A Kennel of Our Own

Ever since I was young, I dreamed about living off in the woods. I probably imagined a small cabin with a couple of dogs, a wood stove, and lots of land where there would be abundant trees and wildlife. At 33, that dream came true, with the addition of 20 dogs instead of a couple!

Anna in the finished dog yard! Now to go pick up the pups!

A handful of years ago, my mom purchased a rundown shack on 65 acres in Northern Minnesota. My grandparents were still alive, and they were always down to help out with a new project. Together they turned a backwoods ramshackle building into a habitable living space. With the help of my uncle and a few loggers, they cleared enough space around the house for a nice yard. No water or electricity, but it was going to be my mom's home away from home in the cities.

As my grandparents began to age and pass away, my mom found an actual house to live in that she could work from and not have to carry buckets of water every day. The cabin sat empty for a couple of summers with my mom not able to part with it. Sometimes a project is just too good to let go of.

I met Anna in the winter of 2021. Back then, she told me that she wanted to start her own kennel one day. I told her that my mom was going to sell a remote cabin that she could probably buy. We weren't dating yet, but I knew that I hoped to stay in Anna's life in some capacity. We ended up dating, but tabled the idea of the kennel since Iditarod was on the horizon.

Iditarod came and went, came back again, and then went again. We knew it was time to bite the bullet and either get dogs of our own or move on to other adventures. Anna bought 8 dogs from the kennel we were at in Alaska, and we started the hunt for a place to put them. Yes, a little bit of the cart before the horse, but due to certain circumstances, it had to be done this way.

We looked at a couple of kennels, and the reality was that we couldn't afford what people had already built with the way the housing market was at the time. And so, once again, enters the cabin. My mom was very patient with us. We thought we knew what we wanted and had grand plans, but at the end of the day, this cabin was made for us. We made the deal and signed the papers over the summer, and I got to work on the dog yard right away.

We are on a slight hill with a lot of wetlands surrounding us. It's not desirable land for most folks, but it is for mushers; swamps are frozen in the winter, perfect for running dogs.

Brenna helping drive poles into the ground

Many helping hands made sure we have plenty of wood for winter

We hosted a work weekend one week before we were scheduled to head to Alaska to get our new pack. Without the help of our friends and families, I would still be out in the yard building houses.

All of our sweet dogs, home at last!

The dogs are settling in, and we are all waiting on consistent cool weather to get good training miles in.

As I transition from my seasonal job to full-time musher, I will do my best to update here and keep my website updated as well!