TORCHLIGHT Parade in SEATTLE !

August 3rd, 2010

Traveling with 8 adult sled dogs and 4 10-week old puppies might seem a bit of a daunting task, but thanks to Alaska Airlines Cargo and flexible staff, the travel of our team to and from the busiest airport in the Northwest went off without a hitch.  The puppies let everyone know in both cargo departments that this was their first trip so their kennels were noisy.  Alaskans know very well how easy it is to ship unusual amounts of pets, gear, and supplies thanks to Alaska Airlines, now we know the same can work throughout the system.

The parade went off without a hitch.   The weather was cool and clear, the parade route lined with thousands of people.  The locals camp out the night before the parade, bring couches, bar-b-ques, blankets and all manner of sitting arrangements.

Members of the Alaska Airlines Nome Dog Squad assisted Martin and the family get the dogs hooked up to the airplane float via a a sled and served as puppy walkers on the parade route.  The puppies had been a star attraction at the Alaska Airlines booth during the day.  The four Corporal puppies loved wandering over to the edge of the street to get pets from the many children lining the parade route.

We got to meet Apollo Ohno, who was the Grand Marshall of the Parade.  Come to find out he loves dogs.  Because of his size and toughness, he would probably make a pretty good dog musher.  Not sure he would be interested in giving up his current status as iconic winter Olympian to come to Alaska and train.

Fanciest sled bag ever.

Martin and Piper visit with the crowd at the Alaska Airlines Booth during FANFEST.

Summer Pit Crew

Apollo Ohno and Martin chat as they walk by Ohno's ride ~ Chevy Corvette.

More photos to come!

Happy TRAILS TEAM is SEATTLE, JULY 31!!!

July 29th, 2010

Martin, 8 dogs, 4 puppies, Nikolai, Rohn and members of the Nome Dog Squad will be part of the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade in Seattle this Saturday. Fanfest during the day, parade begins around 6:30. Come out and wave to the dogs. Martin will be driving quite a fancily decorated sled!!!

The Race is ON!

July 7th, 2010

Magnus and Martin sing up for the 2011 Iditarod Sled Dog Race that begins on Saturday, March 5!

Magnus will be a rookie running the Happy Trails yearling team and Martin will be venturing into his 28th year on the trail.

Magnus qualified to sign up by racing in the Copper Basin 300, the Knik 200, and the Yukon Quest 300, where he came in 2nd!

SIGNING UP for #28

June 24th, 2010

Martin will sign up for the 2011 Iditarod this Saturday.  It will be his 28th Iditarod, 26th consecutive!!!!

Tours in Full Swing

June 13th, 2010

We are daily welcoming more and more visitors to Happy Trails as the tour season gets under way.  Tour times are 10:00 and 2:00 and the tour lasts about 1.5 hours.

NEW this season is an improved version of our Virtual Iditarod Trip.  In partnership with Jeff Schultz and Sprocketheads, LLC, we created a unique journey from Anchorage to Nome with some of the most spectacular imagines ever assembled in a DVD. With a combined 54 years on the trail, Jeff’s photos and Martin’s trail stories make it possible for you to “be there” on the back of the sled!

The new show is called Mile by Mile: Martin Buser’s Iditarod and it will soon be available for purchase at our Dog House Gift Shop and OnLine at our website.

TOURS begin MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

April 19th, 2010
Friday, May 28 officially begins our 2010 TOUR Season and bookings are up from last year. We have tours scheduled daily at
10:00 and 2:00.

While reservations are not usually needed, it’s not a bad idea to call ahead. Martin is here most days, and if he’s not we typically have an Iditarod finisher on hand to fill in. Tour cost is $35/adult and $15/child. The tour typically lasts about 1.5 hours.

Maggies treadmill moves to its new home.

Surfing Maggie's Treadmill!

NEW for this year: See Maggie’s Treadmill, the only elephant treadmill ever built! Peek inside the FUN House where 40 dogs can gather for a warm night and some doggie socializing!

We are transitioning our website but if you’d like to see lots of photos related to our dogs and Iditarod 2010, click here.

Hope to see you this summer sometime~

happy trails

DOG DETAILS Martin’s Report

March 30th, 2010

This will be a short synopsis of the dogs during Iditarod 2010, my 27th Iditarod, in no particular order since the dogs find themselves in various positions during the race.  I feel it is important to move the athletes around especially the wheel dog and lead dog spots.  In the training months we teach the dogs to perform in just about every place in the team. When the leaders work their way around an obstacle such as a tree or a boulder to the right, the wheel dogs learn to avoid said obstacles by pulling away from the hazard to the left.

For photos and report go to:  Team Report

Roy had such a marvelous training season.  He is a new and much improved “man”.  Last year he ran almost 2500 miles in races and it really showed.  He had a low tolerance for demodectic mange and by the end of the year he was almost naked and truly sad looking.  He had to go see Dr.Beatsle and was neutered and then put on a several month long medical regiment.  Now Roy is shiny, bright and stronger than ever.  He led in several important sections of the race, performed flawlessly and was happy all the way to Nome.

