Variety Pack

04/10/2026

This race has quickly become one of our favorites and we appreciate everyone who works hard to put it on!

We will definitely be there again next year; time will tell who is gonna be on the runners given the trail is such a blast 😊

Our 2026 Winter Carnival and Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race was a huge success drawing Mushers and attendees from across the tri-states and as far away as Alaska!

None of what happened could have been possible without our wonderful support network of Sponsors, Volunteers, Mushers, and Participants. Over 230 folks came from our local communities and across the country to participate and contribute.

We want to recognize all the individuals who contributed to our success. Attached link is our full back-page ad that will run in the Manistique Advisor in coming weeks. Unfortunately, many of our volunteers are unnamed and therefore not recognized here-in but please know we truly appreciate your support!

We also want to announce that our Winter Carnival and Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race Centennial Celebration will be held January 29-31, 2027. Book your cabins now as next year’s events will be bigger and better than anything so far. To keep with the 100-year Club celebration, we will have a dog sled race with mushers dressed in period apparel to recreate a 1927’s theme. We are also looking into potential for tethered hot air ballon rides so stay tuned for further updates.

03/30/2026

We had lots of fun yesterday introducing KYP to mushing! Great times were had by everyone, 2 and 4 legged 😁

02/10/2026

Thanks Kristin for your amazing coverage of the race and our kennel! Lots of great footage of the dogs in their element ♥️

Episode 171 - A weekend at the Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Races in Engadine. I caught up with a bunch of mushers and the 4-legged companions about why they l...

02/08/2026

We had such a fantastic time at the Northern Pines Sled Dog Race, yesterday! Liz and the dogs finished 6th place in the 32 mile Mid-distance race 🎉 This was out of 16 teams total and it's worth noting every team placing ahead of her had 8 dogs where she only had 7 dogs, so I'm very impressed by their performance 😁

Wolfie Shere Kahn
Pecan
Nyx Ozzy
Polar Tuffnut

For those who don't know Lizzy, she gets cold VERY easily. She loves running dogs anyway, but tends to stick to shorter runs for this reason. Even so, for her first race she chose to do the 32 mile class without a full team versus the 6 dog 8 mile because she knew the dogs would enjoy that more, demonstrating how she always puts the dogs first ♥️ This race also has the most passing of all our races this season, including lots of head-on passing, which her and the dogs handled no problem.

We definitely plan to return next year, the community was great and Liz loved the trails. There were numerous fun activities and the race organizers did an amazing job putting on this event! We were running around trying to help where we could between handling our team, helping set up the sled dog rides, and bringing Shere Kahn to spend time with youth in the Mutt Run.

We already got our first race photo thanks to Kris Ausland and it perfectly captures the look of determination on Liz's face coming out of the chute and Wolfie's desire to crush the competition 😂 One of my all time favorite race photos and can't wait for more to come. Especially from Rich Besler, who was fully committed to capturing the magic even if it meant burying himself in snow - not all heros wear capes!

As always, huge thanks to everyone who comes together to make this event happen! We got to see some of our favorite vets and mushing family, in addition to meeting many new race officials, organizers, and volunteers.

Special shout out to the Martens family for welcoming us into their home! Our original plan was to truck camp, but Janet spoiled us and our dogs making us feel like part of the family 🥰

02/07/2026

Today's our handler Liz's first race at the Northern Pines Sled Dog Race,!

Lizzy Szymaniak is an incredible person and an amazing friend that has been by my side helping with the dogs for the past year. I am amazed by her ability to balance spending time with the dogs, working, and being a student at Michigan Technological University. She has earned this opportunity and I can't wait to see her crush it with the dogs!

Side note: I didn't realize you have to purchase bibs separately at this race. If anyone would like to purchase Liz's bib for her so she can keep it as a treasured memory, please let me know! Even part of it would be so appreciated since I didn't budget for this. It's $50 which can be sent through venmo to or I can provide another account if preferred. Thanks for considering ♥️

EDIT: Her race bib has been covered 🥰 Any extra money sent will go towards the dogs. Or possibly cool locally made wall art of her race trail as an additional gift (photo in comments)

02/07/2026

Last weekend we had a great time at the Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race! We love this addition to our UP races and it's fun they began last season, the same as our kennel.

The trails were beautiful and the dogs had an amazing run, earning 2nd Place in the 6 Dog 30 mile class 🎉 I owe it all to our amazing dogs:
Wolfie Tuffnut
Pecan Shere Kahn
Polar Ozzy

Also a huge thanks to my amazing support system I couldn't do this without ♥️ We also greatly appreciate all of the vets, race organizers, trail crew, sponsors, volunteers, mushers, etc that make these events possible and a joy to attend 😊

Special shout outs to:

- Sky, my sister that enjoys this sport with me and hopped on board starting a kennel together.

- Brandon, my partner who puts up with this crazy hobby of mine and spoils our dogs with fresh fish.

- Greg, my dad that constantly travels to watch our races and is always willing to help out us and our dogs. He does all of this while being allergic to dogs!

- Liz, our handler and friend that tolerates our chaotic energy all while balancing helping take care of the dogs, working, and being a student at Michigan Tech.

