PRESS RELEASE : Centennial Seppala Expedition
The legendary Leonhard Seppala and Togo Return to Nome on the 100 Year Anniversary of the Famous “Race of Mercy”
Poland Spring, Maine/ Nome Alaska- In 1925, legendary musher Leonhard Seppala and his team of dogs were instrumental in the nearly 750 mile relay of life-saving serum to the isolated city of Nome Alaska. After these heroic acts- Seppala, Togo, and the rest of the team relocated to Poland Spring, Maine.
100 Mile Wilderness Race 2024
It was a brisk -4°F at 4:30 AM when we loaded our Seppala Siberian Sleddogs into the truck at Poland Spring Seppala Kennels, headed toward Fort Kent. My 15-year-old son Caleb was running our team in the race—his first race ever. Christian, my 13-year-old son, had been given the honor of running Rajen Kennels’ second-string […]
AKC Registered Alaskan Huskies?
Rumblings in the Mushing Community: A Petition for the Seppala The mushing community is small. And the purebred mushing community is a subset within a subset of our culture. Word gets around. Although I have been sworn to secrecy on many of the details which will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead, nothing I am […]
My sleddog is smarter than your dog! Here’s why!
Intelligence vs. Trainability: Why Arctic Sled Dogs are Smarter (and Harder) Traditional arctic sled dogs are generally smarter than other breeds, but that has its drawbacks. In dogs, as in humans, there is a big difference in intelligence and trainability. This week, I had two conversations with very different dog owners that led me to […]
From Alaska to Maine by Dog Team: Maine’s Forgotten Adventurer- Cecil Mush Moore
A reporter once asked Cecil “Mush” Moore, “What does it take to be a good musher?” “You just have to be as smart as the dogs. Most people aren’t.” Moore replied. All photos in this article are from the author’s personal collection. INTRODUCTION I have often said Maine has a mushing history second only to […]
2023 State of the Club Address
It is both a heavy burden and a great honor to have been selected from among members to serve on the board of the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club (ISSSC) over the past few years. Even more so to have been notified this week that the board members have elected me as the president of […]
Seppala History Vignette – Cold River
A Scion White as Snow: Jeuahnee of Cold River In the world of dog breeding, bloodlines come and go. Many never contribute to a broader whole, dying out when a kennel or breeder leaves the breed. Others are absorbed by unrelated breeding philosophies—surviving, but without their establishing principles. Cold River Kennels, operated by Marie “Millie” […]
Closing the Seppala Stud Book. Is your dog’s name written in “The Seppala’s Great Book of Life”?
Closing the Studbook: A Strategy for Breed Preservation By Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes, Board Member, ISSSC As I have discussed in other articles, the Seppala Siberian Sleddog has undergone two genetic bottlenecks over the past 100 years. When notable Seppala legends such as Doug Willett and Jeffrey Bragg rescued the breed from the brink of extinction, […]
Our Can Am 100 mile 2023 run.
Race Report: Can-Am 100 Everyone keeps asking for a report on our race yesterday, so I figured it would be easiest to post it here. We want to say thank you to the community and to our sponsors for coming out in such a great way to show Caleb and our team their support. We […]
The Willow 300: A Maine Musher’s Adventures in Alaska
When Down East Magazine made public my plans to take a Seppala team to Nome Alaska via the Iditarod, on the 100 year anniversary of Seppala’s team helping to save the children of Nome, I knew I was taking on a seemingly herculean goal. I have to run three Iditarod qualifiers between now and then. […]