little bit in-harness, while training. Soon it was Definitely Obvious she was pregnant, so we had to stop training her. On Dec. 3rd, she gave birth to 5 beautiful puppies, one of which was grandmother, Ruby (to Woody). This was Natalie's destiny, I suppose. To bring Ruby into this world, instead of running the Iditarod. With time, we forgot the disappointment of having a girl of ours (who we bred) to finish the Iditarod. Ruby was our 'favorite' from this litter, from the start. She was 'feisty' and the 'alpha' of her litter, keeping the rest of the puppies in-line, and respectful of her. She was sweet with humans, but a disciplinarian with her littermates. Anyway, it quickly became clear that Ruby was even a much better runner than her mother, Natalie! She was smaller and a lot better built. We always had plans to breed Ruby, as she seemes such a nicely, built female. She was fast and driven (much more driven than Natalie) as well. We ran her (Ruby) at lead a few times over her career, and she was 'great' if there were no snowmachines around, but she was sound 'sensitive' and turned the team around if she met snowmachines on the trail. So, since we couldn't have that happen, she was a A-number one primo 'point' dog, for the entire 'rest' of her career.

This photo is Donna Johnson driving a team with Natalie in lead. Natalie is leading with Pete. At point were Blackie and Musk, at wheel were Whitey and Red (brothers). Mushing out of Howling Dog Farm in Alaska.




This photo was taken in March 1991. That's Pete Johnson with her.





This photo was taken by Maureen Kent at the Yankee Specialty Show in 1993. She wasn't in full coat, but she still looked gorgeous!


Well, stay tuned for more posts with photos of our relatives!
Lots of Love - Bodhi, Bridget, Java Bean and Pema