Questions to Claire Tixhon-Harris
1. What is the age of the oldest dog on your team?
Our oldest dog is Texas, he is eight years old. Our youngest dogs are three.
2. What are the dogs names?
Here is a list of the dogs that have been tentatively selected for Doug's team:to see more pictures of the dogs, click here.
- Ladies First!
- Fjord- One of the main Gee & Haw lead dogs. Fjord is 6 years old, and a Quest veteran. She is a very friendly small black female who does not look like a sled dog and is quite happy to lead a team or sit in someones lap. She loves attention from people.
- Brownie- One of the main Gee & Haw lead dogs. Brownie is also a Quest veteran and is 7 years old. Brownie is a small brown female who is a good steady leader. She is a very independant dog and does not like to mingle with the other dogs (a bit standoffish). Brownie is Psycho's mother.
- KC-One of the main Gee & Haw lead dogs. A 6 year old who is a very reliable leader. She is very quiet and very sweet.
- Abby-At 3 years old she runs with the stream of dogs, and is shy, but a very hard worker.
- The Boys
- Texas-One of the main Gee & Haw lead dogs. He is 8 years old, and a medium sized handsome male. He is friendly to a fault and loves to run up front with the ladies.
- Seymour-Runs with the main stream of dogs. Seymour is 6 years old and a Quest veteran. He is a steady worker, and a friendly dog but he pretends not to like the attention.
- Clarence- A 6 year old trail leader, and Quest veteran. He helps a lot up front, is friendly and likes to run up with the girls.
- Dreyfus- A 4 year old wheel dog. He is a Quest veteran and was born and raised at Red Lantern Kennels. Dreyfus is a tall brown dog who is probably the hardest worker in the whole dog lot. He is shy but friendly.
- Cosby- A 4 year old trail leader and Quest veteran who was born and raised at Red Lantern Kennels. Cosby is also a steady worker, and is friendly and always happy.
- Nick- A 3 year old who runs with the main stream, he is boisterous and vocal, but very friendly.
- Grey- 3 years old, tall and a hard worker. Grey is shy but friendly. One of our best dogs.
- Jim- A 6 year old trail leader. Jim is a hard worker, but a picky eater. It is difficult to keep the weight on him.
- Amos- A 4 year old trail leader and Quest veteran. He is a very fast trotter who picks up the pace of the team while up front. Amos is a steady worker, likes to bark and is always happy.
- Psycho- A 4 year old Quest veteran who runs in the main stream. Psycho is a steady worker, but gets grouchy when tired and tries to pick fights with the other dogs.
- Hobbes- A 3 year old wheel dog. A hard worker who loves peoples' attention.
- Wilder- A 3 year old wheel dog and Quest veteran. A very hard worker, who along with Dreyfus, Cosby and Jim amazed us in the '96 Quest with their efforts. He is shy and does not care for people.
3. What do the dogs eat on the trail?
Eagle Power Pack dog food, with lamb fat, and an additive called Peak Performance. They will also get some meat including fish, lamb, beef, horse and liver.
4. What is the name of your lead dog?
Fjord is the main lead dog, but she gets help from Texas, Brownie, and KC.
5. Which dogs are easier to handle the younger dogs or the older ones?
It really has very little to do with the dogs age. Their personality will determine whether or not they are easy to handle or difficult. Young dogs learn quickly what is expected of them when they are taken for a training run. Psycho, for example is four years old and a hard worker but when he is tired he gets grouchy and tries to pick a fight with another dog.
6. Is it difficult to train the dogs for the Quest?
It is not necessarily difficult, but it is very time consuming. For the last three months leading to the Quest, the preparation has been Doug's full time job. And we began training them in August.
7. How far can a dog run in a day?
The dogs will run, with intermitent breaks, about 120 miles (200 km) in a day. They will average about 10 miles/hour (16 km/hr).
Back to Yukon Quest Students' Homepage