- Sarah Tarlton & Ryan Beaber, friends I made at a low point that made me realize this sport is worth staying in if you surround yourself with the right people. Getting our first dog Wolfie from them really kickstarted the journey we're on and they continue to support this addiction 😂

- Lynne Witte, for always being ready to help in anyway we need. This season she's been lending us a race sled while I work on repairing mine that broke last month.

- Wade, who without his tremendous help last year this kennel never would've began. Our iconic sled bag and booties are thanks to his handiwork!

~ Suzie

02/03/2026

National Sled Dog Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our amazing dogs 💜

We do what we do because of them. Their passion, drive, courage, and heart. Every day they teach us something new and keep us moving forward. Thank you to all the incredible canine athletes, but especially our pack:

✨Wolfie ✨ Our first sled dog. She's the reason Sky was able to overcome her trauma and introduced us to service dog training, dryland mushing, and weight pull. I'm forever grateful that this crazy girl started us on the path to beginning our own kennel and puts 100% into everything we do together.

✨Pecan ✨ Our rescue from The August Fund. She has a huge heart and has overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today. She looks out for the whole pack and loves joining for any adventure, whether it be a hike through the woods, kayaking on the lake, a quick trip to the store, or coming to work as the shop dog.

✨Shere Kahn ✨ Our handsome lover boy. He is a solid lead dog who is great at demonstrating everything and will run for anyone. He's 8 years old but thinks he's a puppy, constantly playing with the young dogs and showering everyone he meets in kisses and snuggles.

✨Tuffnut✨ Our goofy gentle giant. He may not know his commands, but runs confidently in any position with a big smile. He loves all people and dogs, but thinks cats are a little scary, haha.

✨Nyx ✨ Our smart shy puppy. She loves other dogs and runs/plays hard, but finds new people a little scary. She may not have the confidence to lead a race, but she loves leading the team on our home trails and enjoys showing off her tricks for treats.

✨Polar✨ Our driven destroyer. He always has a tight tug and gives his all on runs! Patience is not his forte though, haha. If his harness goes on, you better be immediately hooking up to run or he'll find a way to go for a run on his own 😂 He also loves destroying any toy he can get his paws on.

Special shout out to the sled dogs that have joined us on our journey and taught us important lessons during their time with us:

💖Oslo, Fleur, Champ, Ada, Runty, Aspen 💖

01/10/2026

Our first mushing race of the season is today at the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race! We had a blast last year and can't wait to run these trails again.

01/03/2026

We've come so far in the past year and I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store for us! Nyx hasn't quite picked up commands yet, but even though she is shy her confidence shines when she's leading the team.

Anybody else enjoy jamming out during their runs? Some days I enjoy the quiet and others I put on some music which the dogs seem to enjoy as well ~

12/03/2025

That photo of Wolfie will always be one of my favorites. Crazy girl loving her first time at a new sport! She was mad we benched her last time (blister on paw pad), but she's ready to make a come back at Sunday's pull this season!

This past Monday our board meet with Megan Jackman from the Village of Laurium and Chris Kivi from CD Kennels Malamutes & Rescues in regard to what's happening over race-weekend at the George Gipp Recreation Area & Ice Arena!!!!

On Saturday while our distance races will be in Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor, the recreation area in Laurium will see;

Twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, the Twin Cities Dog Powered Sports will host the CopperPull - a World Wide Weight Pull Organization-sanctioned event!!!

On Saturday the recreation area will also see the CopperDash - a 75-foot sprint for the younguns; which are welcome to bring their own pets to race!!!! Sleds and harnesses will be provided! Don't have a dog? Fear not, we'll have some available from CD Kennels Malamutes & Rescues -&- Twin Cities Dog Powered Sports! 😀

Want more??? The warming area for the ice arena will be open during the weekend with Open Skate and Concessions available as well!!!! Awesome or what??

We are still working on the schedule but you can mark your calendars;

- Saturday Morning; CopperPull Match I
- Saturday Afternoon; Kids' CopperDash
- Saturday Evening; CopperPull Match II
- Sunday Morning; CopperPull Match III
- Saturday & Sunday; Open Skate & Concessions

And not forgetting as well that the 10-dog CD120 will be finishing at the recreation area starting about mid-day on Sunday as 30-or-so teams make their way from Copper Harbor on the third and last leg of our longest race!

GOOD TIMES PROMISED, GREAT TIMES DELIVERED!

Visit Keweenaw / Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce / Michigan's Upper Peninsula / Pure Michigan

12/03/2025

So glad everyone 2 and 4 legged came out of this unharmed ❤️ I'm often asked about dog trailers and this is a perfect example of why mushers travel with their dogs in snug tough boxes - to keep them safe!

If you inspect them up close the dog boxes are thick and heavy, built to handle impacts. The smaller size is so their bodies don't go flying and helps insulate the heat to keep them warm when resting.

While the dogs are let out frequently when traveling to stretch their legs, go on runs, and for food/potty breaks, oftentimes you'll see many of ours wanting to get back into their warm cozy dens after the task at hand is complete. If they know we're inviting them out for a bathroom break and to stretch (no food bowls or harnesses in sight) and don't need to go, oftentimes they won't come out 😂 Similar to when you're warm and cozy in bed and don't want to get up, haha.

Have any questions about sled dogs or mushing? Feel free to ask us!

Strangers help recover sled dogs after trailer overturns on icy Minnesota interstate

11/18/2025

First time in lead for Nyx! Who else is excited to be running?