Caribou found himself at the starting line in lead yet once again. He is such a reliable leader and has seen the commotion of the first day several times, racing through thousands of people from Willow practically all the way to Yentna station.  Flag waving, hot dog cooking, yelling fans giving high fives can be somewhat intimidating to a lead dog, so it is nice to be steered by a veteran.  The second day into the race Caribou focused his attention mostly on one of his co leaders Goose.  Even though he was mistaken, he decided that she was in season and he made all the other boys feel the same way.  Good thing we have several “altered” males such as Herakles, Angel and Roy to be perfectly unaffected by those sort of things anymore.  In McGrath Caribou developed a sore forearm and was examined by the chief veterinarian and about twenty miles later I decided to send my buddy home for convalescence.

Collar is another old battle-ax in the team and has seen the race trail many years in a row.  If he were a student, he would be the sort of kid never noticed by the teachers.  He never gets in trouble, needs no special attention, is best left alone, gets along with everybody and can run in any position in the team while finishing what he starts.  What more could any musher want.  Fast, durable and elegant are all attributes fitting to this great performer. No wonder he has pups in the kennel. His offspring will run to Nome in the yearling team next season.

Herakles is one of the Greek gods that has been with me for a long time.  He has had a similar racing season as Roy last year and was always on the thin side, especially after the races.  It is quite remarkable how the lack of testicles can improve a dog.  Herakles was so plump this Iditarod that he developed a hind leg tendonitis and needed some special tender care.  I would take him in the sled on several runs and massage and pamper him whenever the trail allowed.  At first he did not like the routine of going in the sled but after a few massaging sessions, he got the hang of it and by the time we hit the Yukon river, he made a deal that from now on he would run in the team exclusively.  We both held up our end of the bargain until we met one of the keenest vets on the trail in Koyuk on the coast.  Dr.Carolyn Griffin heard a light problem on Herakles’ left lung and was worried there might be a possible pneumonia in the making.  We put him on antibiotics but by Elim, about 50 miles later, I had talked myself into leaving Herakles behind, not wanting to take any chances, after all, I was still driving 14 dogs by then.

Orion is so full of himself, he even growls at me sometimes!  When he does, he has a twinkle in his eye and a wagging tail, knowing full well he is not supposed to do that,  kind of like some star athlete not following all the social norms excused by superior performance.  This light-footed star runs from lead to wheel in any position, next to anybody readily and flawlessly, except Goose this year.

Man O’War was the last dog picked for the Iditarod this year.  In the last training run, I put him in lead and took many unusual turns, parked off the trail and asked him to perform up to his potential.  He delivered and promptly found himself on the roster for my 27th trip to Nome.  When the race finally started, he pretty much told me that this was not going to be his year.  From Willow to Nikolai he might have accidently pulled for a minute or two but that was about it.  Of course we give our dogs the benefit of the doubt and even though the vets could not find anything wrong with him, I chose to send him home.  He might be one of the best again next year, like he has been in the past.

Goose is known as the Kusko queen in the kennel.  She won that race and finished second twice in Bethel.  This little black leader pretty much spent Iditarod 38 in the lead sharing that position with various team members.  Once Caribou marked her a “fair game”, I kept all the intact males away from her and she spent time with Celine, Angel and Herakles.  One of Goose’ qualities, besides performing as a hard worker, is to maintain and maybe even gain weight while the race is going.  Good eaters are a must for this race and she certainly has that in her DNA but unfortunately has not been able to pass on her qualities.  We have tried to let her have pups but so far have been denied that pleasure.  We’ll keep on trying.

Frodo the fair weather dog.  During an extremely cold and windy race last year he sustained some frostbite on his private parts.  This obviously makes Frodo susceptible to future damage and we will only race him during “warm” races. Ha.  He was the main reason I asked several friends to give me the long range forecast and based on the supposed warm weather, no wind and certainly no extreme temperatures, Frodo got to go.  Well the forecast was about as off as it could get and I spent the entire Iditarod worrying, working and protecting the dog from the elements!  He got to the finish line wagging his tail; never knowing how much effort was spent on him getting there.  Thanks weather man. I should have taken Lear Jet.

Neil Young, not just a great name, but a superb performer as well.  Neil lead the team in many a key section of the Iditarod.  This famous Canadian, brother of Patrick Roy and Celine Dion is not the smoothest dogs but his heart is what counts and he gave it his all.  If a dog is not totally gifted athletically, he will never be used in the breeding program, his sister had eight pups last year and we are looking forward to seeing the next generation on the race trail next year.

Otter is just one of the three mustelidae, a family that includes about 65 species world wide that includes Weasel and Badger.  This was his second competitive Iditarod and again he performed all the way to Nome in exemplary fashion.  The only thing he still needs to learn a little better, is to become an assertive leader. Yes, you can teach an old dog a new trick

Weasel missed a bunch of training this year with a damaged bicep.  That is a sports injury that takes a long time to heal.  We put a “wedge” on his house, basically a pyramid that keeps him from jumping up and down his doghouse to speed up recovery.  He made the team but in White Mountain I noticed some reoccurring soreness and since a friend was there with an airplane, I let him have a plane ride to Nome.

