Meet Jarred Stone
Young Musher on the Move!
Name:
Kennel Name:
Birthplace:
Home Town:
Occupation:
E-mail: |
Jarred Jacob
Stone, "Jumbolia"
North Woods Kennel
Traverse City, Michigan
Washburn, Wisconsin
Student, Pro paintball player
jarredstone84@gmail.com |
 |
[click on any photo on this page to see a larger version]
I have a wonderful family
of 4 people including myself. I am 16 right now and I am a student at the Washburn High
School. I have a older brother (Clint) who is 28 and is living on his own. He is the best
furniture sales person in the state of Michigan. (In other words if you need furniture he
can hook you up). My parents are the financial supporters and help out whenever they can.
I wouldn't be in this sport with out them. My father (Frank) takes off work early to get
the dogs out and trained. I am a very lucky person to have such wonderful parents. My
mother (Sherry) helps feed the dogs when we are at the races and she comes along and helps
as a "Professional Dog Handler".
I am a North Star member and proud of it!
I’m also a member of the Wisconsin Trailblazers. I like to race Minnesota more
because the North Star people are very friendly and help you out whenever they can. I also
helped out my parents last year put on the Battle Axe Open Sled Dog race. I will be
doing the same again this year.
I have been dog sledding for 7 years now
and enjoying every bit of it.
My largest achievement: winning over 63
different awards in my lifetime. (basketball, paintball, dogsledding, golf, cross-country,
track, biking)
What is your
primary sled dog activity or area of interest?
I am a sprint racer only. Someday I might look into mid distance. I like to do the larger
teams and also skijoring is a big time sport for me now. I have been skijoring for about 2
years.
How long have you been involved
with sled dogs?
I have lived with dogs all of my life. I was introduced to sled dogs when I was in third
grade. I have been hooked ever since. I have been doing dog sledding for about 7 years and
ski-joring for 2 years.
What sparked your initial
interest in sled dogs?
In third grade our teacher (Ms. Groth) started to teach us about the Iditarod in Alaska.
Ever since that I have always wanted to do it. I would like to thank Ms. Groth for
introducing me to this great sport.
If you remember your very first
time behind a team of dogs, tell us about it.
My very first time behind a sled was with my sled mentor (Steve Warren). He took out
a team of 6 dogs and gave me a separate sled with 3 dogs. I just followed him. That
really got me hooked. Just the feeling of rounding turns and being out in the woods really
touched me. It was definitely my sport.
Who have been your mentors?
My first mentor was Steve Warren. He actually had a batch of pups and decided that they
were going to be too much for him so he asked if I wanted to take the whole litter. I was
delighted at his gift. I decided to take the whole litter (7 pups) and train them myself
under the mentor’s suggestions. I have 2 of the original 7 dogs and they still run on
my A string. Other mentors have been Merv Hilpipre. He is a great guy to hang out with
because he will tell you every thing to do better. He wont tell me though how to beat his
team.
What size kennel
do you operate?
I operate a small kennel because I have school and I cannot take care of a lot of dogs. We
only keep 14 to 16 dogs. If one dog is not that good, we sell it and only keep the dogs
that run the hardest. There is no point in keeping dogs that don’t run good.
What type of tether/bowl system
do you use?
We use stainless bowls in the summer that are attached to the dog house and then during
the winter we use rubber bowls because you can break out the ice. Each dog is chained to a
post in the middle and the chains are 12 to 13 feet each. We believe that dogs need room
to run and play.
What are the most important
considerations in housing sled dogs?
The most important thing in our kennel is shade, since we don’t have any trees in the
kennel. We dug holes in the ground and lay the dog boxes over them with posts and tie
downs. This is very effective and is great for the dogs.
Give us an overview of your
feeding program.
We feed only the best in our kennel. I feed mostly chicken product and very little dry.
The ratio is close to 65 percent meat, 20 percent Red Paw Dog Feed, and 2 ½
gallons of water. We use Red Paw Dog Food because we believe that it is the most advanced
dog food on the market and a price that cannot be beaten. We are proud to be sponsored by
this great food. If you want to see some of the ingredients or are interested in feeding
Red Paw Dog Food to your kennel then you can visit . If you have any questions about it
please feel free to call me at home or talk to Eric Morris at Red Paw.
