| |
The Magnificent 7
("The Frankenstein Dogs")
Lori, Layla, Ryan, Robin,
Leggs, Gimley, & Diamond |
| |
In 2000 after running in his first Iditarod Rob knew he wanted something different. He had looked all over Alaska and the lower 48 states for a stud dog to breed to his phenomenal female leader, Hershey. However, he couldn't find any dog that he thought would give him the structure and also the "heart" he was looking for. That is, until he looked at the dog on his living room couch where Cara's Belgian sheepdog, Thom, was lying. |
|
| Thom was a 3rd generation, purebred Belgian Shepherd who had learned to run and race with the team. Thom had all the structure that Rob was looking for, plus the drive and devotion that Belgians are known for, but he was not a dog who raced with the main team because he was just too big. |
| |
| However, knowing the bloodlines behind Thom, Rob and Cara were pretty sure he would not produce puppies as large as himself if used as a stud dog. So, a date was made, and Thom and Hershey had a party, and the puppies arrived sixty-three days later! |
| |
|
| It turned out that all seven of the puppies from Rob's "mad experiment" (hence the name "Frankenstein Puppies") turned out to be magnificent (and hence, the name "Magnificent 7"). |
 Lori |
| |
|
 Layla |
Four girls (Lori, Layla, Ryan, and Robin) had long hair like their daddy, Thom. Two boys (Legs and Gimley) had short hair like Mommy Hershey, and a 5th girl (Diamond) had short hair and blue eyes. |
| |
|
All seven of the puppies had their mother's talent for being natural sled dogs and leaders. All had their father's heart and his will to never give up. |
Ryan
|
| |
| Six of these puppies have grown up to be the CORE of our team... |
| |
Robin |
Lori is the queen,
and she knows it! Layla loves it when Cara sings Eric Clapton songs to her. Ryan is the fashion model of the group--always looking pretty. Robin is a tomboy and just wants to run. |
| |
|
| Leggs ia a lover and loves to hug people, |
Leggs |
| |
|
Gimley |
and Gimley is just like a dwarf -- tough on the outside but with a heart as soft as oatmeal. |
| |
| | |
|
| |
| |
But what about Diamond? |
Diamond |
| |
| Well, she is everything we wanted from breeding Hershey to Thom except she is SHORT! ... and as much as her heart tries, her shorter legs just cannot keep up with her brothers and sisters on the longer runs. |
| |
| But, don't feel bad for her--Diamond's shorter legs and ice blue eyes earned her a special spot in Rob and Cara's daughter, Jenny's heart. Diamond is "Jenny's lead dog". She specializes in taking a nine-year-old girl safely through all the winter trails and races a little girl could ask for. |
|
| |
The Sisters
Bailey, Lily, Maddie |
| |
Rob had always admired a bitch on his friend's team. When that friend decided to get out of sled dogs and sell her team, he missed buying that female by five minutes. |
| |
| However, he was told two of three of her yearling puppy girls were still available, so Rob took them in a heartbeat. |
| |
|
 Lily |
He had always liked this line of dogs not only for their structure, but more so for their attitude. So, Lily and Maddie came to live with our family. |
| |
|
| As fate would have it, the third sister, Bailey, never "connected" with her new owner, and three months later she was offered to Rob, too. |
 Maddie |
| |
|
 Bailey |
The three sisters were together again, and under Rob's training they have turned in to good little runners. What they lack in talent they more than make up in attitude. |
| |
| As an example of these girls' enthusiasm, here is a little story. At a race last year, Connie, a friend from Cara's place of work came to see her first sled dog race. Of course, she was put to work helping to hold the team at the starting line. Mere moments from the start Connie looked back at Cara and yelled above the racket, "Is she supposed be making this noise?!?" Bailey, Maddie, and Lily are definitely the cheerleaders of the team, and they will make LOTS OF NOISE when it is time to go!! |
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
You can sponsor one or more of these dogs at Iditarod 2005. Your name and/or business will go on the truck at that dog's box as well as on all promotional items and more. Click on the button above to learn more! |
|
| |
|
| | |
|
| |
|---|
Star Wars Puppies
Han, Padamine, Chewey, and Annie |
| |
| These are young dogs out of Bailey, bred to Pippin (Rob's old male leader that lead in Iditarod 2000). |
| |
|
 Annie |
They are coming on very nicely with the smallest one, Annie, already running in lead sometimes, even though she is just turned two years old! |
| |
| Like Han Solo, Han thinks he is hot stuff. |
 Han |
| |
Padamine |
Padamine knows she is pretty and is often found posing on top of her house. |
| |
| Chewy talks just like Chewbacca in the movie, and Annie isn't really too much like Anakin Skywalker, except she is sooo proud of how good she is running, and she has no idea little young girls should not be running lead yet. |
 Chewey |
| |
|
| |
Rock-N-Roll Puppies
U-2, AC/DC, Heart |
| |
| These puppies were born four days before the Star Wars puppies. They are out of Mary (one of Rob's girls from Iditarod 2000), bred to Leggs, so they are 3/4 Alaskan and 1/4 Belgian. They are showing all the promise that we could ask for from young dogs. |
| |
 U2 |
U-2 likes to think he is a big man and hot stuff until he comes up against his dad, Leggs, or Uncle Gimley, when they remind him he is still just a kid. |
| |
AC/DC is a wild little girl. She loves to run and jump, and anything she can make into a party she will... |
 AC/DC |
| |
|
 Heart |
...and Heart is one very happy-go-lucky girl! |
| | |
