mandy nauman austin & matt austin
the dogs of douglas fir mushing
Vinny-13 years old
Vinny-13 years old
preakness-10 years old
preakness-10 years old
This is not a hobby. It is late nights and early mornings. It is struggle. It is triumph. It pushes your boundaries and tests your abilities daily. One moment it exposes your weaknesses only to let you shine your brightest in the next. It is not for everyone. Heck, it's hardly for anyone. But in that moment when all comes together. When man and beast are one. That moment is worth all the hard work and sacrifice. It is necessary as breath, as the blood in your veins.
No, this is not a hobby. It is a way of life.
They Want To Run. They Need To Run. They Love To Run.
barred-7 Years Old
barred-7 Years Old
gwiinzii-12 years old
gwiinzii-12 years old
oxbow-4 years old
oxbow-4 years old
crux-4 years old
crux-4 years old
hero-7 years old
hero-7 years old
selene-4 years old
selene-4 years old
old crow-12 years old
old crow-12 years old
mendez-10 years old
mendez-10 years old
sammI-13 Years Old
sammI-13 Years Old
Strix-7 Years old
Strix-7 Years old
saw-whet-7 Years old
saw-whet-7 Years old
Nitro-10 years old
Nitro-10 years old
Derby-10 years old
Derby-10 years old
Scratch-4 Years old
Scratch-4 Years old
pilot-3 Years Old
pilot-3 Years Old
illiamna-3 Years Old
illiamna-3 Years Old
fuse-8 Years Old
fuse-8 Years Old
joee-4 years old
joee-4 years old
gwich'in-12 years old
gwich'in-12 years old
ALLAGASH-4 years old
ALLAGASH-4 years old
CAPUTO-10 years old
CAPUTO-10 years old
belmont-10 years old
belmont-10 years old
Willy was the most enthusiastic dog that I knew. He was a cheerleader, always banging in the harness and ready to go no matter what. He was one of Lance Mackey's Super Dogs from Mushing magazine and was a big part of both Lance's and Brent Sass' Iditarod and Yukon Quest teams. Willy made it 300 miles into my 2014 Quest but had to be dropped from the team because of a foot injury. Willy had drive like no other dog, In Willy's later years he has found his place in the dog yard wandering around loose and keeping an eye on things. We call him Sheriff Willy. His enthusiasm is missed around the kennel. He was a great dog. Thank You Willy
Thunder
Thunder
We said good-bye to a very good dog and great friend this summer. Thunder was one of the best wheel dogs around. Some people consider wheel dogs to be big males that do most of the hard work but with very little thinking. Although he worked extremely hard, Thunder was not just a dense work horse, he was very good at what he did and made smart, split second decisions in steering the sled around obstacles. Thunder was a major contributor in many of Brent Sass's early Yukon Quest teams and was a major part of my 2014 race team and got me to the finish line of the Yukon Quest. Thunder officially retired in 2016. He enjoyed a relaxing and warm retirement curled up next to the wood stove in the cabin. We miss you every day Thunder Man.
wabasha
wabasha
reese
reese
We lost a very dear member of our team in the summer of 2013. Reese was my main leader all of the 2012/2013 season and ran in lead the entire way for me in both my 100 mile race and 200 mile race. He was missed on the Quest trail in 2014, but I know he was there in spirit. He was not only a great sled dog but an amazing friend and a member of our family. Forever Wild and Free, Run in Peace Reese Man, you will be missed.
in loving memory
in loving memory
Dogs open the world for us. They take us to places we would never imagine. They are the most loyal and devoted companions we'll ever have and when they have to go they carry our hearts with them. And then, they wait for us. They're out there, waiting.
~Mark Gunderson
17 years ago I got my first dog, Swede. At first, we were both a little wild, rowdy, untrained and very unsure of the our future. We kinda figured it out when we packed our bags and headed north to Alaska. Still a little bit of a shit show, we became inseparable. Anywhere I went Swede was always by my side, sometimes just ahead or sometimes a few miles in a different direction, but always eventually made it back to my side.
Swede was with me for almost half of my life. We did a lot and saw a lot together. Together we traveled more than most humans will travel in a life time. We spent some time in Europe. We spent 6 months on the road and traveled over 28,000 miles, saw 38 states and 4 Canadian Provinces in those 6 months. Swede lived for that stuff. She also helped train my sled dogs. She wasn't much of a puller, but loved to run loose right behind my sled. I could always put my right hand down and Swede was right there. She probably ran over 3,000 miles with me. She was always up for a good adventure.
I have so many good memories with Swede, she didn't run in my Yukon Quest team, but traveled by truck with Matt and Solo to each check point. I only got to see her at the half way point in Dawson City and at the finish. When I was leaving the last check point and headed to the finish line. Matt asked what I wanted when I finished and I said," I want Swede there." Sure enough Swede was right there in the chute waiting for us. I think my handlers had a hard time holding her back. She was so excited to see the team accomplish our dream of finishing the Yukon Quest.
