Meet Jennifer Payne
Young Lady on the Move
| Name: |
Jennifer Payne |
| Kennel
Name: |
Sundog Kennels |
| Home
Town: |
Chugiak, Alaska |
Update:
2/28/00
Congratulations,
Jennier, on retiring the Orville Lake Memorial Trophy!
Jennifer didn't run the 2000
Women's World Championships due to an ankle injury in December that kept her off the
runners for about 5 weeks, but she just retired the Orville Lake Memorial Trophy by
winning the 8 dog class today after winning the 6 dog class in 1999 and the 3 dog class in
1998.
To retire the trophy a
musher must win the open class 3 times or win all three of the limited classes.
Jennifer ifs the 1st person to do this - and with the same lead dog (only 4 years old now)
Fancy that was featured in the interview you did. The rest of the 8 dog team was 2
year olds that ran the Women's World Championship last year as yearlings. Details
on the ASDRA web site.
s/Diane Payne
| Introduction My mother, younger brother and I moved to the
Chugiak area north of Anchorage, Alaska in 1983. We have a lot of "animal
people" in my family, and we had always had at least one dog as I was growing up.
Just before we moved to Alaska, we lost
our family dog that had been with us for 8 years. And, as luck would have it, we happened
to move next door to a dog musher, Joe Cantil, who had a small kennel and did limited
class sprint racing. It wasn't long before I was out riding in the sled when he was
training his team. |
Jennifer & Bullet |
Background
My first race was in early
1984. I ran Joe’s team in a three-dog, two mile race at the Beach Lake Trails in
Chugiak. Before I was even half way around, I crashed into a tree going around a corner. I
was knocked off the sled and knocked out! The dogs went in without me, dragging a broken
sled, and the race marshal came out on a snow machine to retrieve me. That’s all I
remember about my first time behind a team!
Of course, being a young adventurer, I
was hooked, and was soon asking mom if I could get my own sled dogs! I went to work at the
age of 14 in a veterinary clinic after school to cover the costs of getting my own team.
My first lead dog was "Birdie" a nine year old in poor health who just needed a
good home; the other two dogs who made up my three dog team were "mutts" that
were found homeless on the streets of Anchorage. Birdie had originally come from Lloyd
Hessler, an old time dog driver who had run traplines and the Iditarod. She was well
trained and loved to run. She taught me what a good dog could do, even though she was old
and slow. She was also a great puppy trainer later.
During my years in Junior Mushing, I
mostly ran three dog teams, because I only had three dogs! I was the Chugiak Jr. Club
President through the 86-88 seasons, and worked hard to get more kids interest in junior
mushing. My last two years in juniors, I was able to get a five dog team together. I have
only run limited class sprint races, and am moving up to open class this year.
My kennel was named SUNDOG KENNELS after
an inspirational pup. In 1987 we did our first kennel breeding. "Sundog" was the
only pup to survive out of a litter of eight after their mother died during a C-section.
All eight pups were hand fed from the beginning, but one by one we lost them. We had to
give them intravenous fluids, tube them when they were too weak to suck, and do all the
things a mother dog would do to stimulate them. After two weeks, Sundog was the only one
who revived from the virus that killed his littermates. He was tiny and feisty, and had to
be raised in a baby playpen in the house because he had an inadequate immune system. The
first time he went into harness he screamed and resisted. Within a few runs, he was
running lead with his father, and he stayed in lead for six years. He is still with us,
but retired now because I have moved on to faster dogs!
Who have been your mentors?
I have been fortunate to learn from some of the best dog drivers in the world, I
think. As a junior musher, I often sought advice from Jim Welch, who later wrote the Sprint
Mushing Manual. I was never very shy about asking open class mushers why they did this
or that, or how to get the dogs to do this or that. Jim was always willing to take time to
explain things and talk through problems. He would also come to junior club meetings and
talk to us about everything from dog care to sled handling. I am grateful for all the
wisdom he shared, and the encouragement too. Two other people that influenced me a lot
were Anchorage Race Marshals Dick Tozier and Jerry Tokar. Dick had a special way of
offering encouragement and support, inspiring me to keep going with a limited budget and a
limited kennel. Jerry is still the Race Marshall in Anchorage, and he has also been
encouraging, supportive and challenges me to higher levels of achievement. A lot of other
mushers, too many to name, have given me advice and encouragement along the way, and I
appreciate all of them. The sense of camaraderie is one of the wonderful things about the
mushing community!
