Copper Basin: Musher Meeting-Contributed by Susie

Just an update for all who may be interested. Hans and Newton are in Glen Allen eating dinner right now, the night before the Copper Basin 300. It's -48F there. The musher meeting was this afternoon and guess who drew bib #1? ... Newton! He pulled the number out of the hat at the front of the room, looked at it and said, "Oh shit." Before he even said what number he pulled the whole room was laughing, including him. Hans said it was really funny. Anyway, obviously they are hoping for better weather tommorrow. It's kind of bad when you are HOPING for nothing colder than 40 below. Hans has his brand new Northern Outfitter clothes on, he was hand sewing the ruff on the night before he left. (Yes, I offered but was not allowed to touch it!) Hans and Newton are talking with Sebastian Schnuelle, Lance Mackey and a bunch of other hard core mushers about the race. There are 35 sign ups and almost all are very accomplished and experienced mushers. Hans said people are interested in Newton because he's a relative newcomer, but mainly because he is a Jamaican in "interior" Alaska, in January, at minus 48, ready to run what is arguably the toughest 300 mile dog sled race in the world. (NOBODY in their right mind goes to interior Alaska in January! They don't call it, 'The interior of' Alaska, it's just 'interior Alaska' or 'the interior', and the direct translation is: COLD!) I could hear lots of voices in the background while I was talking to Newton and Hans. Lots of buzz. I told Newton not to go out there and kill himself. If it gets too bad, tell somebody. Newton said, "I'm going to finish this race.", and sounded very serious and calm about it. Hans got back on the phone and was laughing saying he can't wait to see Newton take off across the lake tommorrow in the ice fog at -40, first guy out, nobody to follow. He says he can't wait to see the look on Newton's face. Nice guy, eh? Hans is bib 4, only 8 minutes behind Newton by the way. That's it for now, Susie

Copper Basin:Thursday 12:41pm-Contributed by Susie

It's 12:41 p.m. on Thursday, and they are loading up the dogs. The truck is running with the two sleds on top, on of which has a green, yellow and black sled bag with 'JAMAICA' in red letters on each side of it plus a large Jamaican flag sewn onto the top of the sled bag. I hope we've got Newton ready for this. Three hundred miles through the worst part of Alaska, with temperatures currently hovering at -40 Celsius or Farhenheit (they meet at -40). Doing this on a dog sled with no assistance, plus having to look after his team of 12 dogs is a big responsibility for Newton and a tough journey for anyone. The dogs are going wild in the yard and Hans is still deciding which dogs to bring. Newton has his dogs almost completely loaded. The issue with Hans's dogs is that two of them have what is called 'chicken legs'. The fur on their lower legs was rubbed off on the last training run by the extremely cold and abrasive snow. The dogs are fine and not injured, but now they have to wear leg gators to keep them from getting frost bite on their lower legs. They have bright blue leg guards, kind of like the polo ponies at Chukka Cove. Hans is wondering if he wants to go through the bother of keeping the leg gators on. On the other hand he wants to see if the gators work so he knows for the Quest. Hans's main leader Tushai is a female who is just coming into heat and the rest of the team is ALL MALES! Now that spells trouble, and he's considering leaving her behind. Kinvig's ear is bleeding where it got bitten by Minty Fresh, so that's another consideration. Even a small injury like that can be a major problem out on a trail like the Copper Basin. Newton's dogs once again have no injuries and no issues. That was also the case on the last big training run. Hans said that if they had have been racing, he would not have been able to keep up with Newton's team. Newton is packing dog jackets for this race, not something you need unless it is very, very cold. As I write here, I notice that they must be finished loading dogs because the dogs left in the yard just started howling. The dogs abruptly change from a caucaphony of happy excited barks to a long mournful howl as soon as the last dog is loaded. That's because the dogs left behind know they are not going. To the dogs these runs and races must be akin to 'the hunt'. Somewhere deep in their genetics sled dogs get extremely excited when they know they are getting ready for a run, just as a pack of wolves would get stimulated by the scent of another animal in the woods and the imminent prospect of a pack hunt. Even though it is a lot of work, and sometimes there is danger and sometimes injuries, they are born and wired to do this. Lisa got a few pictures before the truck took off, and I just watched them leave down the road, dissappeering into the woods that start about 500 feet past the dog yard. Now all we can do is wait for Saturday's race start and watch the race progress on the website.

Copper Basin-contributed by Susie

We are hoping the weather warms up a bit for the CB 300 but it is still 40 below there. Glen Allen is a cold place to start with. Also there is some stomach sickness going around in the yard, even Jesus is not eating and he is a complete swine. However, so far Newton and Hans's dogs are looking fine. They are giving the dogs 'metronitozol' or something like that just in case. We did the food drops last night and all went well other than Goose shit on the floor after eating a lot of scraps. I cooked the human meals and they packed snacks and clothes, matches etc. Lisa and Newton did all the dog food and booties during the day and Hans had already cut all the dog snacks which Newton and Lisa then packed into 14 snack portions. There is a LOT of food packed into small bags waiting to go into the truck. I'll get Lisa to take a picture. It's like 1/3rd of the Quest so I guess ya, it would be a lot of food.
Keep your fingers crossed for Newton!
It's going to be a tough race.

