Latest News & Articles

Expedition Presentations: Adventure. History. Maine’s State Dog Real Adventure. Real Dogs. A Story Students Never Forget. Two presentations geared for adult or student audiences- With teacher, author, and adventurer, Jonathan

One Hundred Miles in- Druid and Kineo leading the way. (Photo courtesy of Anastasia Paradis) Laying there in the dark next to my leaders, their booties in my hands, ready

A team of Seppala Siberian sled dogs—newly designated the Official State Dog of Maine on the centennial of the legendary 1925 Serum Run—will compete in this year’s Can-Am Crown 250, one of

ONE HUNDRED WINTERS: Retracing the Great Race Against DeathNow Available on Amazon and through Signed Copies at MushMaine.com As the world marks one hundred years since the legendary 1925 Serum

Honoring a Century of Courage, Character, and Maine Heritage Maine has officially recognized the Seppala Siberian Sleddog as the state’s official dog breed—a long-overdue tribute to one of the most

This past September I gave a presentation at “Poland Spring Heritage Days” for the Preservation Society on the rich history Maine has with the famed Togo and the Seppala Siberian

Discussions around genetic diversity in the Seppala Siberian Sleddog never truly begin or end; they simply permeate. Seppalas have never enjoyed the luxury of wide genetic berth to pull from

My kids have grown up around Seppalas, so they have a very discerning eye.

The oldest three are all grown up and out of the house now.

But when they

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

Everyone knows the value of a great lead dog. What few understand is the value of a strong and courageous wheel dog. While the leaders initiate the turn on the

I love reading the biographies of the great explorers of the great age of exploration. One thing that is constant with all my heroes is their agility. Their ability to

REMEMBERING A MUSHING LEGEND On behalf of the board of the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club, I want to honor the passing of our club founder, Douglas Willett. Doug Willett

With the passing of the great Lance Mackey, I see lots of folks sharing their stories about him. And there are a great many folks with greater stories to tell

  **Kennel Update** Summer has been a busy time for us. We are continuing the build on our new 50-acre kennel, with a log shelter cabin and a second larger

Here’s the cleaned-up version: — Maine has lost a legend. Mushing has lost an advocate. Seppala Siberians have lost a supporter. We have lost our dear friend. *__Darlene with Poland

  In my ongoing quest to finish what Perry Greene started in 1951 — ascending Mount Katahdin by dog team — I received a big surprise. A few weeks ago,

Those who are new to the world of Seppalas are often confused by the fact that, while most Seppala Siberians are considered Siberian Huskies by the American Kennel Club, most

We were wrapping up our final training run of the season in a snowstorm, just two nights before the big race. Caleb was running our eight-dog team. We only ran

Ascending great summits by dog team is a long-standing tradition in history. In 1926, Arthur Walden and his team of Chinooks summited New England’s tallest mountain — Mount Washington. Walden

When my 17-year-old son Caleb started down the chute of the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race yesterday morning, I could never have imagined that his race would end with

I once told Jeffrey Bragg about a training run I had with 16 dogs attached to my four-wheeler. He responded by telling me I should never have that many dogs

The first Poland Spring Carnival Race was held January 15–16, 1926. The race was known by several names in the Maine papers: the Poland Spring Sleddog Derby, the New England

“Wake up!” Dad said. “We are going on a training run.” We got dressed warm and went outside. It was a cold day and the snow was up to our

I’ve had a few conversations over the past few weeks with people who have been around Seppala Siberian Sleddogs for as long as — or longer than — I have.

Should we vote Yes on halting Central Maine Power’s new corridor through Maine’s North Woods? Before I share my opinion, allow me to introduce myself for those who may not

I’d like to tell you the story of how the Seppala Siberian Sleddogs made their way from Chukchi villages in Siberia one hundred years ago to our Poland Spring Kennels

Day seven began with hopeful yet anxious anticipation. Hopeful because I felt confident that we’d make it to our finish in Greenville some forty five miles distant, across the wide

I was awakened by the shaking of my bunk and the loud report of exploding ordnance just after 5am. It took my mind a few seconds to recalibrate. I was

I woke up around 6am at the beautiful Nugent’s Camp on day five and fed the team. The owners, Rob and Stella, had kindly stocked the fridge with eggs, sausage

Day Four: Umsaskis to Chamberlain Togo 261 Solo Memorial Dogsled Expedition What I’m about to share with you is embarrassing. In fact, it’s taken me a few days to write

Day Three: Expedition Journal Round Pond to Umsaskis Lake It was nearly minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up on day three. I went out to feed the dogs.

Day Two: Allagash to Round Pond Togo 261 Solo Memorial Dogsled Expedition Day two of the expedition began for me at 5:30 AM. This was my team’s first night on

Updated: March 8, 2021 Day One: Expedition Journal Togo 261 Memorial Solo Dogsled Expedition “Well that was embarrassing,” I said to my boys as they ran up onto the dyke

Updated: Mar 27, 2021 2/20/2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Solo Dog Sled Expedition Across the Wilderness of North Maine To Raise Funds for Togo Monument in Poland Spring, Maine Fort Kent,

Updated: Mar 8, 2021 Togo 261 Expedition I wanted to let our team friends know that I am embarking on a roughly 285-mile Expedition the last week of February across

Why I Still Believe in the Seppala Siberian Sleddog By Jonathan Hayes Thanks to Disney’s “Togo,” more Siberian Husky breeders are affixing “Seppala” to their pups for profit, making the

A Canoeing Adventure with My Sons in the North Woods of Maine Updated: July 11, 2020 The embers still glowed bright against the thin wall of our tent. By now

Based on a true story. The first in a series of short stories – by Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes. Getting tangled up: The team careened down the ridge at a full

Old Mushers, New Tricks My fumbling attempts to transition a great sled dog into a great lead dog. It was a mid-March day, my only day off work for the

“If You Are Cold, They Are Cold”: The Truth About Arctic Dogs By Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes We have all seen the memes: “If you are cold, they are cold. Bring

Mushers and Snowmobilers: Working Together to Keep the Trails Safe By Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes “I sadly can’t do it anymore. I am retiring from dogsled racing. Ever since the accident

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