Kennel Management
What size kennel do
you operate?
Right now I have 25 dogs - 13 of which are yearlings or younger. I belong
to the Alaska Sled Dog & Racing Association (Anchorage), Montana Creek Dog Mushers,
Chugiak Dog Mushers, and the Tok Dog Mushers Association.
Give us an overview
of your feeding program.
I feed First Mate High Performance dog food
(I am the distributor for the Anchorage area too), Champaine Race Diet (meat) and a few
other secret ingredients.
The Dogs
What breed(s) do you
work with?
I have mostly Alaskan huskies and have recently added a German Shorthair Pointer
cross and an English Pointer cross to my kennel.
What physical
characteristics do you look for in your dogs?
For physical characteristics, I look for high tucked waist, well proportioned
dogs and I prefer long legged dogs with short coats.
What mental or
emotional attributes do you require in your dogs?
In mental/emotional characteristics, I prefer enthusiastic, high energy dogs who
are screaming and foaming at the mouth to run. But I have also rescued dogs that have been
abused or abandoned and have rehabilitated them into happy racing sled dogs.
Tell us about an all
time favorite dog or two.
I have three "favorite" dogs. Bullet is an Aurora husky (Attla and Gareth Wright
bloodlines) - hard-working 10 year old lead dog who was born and raised in my kennel. He
has been my main leader since 1992 and his father was my leader as a junior. He is all
heart! He has tough feet, never gets sick, and always wants to run. He has never let me
down, even in blinding blizzards. He was my single leader when I held the 3-dog track
record in Anchorage for two years. He has trained many leaders that have the same drive
and consistency that he does. He is still racing! He runs for some junior mushers that I
also sponsor.
Fancy (left) & Josey (right)
Favorite number two is
Josey. I bought her from a friend when she was 6 weeks old. She is a half-sister to
"Sundog" (we sold her father to our friend). She was raised in the house with my
pit bull, Teela, who I had rescued from the Animal Shelter. It wouldn’t have mattered
to me if she wanted to be a sled dog or not because she is a great pet! She turned out to
be a great lead dog too! One of the reasons she is so special is because she loves
puppies, even though she has never had a litter herself. When it’s time to wean them
from their mother, Josey takes over as "super-auntie" and plays, runs and
wrestles with whole litters! She also teaches them boundaries and to respect adult dogs.
She gets the credit for the fact that all my puppies respect and model the older dogs when
it’s time for them to join the team. Even though she’s only 4 years old, she has
already worked her magic on 25 pups. Sixteen of those pups are now racing in my kennel.
My three year old leader, Fancy, is
another favorite. I raised her from birth and it’s hard to explain the kind of bond
that Fancy and I have with each other that makes her so special. Bullet trained her, and I
believe that some of the bond between Bullet and me was transferred to her. It is as if
she knows she has to take his place. Since she started running, she has always been a
hard-driving, hard-working mature dog. She is an awesome leader! Everyone who has seen her
perform is amazed at her drive and consistency.
Puppies
What criteria do you use for
selecting breeding stock?
I think I have developed a sixth sense about selecting puppies, and I do my
research. I look for good breeding stock, that means good conformations several
generations back.
What is the most important thing
you look for in a young pup?
I prefer dogs who are intelligent and even a little stubborn because they tend to
be tougher-minded and have stronger heads. I look for puppies that are persistent and
competitive when playing together in the yard. I like pups that are also independent of
their littermates and attentive to people at an early age.
What method do you use for
starting pups?
My pups get daily free exercise with Josey from the time they can walk. They are
taught to come on command, to sit and shake, and they learn their names by the time they
are 12 weeks old. I believe that learning something from the time they
become mobile prepares them for training. The best pups I have raised have been very
bonded to me from an early age. I always have my favorites, but I don’t decide who
will make the team until they’ve had a variety of experiences in harness.