What breed(s) do
you work with?
I work with Alaskan Huskies because they are the fastest and toughest of the husky breeds.
What physical characteristics do
you look for in your dogs?
I like the tall, tough dogs for the smaller teams and now I am leaning toward medium small
dogs. Most of my dogs are in the 40 to 50 pound range depending on what position they run.
What mental or emotional
attributes do you require in your dogs?
I like smart dogs that think and use there heads. I have a pet peeve about dogs that are
stubborn or thick headed. I look for dogs that want to run and do nothing else. I look for
competitive dogs.
Tell us about an all time
favorite dog or two.
I have had a lot of dogs that meant a lot to me and right now I can think of two that
really come to mind. I have one leader named Storm and he has been with me since the
beginning. He has gone to EVERY race that I have gone to. He is starting to get older and
this might be his last year racing with me, but I will always keep him by my side and take
him for rides in my car whenever he wants to.
The other dog that comes to mind is a dog
that we got only 5 to 6 months ago. His name is Shocker. When we got him we was very ill
and he almost died. I knew this dog was special, he had never ran and my parents where
thinking that he wasn't going to make it. We cared for him for about 2 weeks and pretty
soon he was his normal self. We took him out for his first training run and I knew he was
a star. He truly is a shocker. He will turn out to be my best dog within a few more months
of training. He will be in my 10 string every race. And when he retires he will be by my
side forever. He is the most loyal dog I have had yet.
What criteria do
you use for selecting breeding stock?
I look for determination, equilibrium skills, and attitude.
Do you use any pre-training
evaluation of puppies?
Mostly I run the pups in leash or freely and when they get to be faster then I take them
with my bike and when they out run my bike they're ready for a team hook up.
What method do you use for
starting pups?
I like to get them accustomed to their harnesses young and then I leash train them and
then just hook them up to the team and if they run that’s great, and if not they are
sold.
What is the most important thing
you look for in a young dog?
I look for determination, drive, no horsing around, smart and a loyal dog.
At what point do you decide a
youngster is likely to make it in your team?
If they out run my older, experienced dogs, then they are ready for the team.
What is the
training/racing philosophy of your kennel?
We train in the fall time with a 3 wheeled golf cart that weighs about 30 tons :) We
mostly get the strength training done in the fall and work on the speed training in the
winter before the races.
Do you have specific training
goals for your team(s)?
In training we always strive to meet our mileage goal. If we reach that ,we are well on
our way to having some trained dogs.
What do you consider most
important in training?
The most important part in training for me is my father. Without him I couldn't hook up a
10 dog string and get them going and have him follow behind so if I do lose the team he
would be there for me.
How do you choose
which races to enter?
I choose races by the consistency. If they have been around for awhile then I would stick
with them. If there is a new race I will often go to them and support them. I like races
with a lot of people. That makes me work harder to meet my goals.
What are your strengths as a
racer?
My biggest strength in racing would be my weight and also my ability to encourage dogs to
run harder.
What do you consider your
weaknesses, if any?
One weakness that I do have is the lack of years that most other mushers have on me.
Do you having a mushing career
goal?
To maybe go to Alaska some day and race up there in the circuit.
What does it take to win?
Three things it takes to win: Merv Hilpipre Dogs, Good driver, Determination. :)
What is your
vision of the future of sled dog sports?
I hope to see Mushing in the Olympics some day. Mushing is growing but very slowly it
seems.
What can individual mushers do to
support and promote the sport?
Individual mushers can get out and support races and teach others about the sport,
especially young ones. (Since they are the future of the sport.)
What advice would you give a
beginning musher?
To beginning mushers I would say "stick with it, some times it gets frustrating, but
the rewards are high and you will learn a lot."
Tell us about one
or two of your most memorable sled dog experiences.
My most memorable moment would be getting a first place at Merrill. That was the greatest.
I had one fast 6 dog team and they really worked to win that one. I will never forget it.
Any final comments
about sled dog sports?
I hope to see you all at the races this year. Looks like it is going to be nice racing
season finally.
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