Swede was also there through some of my saddest and hardest times. She was right there when I found out my Dad had passed away. She was on the next flight back to Wisconsin with me. Swede was more than just a dog during those times. She was my support, my best friend, my family when the rest of my family was thousands of miles away. She was my everything.
In the last few years, Swede still loved going for car rides and going for walks. But what she loved most was being down in the dog yard with the sled dogs. We would go down to the yard looking for Swede and she would either be curled up in another dogs house taking a nap or just hanging out with each dog and making sure they weren't causing trouble. Even at -20 degrees she still wanted to be down there with her pack. I'm not totally sure why she wanted to be with them, but maybe some day I'll figure it out.
Swede went to her final resting spot on January 6th. We had a good run. Seventeen years of causing trouble and making memories together. I wouldn't change a thing. We lived, we learned and we loved together. We did everything together. I know her spirit will live on through all of us here at our little homestead.
THANK YOU SWEDE! Thank you for being my special dog for so many years. You are very much missed and will never be forgotten. I hope our paths cross again. It's not goodbye, it's see you down the trail my sweetest Swedinator.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Swede
Swede
Don't take something as simple as a tail wag for granted......
We said goodbye to a beloved friend, work partner, and an incredibly patient teacher to both human and dog. Congo was one of the original members of our little family. He played a significant roll in building what our Douglas Fir Mushing pack is today. He worked hard, relaxed harder, but enjoyed his fun the most and made every moment with him entertaining and full of love.
Although he wasn't going to ever make a race team (too big...too slow...and maybe a bit too spoiled) he was still a hard worker in harness and ran lead in most of our small wood hauling teams...holding the line out like a pro...or an anchor, until we were fully loaded and ready to head back home. He did this with joy and pride, but really only to please HIS humans and help keep us all warm in the winter.
He also came up with us every day while we were building our cabin. While we built he chased squirrels and explored the property (no opposable thumbs, otherwise he would have been building right along side us). He was always there for moral support and to comfort us when things went bad, which of course they did...real bad. He helped us through those difficult times with his love and encouragement. Even the worst days were made tolerable by his mere presence and he reminded us that better days were ahead.
He was an incredible member of Mandy's tour team as well, working hard and running in lead for tours for a number of years. He loved the slow pace of the tours, but he loved meeting new people and making new friends even more. In recent years, when he could no longer pull in harness, he still made the trip to work with Mandy to befriend more people, take naps in the tent, and cheer his team on as they took off and returned home from their journey. He loved all of the attention he got and the guests couldn't get enough of his unfettered love.
We could all learn quite a bit from this gentle sage. Congo loved people...ALL people with no discrimination or judgment. If you were willing to give him one pat on the head, you were cool with Congo...and also destined to give him many more pats on the head, butt rubs, or belly scratches as well as becoming a comfortable head rest for him. If he was unsatisfied with the amount of love he was receiving he would let you know...not in an overly aggressive way but more just pleasant nudges reminding you that he was still there and ready to be loved in whatever way you were willing.
He was a great and patient trainer of puppies, an appetite motivator for picky eaters in the dog yard (he would clean up any unclaimed food within seconds), an amazing football watching buddy (high fives and all) and gave tons of love and support to HIS humans. He was an enthusiastic blueberry picker, but an even better blueberry eater. He was a hard worker...but an even harder relaxer and couch potato, tennis ball chaser (not so much actual fetcher), and just a down to earth, easy going, and the most loyal dog you will ever know. He loved HIS pack and HIS humans more than anything and wanted nothing more than the love and affection in return that he so enthusiastically gave out.
In his final days, Congo lost control of his back end and became paralyzed from his mid-section down. He went from walking and going about his normal business, though with some significant discomfort, to complete paralysis of the back end within 12 hours. Whether it was a fast moving tumor or disc disease we are unsure, but it happened so quickly it was apparent things would never be the same. After a week of paralysis and growing discomfort it was clear recovery was not on the horizon.
Though we saw the brightness, love, and loyalty in his eyes until the very end, the simple act of wagging his tail...which he had done hundreds of thousands of times before...was something he could no longer do. Wagging its tail is a simple reflex of a dog that can mean so much...to them...to us...especially when it can no longer happen, but you so desperately want to see it just one more time.
Though we saw the brightness, love, and loyalty in his eyes until the very end, the simple act of wagging his tail...which he had done hundreds of thousands of times before...was something he could no longer do. Wagging its tail is a simple reflex of a dog that can mean so much...to them...to us...especially when it can no longer happen, but you so desperately want to see it just one more time.
Rest easy my friend. You were truly one of a kind. You are missed dearly but will be loved forever.
willy
willy
Congo
Congo
brie
brie
snooki
snooki
pauly
pauly