Sheep Mountain Update (contributed by Susie Rogan)

Actually Hans finished third, not second. Both Hans and Newton were supposed to run no faster than 10 to 12 miles per hour. Newton was bang on, taking 5 hours to do the first 50 miles and so on but Hans couldn't control himself and started racing during the last 1/4 of the race! He said with a smile, "I had to set a few things straight." It was like Sundance Film Festival of dog racing with mushers such as Jeff King (4 time Iditarod winner), Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle, Gerry Willomietzer, DeeDee Jonrowe (second place Iditarod), Aily Zirkle (1st place Yukon Quest), and Hans of course (3 times first place Yukon Quest and champion of many other races), etc. etc. Many were running this as a first race of the season, being careful and checking out their dogs under race conditions. The race could have been a lot more competitive if these people were giving it all they had, but they were preserving their teams for bigger races later in the season. Jessica Hendricks the winner specializes in the shorter races and this was her race to win. Newton also could definately have gone a lot faster but instead ran a perfect race and finished with all his dogs in great shape. The race vet approached me and said, "In case I don't get a chance to talk to Hans and Newton, would you pass on to them that Newton looked extremely good out there. Very professional. He had his check point routine down almost perfectly. You could tell he was having to think, but he didn't miss a thing." During this race we were witness to an extremely large full moon, it was in the newspaper as appearing 14% larger than normal due to being low on the horizon, and a big meteor shower. It was a magical night with the race starting at 1 p.m. and finishing at about 4 pm the next day. Enough said for now. It's -38 C here today and the shower is frozen so Lisa (the handler), and I are heading into town to the gym to take a shower. It's been a few days! Susie"

And the Season Begins!!!

Great start to the long distance race season for the JDT. Newton placed 21st out of 48 in the 150 mile Sheep Mountain race held this past weekend in Alaska. Big smiles and huge congrats go out to Newton for his accomplishment........Folks at home are so proud of you Newton!!

Sheep Mountain Trail

Great finish for Newton in the Sheep Mountain 150

Newton Marshall finished in 21st place out of 47 teams that started the race. This is a great warm up for the Copper Basin 300, Jan. 10-13. Championship musher and team trainer Hans Gatt finished in 2nd place, the winner was Jessica Hendricks. Congratulations to all of the great teams who participated. Check out the race results.

Mush mon.

JDT founder Danny Melville and Head Musher Devon Anderson inspect the new Coolline Misting System

Everyone needs to cool down on those extremely hot days, and our mutley crew is no exception to this.The JDT now boasts an all new misting system by Coolline which allows our mutts to experience the joy of this doggy oasis. What does our Head Musher Devon Anderson have to say about this?

"A great idea! One of the best additions we have made so far. This system strongly enhances the JDT's performance."

Newton presenting to one of the winners at the JDT Fundraiser.

Newton talking to Andrew MacGillivray who flew in from Victoria for the Fundraiser which was held in Calgary.

Ann and Dale Babala Win Ultimate Jamaica Vacation at Calgary Fundraiser

Ann and Dale Babala (pictured here with Newton on the left and Shannon Cunningham of WestJet Vacations on the right) won the Ultimate Jamaica Vacation courtesy of Danny and Carole Melville and WestJet Vacations. The team pulled out the stops auctioning off this one-of-a-kind, not just all- but everything-and-then-some-included getaway. Ann and Dale will live like five star locals in Old Jamaica style for 7-nights in a private villa at the home of the Jamaica Dogsled Team, Chukka Cove and will be looked after by Danny's personal staff who are more like family. Also included: airfare from Calgary to Montego Bay is compliments of WestJet; all ground transportation, including shopping trips into Ocho Rios and all meals and drinks -- plus a personal and private experience with the Jamaica Dogsled Team and all of the nature adventure tours from Chukka Caribbean Adventures all-day, every day. Wow. Thanks to everyone who came out to support the team, great party and looking foward to next year!

Mush Mon.

2008 Sheep Mountain Lodge 150 Sled Dog Race

Newton will start the season racing in the 2008 Sheep Mountain Lodge 150 Sled Dog Race, December 13-14, 2008. The first of 50 teams will head out from Sheep Mountain Lodge at noon on Saturday.The race starts and finishes at the Sheep Mountain Lodge, three 50-mile legswith two mandatory 5-hour layovers at the Eureka Lodge. The Sheep Mountain Lodge is located along the Glenn Highway between Palmer and Glennallen about 2 hours drive from Anchorage. If you're in the neighborhood come root for the teams.

Mush Mon.