Training
What is the
training/racing philosophy of your kennel?
My training philosophy is: LOVE THEM LOTS AND KEEP THEM HEALTHY AND HAPPY.
Do you have specific
training goals for your team(s)?
My goal is to have the whole team performing as a synchronized unit.
What do you consider
most important to accomplish in training?
I try to "set the dogs up" to succeed so training will be positive. For
example, I try to know each individual dog well enough to put them in situations that they
can handle so they can give me their best.
What is the most
indispensable training equipment you use?
My most valuable training tool is what I call "benching".
"Benching" is when a dog is taken to a training session but left hooked to the
truck. Some reasons for "benching" would be fighting, goofing off in the team,
or even resisting running. The dog is technically self-disciplined instead of me having to
punish them. I have found that being left behind is humiliating for the dog and they are
almost always ready to behave on the next training trip!
Racing
How do you choose
which races to enter?
You asked how I decide what races to enter. I enter all the local races that I
have gas money to get to provided the trails are in safe condition for me and the dogs!
There are a couple of very memorable race
experiences that I think are worth sharing. In 1996, I went to Soldotna, Alaska to a two
day race. On the first day I ended up in 6th place, and then a blizzard hit. The storm
left at least 6 inches of new snow on the trail. It was like running in sand - all the
other teams were crumbling. Bullet was in lead and his heart carried us to a win with a 3
minute lead over second place! The other one was the Paxon Tail Ender Puppy Race in April
1998. Josey and Fancy were in lead with 4 of Fancy’s puppies who were 10 months old.
We passed six teams on the first day and were in second place. On the second day we won
the race!
What are your strengths as a
racer?
When I think about my strengths, I believe my greatest strength as a musher is
that I know my dogs. Of the 25 dogs in my kennel, only 5 came to me as adults. All
the rest I have raised. I think I am also good at preparing myself and my dogs to be
confident and unaffected by the competition at races. Even though I like to win (who
doesn’t), I focus on doing my best to have clean, injury-free runs and try not be too
concerned about my competitors.
Do you have a mushing career
goal?
My "career" goals vary each year depending on what I have in my kennel.
This year my goal is to FINISH the Women’s World Championship - a 3 day race with 12
miles each day. This will be my first year entering open class racing, and I want it to be
a positive experience for me and for my dogs!
What does it take to win?
However, I think to win any race, you have to have happy, healthy dogs (who are
also fast!), no moose on the trail (moose have cost me 1st place more than once!) and most
importantly - to believe in your dogs and yourself.
The Future
What is your vision of the future
of sled dog sports?
It is important for the general public to know that sled dog racing is not inhumane! These
dogs love to run and they get to do it a lot. Clubs and organizations play an important
role in making sure that the public gets the right picture. These groups set standards for
dog care, provide training information and mentoring for new mushers.
What part do clubs and
organizations play in sport development?
Clubs and organizations also provide incentives for following good standards by
providing trophies and points, or other prizes for racers. In Alaska, the clubs sponsor
educational sessions for mushers to share their experiences and wisdom. It is important to
promote an understanding of working dogs and their roles throughout history too. Were it
not for these hard working huskies, for example, the Serum Run to Nome would never have
happened, and the generations who relied on hunting and trapping for survival would not
have succeeded. Clubs help the public respect dog mushers as well as the dogs as true
athletes.
What advice would you give a
beginning musher?
For someone considering getting into dog mushing, let me say one important thing:
Dog mushing is addictive! Be prepared to sacrifice so you can fully benefit from the joys
and pains (sometimes literally) of working with a dog team year round. Get lots of warm
clothes, forget about those vacations in Hawaii, and be prepared to stay with it for
several years so you can learn enough to be competitive! Most importantly, before you
start, and always thereafter - ask lots of questions and listen to the veterans! Dog
mushers are some of the most honest people I know when it comes to giving you all the ups
and downs without hesitation!
Jennifer's Kennel Listing
Alaska
Star Newspaper Article # 1
[back
to Interview list]
top of page |
home | feedback | search
|
