Animals have always been apart of my life. I have always worked with and around either dogs or horses and they never cease to inspire me. I have always been drawn to northern landscapes. Some people dream of sandy beaches, I dream of snowy adventures. Dog sledding for me merges everything that is important to me, discipline, honesty, hard work and perseverance. There is nothing I rather do than be out training my dogs – it is indescribable. My partner and I have a kennel of 35 dogs together and we motivate each other to reach our respective goals. We have one daughter, Marianne, who has been raised in our mushing world and we believe raising her in such an environment brings very important values in her life. Raising and training sled dogs takes all of our living time, but there is nothing and no time better spent than with my dogs either in the yard or on the trail.
KENNEL NAME
Akkada Kennel
Website & social media
akkada.org
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START RUNNING SLED DOGS AND HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED?
I have always been lured to being with and around animals and work with them. I rode in my first dog sled and the age of seven and that was the beginning of the dream. At 15 I adopted my first retired lead dog Saka and got into mono-dog sports. I met my partner at a tourism kennel 14 years ago and we have had dogs ever since!