Newton Trades the Dog Yard for the Zoo in Calgary

Newton took some time to visit the Calgary Zoo when he was in town for the Team fundraiser, and mugged for the camera doing the now familiar "Lightning Bolt" pose in homage to fellow Jamaican and Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt. Newton had never seen most of the animals at the zoo and was in awe most of the time. His favorite was the gorillas and most of all the 4 month old baby.

Fundraiser in Calgary a Huge Hit

Newton Hans Gatt and Danny Melville came out to meet supporters and help Calgary party Jamaica style at a fundraiser for the Jamaica Dogsled Team on Oct. 25. Danny said this fundraiser "will help to cover the costs of our team for their racing season and after visiting Calgary this summer we decided it was the perfect place for a party." The team sponsors supplied great prizes including a dream trip to the team's home at Chukka Cove Farm in Jamaica with air provided by WestJet as well as items autographed by Jimmy Buffett from founding sponsor Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.

Mush Mon.

Whooaa!

Look at Newton as those mutts kick off with the rig being tested for the PBS program Design Squad. ....can't wait to see this episode~
Hold on Newton!!!!

Smile for the Camera!

Associate Producer Michael Rossi of the PBS programme Design Squad, poses with one of the Directors of Chukka Caribbean Ltd Daniel Melville Jr and our very own Hannah Wright, Group Projects Manager.
Michael and his team were filming the JDT on Monday July 28th, for an episode of the TV program which will air very soon on PBS.

PBS Design Squad-shooting and soaking up the sun in Jamaica with the JDT!

Jamaica Dogsled Team Joins with "Design Squad" TV Show

The Jamaica Dogsled Team is teaming up with the Emmy award-winning reality competition show DESIGN SQUAD! DESIGN SQUAD on PBS (pbs.org/designsquad) features two teams of three aspiring college-aged engineers, led by 20-something host, inventor and mechanical engineer Nate Ball, as they work on a design project. We asked the cast to design and build snow sled rigs for dryland training that can be used on grass, but feel like they are running on snow. The two designs built by Design Squad's competing teams will be tested and judged by Jamaica Dogsled Team members Newton Marshall and Damion Robb, and the winning rig will be used in the team's summer practice sessions to help them prepare for winter competitions.

The episode will air soon on PBS - keep checking back here for more information!!

Ranchman's

From bobsled to dogsled: Danny Melville at the famed Ranchman’s in Calgary, Alberta, Canada admiring a permanent exhibition of the Jamaica Bobsled Team’s gear 20 years after that team’s historic participation at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Ranchman’s played a co-starring role in “Cool Runnings” the feature film based on the Jamaica Bobsled Team. Melville was on-hand for the Calgary Stampede.

Pictured left to right: George Davidson, Consultant, RepeatSeat Ltd.; Aaron Wyers, Operations Manager, Ranchman's; Danny Melville, founder Jamaica Dogsled Team, CEO Chukka Caribbean Adventures; Bob Christianson, C.O.O. RepeatSeat Ltd.

Eastwood

Dr. Richard Watts checks out Eastwood

Health update! Eastwood, a member of Newton's dog team who went with him on the Percy and will be going to the Quest, has been having problems with his eyes. Susie Rogan looked on as Dr. Richard Watts, optometrist extraordinaire in Whitehorse, examined Eastwood and found that he has a cloudy cornea secondary to a high ocular pressure (glaucoma). With Timolol .5% medicine given twice a day to reduce the pressure, Eastwood should be back for a checkup later this week to make sure he is recovering well.

Dr. Watts said "Eastwood was very calm and behaved better than the majority of human patients I have to work with!"

Ken on the mend!

Three long months ago, Ken broke his wrist coming back from a fishing trip - and he's still on the mend! This picture shows Ken's 12th cast, decorated in the colors of the Jamaican flag, which should come off just before the 4th of July.

A few new pup pictures!

Pretty-eyed Cheers, 5-31

Mini-loggers! Blossom and Clem

Mercer and his big paws, going to work!

Recent pics of the pups

Here are a few recent pictures of the pups. We have changed the name Goose to Blossom and the male named Otto is now Merlin.

Ken Davis
Elfstone Kennel

What's mom eating?

What's mom eating?
Stella

Puppies everywhere

My head just won't fit

Fat thoughtful

Cheers getting a hug

Hello....Thought I would give a puppy update. They are all doing wonderfully and Crystal is still taking great care of them. The cuteness factor is very high. All are eating regular food and starting to ween off of Mom. The pic titled 'My head just won't fit!' is of Mercer trying to swallow Stella. Take care. Ken

DOgGy DiSH-PINKY~

Pinky-The Deaf Dynamite

Our blue eyed adventurer is very playful by nature. She is interested in playing with anthing and everything; birds, paper, grass-you name it! She'll try to get your hand in her mouth (just to warm and wet them up), to let you know that she likes you.

Distingushing Trait: The prettiest blue eyes on this side of the world accompanied by the pinkest mouth (hence the name pinky).

Pet Peeves: K-9 Crowd. Pinky is very particular with who she choses to play with.

Interesting Fact: When she craves attention, she turns her butt towards you so you can rub the small of her back.