Badger is the third of the brothers out of the same litter.  He was probably the least mature of the three and after two thirds of the race started to question my leadership.   He thought that the race should be over before it was and I spent some considerable time giving him extra love, pats and reassurance that there will be an end to the race.  I told him that the ultimate pride is only gained by sticking it out all the way!  Looking at him now in the dog lot, he is the ultimate picture of confidence and self-assuredness; he will be truly awesome in the future!

Patrick Roy was probably the biggest dog in the team.  One of the famous Canadians, he has a beautiful body but has a difficult time with one skill that needs to be mastered by all sled dogs.  A bit delicate subject to write about, but needless to say, we can not stop every time one of the sixteen dogs goes number one or two.  After a couple of days on the trail, the dogs pretty much metabolize everything they eat so it becomes less of an issue the farther we go.  Patrick got to fly out of White Mountain with Weasel and was waiting for me in Nome.

Jefferson is probably one of the smoothest, light-footed athletes in the team.  He is a very gifted runner, superb leader and all round pleasant dog to be with.  His cross eyes make it a bit hard to know what he is looking at but that does not seem to impede his performance.  He and Orion make a fine matched pair of leaders and when Goose was not up front, Jefferson took the responsibility to implement the commands given by the two-legged leader.

Angel is often mistaken for a girl, in part because of his name and also for his fine features but the Spanish pronunciation gives him no complex.  He was born to Daisy, one of my all time biggest girls, he was a very hard keeper as a young dog and because of that, became one of my neutered boys.  That also lets me run him in any position.  He pays no attention to the girls, yet he is very assertive towards other guys and keeps them in line.  In the dog barn he defends his private box like a moray eel sticking his head out and snapping at anybody getting close.

Celine was the number two girl in the team.  Only her and Goose happened to be females.  If I had sixteen Celines I would have no complaints.  She is such a joy at home and on the trail.  Loving, happy and a talented runner she can perform anywhere in the team …… as long as she gets the right side.  Several of our dogs are either left or right handed.  In training we teach them to run on either side of course but the natural propensity to run somewhere is as strong to some as my left-handedness was when they unsuccessfully tried to teach me to write with my right hand.  Last year Celine whelped eight Collar pups that are looking really promising.

One of the reasons there is no end in sight for me running the Iditarod is that the young dogs we get are out of the best dogs we ever had!

Love and Happy Trails
Martin

Congratulations Lance!

March 24th, 2010

Kudos to Lance Mackey and his dogteam for 4 Iditarod victories in a row.  Martin has always believed that Lance is the 17th dog in the team and from Martin, that is the utmost compliment.

Many people have asked Martin about how he felt about his record ALMOST being broken.  Well, of course he is happy to still claim title to the fastest Iditarod ever but he did say at the time, it could be done faster.  AND when Martin set that record the trail was approximately 60 miles longer.  2002 was the last year the race started in Wasilla, Knik being the first checkpoint.  So to truly set a new record, dog teams would have to drive almost to Teller, Alaska. 

But, Martin has always held that RECORDS are made to be BROKEN.  And it surely will be someday, but having the record for 8 years so far is a delight,  still so proud of that amazing dog team that covered the trail in 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds.

Most heartfelt congratulations to all the mushers completing one of the coldest Iditarods ever. 

Most important of all is that NO DOGS Died!!!!! A goal all mushers and vets work diligently to accomplish.  

Home!!!!

March 23rd, 2010

Keep checking for more new pictures at our photo site at  http://web.me.com/kchap1/2010_Iditarod_News_and_Photos/Welcome.html

We arrived home at 2:00am this morning.  Our stay in Nome was filled with fun, food, family and extended family.  Lots of visiting and laughing.  We had at least 20 people for dinner each night with our biggest group being 37!

Art Church arrived in Nome on Friday late afternoon!  We appreciate what a feat it was for him to take over only a few days before the race, the team of our young dogs Sue Allen trained .  Not only did he not really know the dogs, he had never run a team without necklines nor had he dealt with such a lively and spontaneous group.  Luckily whenever they got into a tangle, Art was able to let them all loose, untangle, and then they’d all come back to get hooked up.  He made several calls to Sue from the checkpoints for tutoring about his team.  Of course, Sue and Rich were heartbroken at not participating in this year’s Iditarod but you couldn’t find a happier Mama than Sue at the finish line watching her rowdy teenagers cross under the burled arch.  The dogs recognized her immediately and were so excited to hear her voice.  We imagined them saying, “Hey Mom, what on earth was that all about?”  They probably told her how happy they were and what fun they had barking and speeding along the trail with that deep voice on the sled.  Their finish was the essence of teamwork ~ Sue training and Art racing.  Mission accomplished!  Martin expects several of those dogs to be in his team next year, racing as veterans.

Coming soon,  Martin’s report on each dog!

MARTIN in NOME

March 18th, 2010

http://web.me.com/kchap1/2010_Iditarod_News_and_Photos/Welcome.html

more photos!