Enjoying The Summer With Our Sled Dogs

Summertime in Fairbanks at Trail Breaker Kennel means lots of tours and lots of love for our sled dogs and puppies! This summer, we have been lucky enough to partner with several new tour companies to bring their guests an authentic sled dog experience and an exciting look into the Alaskan dog mushing lifestyle. Guests from all over the world have the opportunity to visit Trail Breaker Kennel to cuddle husky puppies, experience an exciting training demonstration and hear authentic racing stories from our experienced staff of race mushers.

Meet Our NBA Alaskan Husky Puppies

Litter of Trail Breaker Kennel Alaskan Husky Puppies in Fairbanks Named After NBA Teams.

If you have been to Trail Breaker Kennel this summer, you probably met a litter of 6 adorable grey and brown sled dog puppies. These Alaskan husky pups, born to mother Jenna of Robinson Racing Kennel, were finally bestowed with names at 8 weeks old after much deliberation. We asked you, our online community, for name suggestions, and we were so excited by all the excellent responses! Thank you for helping us. As the puppies developed their personalities, we weighed our favorite theme options… and while the FRIENDS theme (Joey, Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe & Ross) was a close runner-up, we went with NBA teams. Take a look at how cute the puppies are!

Our Summer Stars Of The Kennel

While our puppies at Trail Braker Kennel are the cutest, they are not the only age group enjoying having guests visit us in Fairbanks this summer. At 1.5 years old, this is the first year in “show business” for the Chiska x Slim litter (Dale, Indy, Cushman, Farmer, and Steese). These guys have impressed staff and guests alike with their enthusiasm and maturity this summer. Just last winter, they were still goofy yearlings learning how to handle themselves in harnesses; now, they have become cool and confident 2 year olds who are excited to demonstrate their abilities daily for guests on the Riverboat Discovery Tour. This litter of yearlings will be graduating to training with the race pool this winter, and we are looking forward to trying them out in their first 100-150 mile race! If you are interested in supporting these youngsters in their first racing season, please consider sponsoring a sled dog for winter 22/23!

A Special Summer Event In Fairbanks

Special Picture of Brides Taken At Wedding Event Venue in Fairbanks Alaska.

Finally, we are happy to announce that we hosted our first wedding on the kennel property this July! We are so excited to become a more active event venue in the coming years. This Fairbanks couple was blessed with a beautiful night to celebrate their love at the TBK pond.

After their ceremony, the newlyweds were greeted by their guests on the banks of the Chena River. From there, they went for a sled dog cart ride, which delivered them to the event tent for their reception! The children (and adults) in attendance were delighted at the presence of “wedding puppies,” and by the end of the night, all dogs and humans were thoroughly socialized!

Our Time In Eureka, Alaska

As winter approaches, we are filled with gratitude as we prepare for the season ahead. The entire kennel, puppies to retirees, are out in Eureka, Alaska until December. For those unfamiliar with Trail Breaker history, Eureka is the community roughly four hours north of Fairbanks where kennel founders Susan Butcher and David Monson began their racing journey. In the early 1900s, Eureka was a significant mining town, so there are many small, run-down miners’ cabins and equipment that have been left out over the years. Susan’s original homestead consisted of a small living cabin and an old blacksmith shop where they made wheelbarrows and horseshoes for the sourdoughs in the area.

Our Eureka, Alaska Homestead

Today, the property is home to a barn, three cabins, a workshop, and, of course, a dog yard. The area is full of old mining roads that have become great trails and training routes for the mushers who live out there today. The history that is embedded in those trails is felt on every run. Both musher and husky can feel the energy of all of the mushers, including Susan and David, who trained on them in the past. It’s on these trails that we will get our team race-ready and get a break from city-living!

Training For Race Season In Alaska

With the exciting prospect of the race season ahead, the race team will be exploring the trails around the homestead and putting on the miles. The team is currently running 15-20 miles a day, and we will slowly build until they are doing 50 or more miles at a time. There is still much anticipation hanging on the first significant snowfall. We wait eagerly for it to come, but we will stick with ATV training until it does. Whether we train on sleds or ATV, we are having fun and learning just the same. As our machines are not made to start in the winter, it can be a chore keeping our ATVs running, but it just adds to the adventure of life in rural Alaska.

While the mushers and race dogs are hard at work, the retirees and puppy team will be having nothing but fun. Eureka’s trails are perfect for puppy teams because they are introduced to many different obstacles. They’ll learn how to eagerly take on hills, push through windy conditions, battle snowdrifts, and many other conditions they may not encounter in the heart of Fairbanks. The Eureka homestead has been crucial in preparing our team for all conditions, getting the mushers comfortable to train in remote settings, and providing a unique bonding experience between musher and dog.

Want To Know More About Trail Breaker Kennel?

We are so thankful to train from a place like the Eureka homestead, and we are thankful for all of you who make it possible. Later this month, we will be releasing some exciting news that will allow you to learn more about each of our huskies and mushers, so stay tuned! Contact us today if you would like to receive Trail Breaker’s newsletter directly to your email!

Enjoying The Summer With Our Sled Dogs

Meet Our NBA Alaskan Husky Puppies

Our Summer Stars Of The Kennel

A Special Summer Event In Fairbanks

Book Your Fairbanks Event With Us!

Our Time In Eureka, Alaska

Our Eureka, Alaska Homestead

Training For Race Season In Alaska

Want To Know More About Trail Breaker Kennel?

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