A Letter from the Dog Yard

A Letter from the Dog Yard…..

Woof! It has been a long time since anyone has reached out to give an update of our furry best friends. The weather is cooling down, then warming back up as the deer are in rut. Winter is shy in her return this year.

We currently have 59 dogs, 3 are retired with another 10 trotting into their last season of work. Check the website, as the dogs in their last season will be added soon!

I have started an Instagram account for the Dog yard. Check it out! Tag us with old course pictures or pictures of retired VOBS dogs!

Our fall dog trainers, Rachel Hedlund and Sammie Kapaun are doing an excellent job at training the future generation. They are focusing heavily on leader training of some 3 year olds…Sila, Mikkl, Katara, Skillet and Fry Pan among others. This work requires lots of dedication and patience. I’d appreciate you all in helping me thank these two for all of their hard work and compassionate care of the dogs!!

The Winter course offerings are filling up fast but there is still space. Please check out our course offerings and sign up for an adventure! Don’t forget the holidays are around the corner. What a better way to ring in the New Year then in the middle of a pristine winter wonderland with 2 dog teams and more stars then seconds in a day. Give the gift of adventure to someone for the Holiday season and sign him or her up for a course. It’s the one gift that truly gives back!

On a personal note, this is my first season as Winter Associate Program Director. I started with VOBS 7 years ago, as a student on an 8-day dogsledding/cross country ski course. I’ll never forget the magic of being on a dogsled mushing up the Kawishiwi River on a crisp bluebird day, seeing the open flow under the 4th rapids iron bridge, and the rest of the landscape coated in a blanket of snow as a Bald Eagle flew overhead. That was just in the first few hours of the course!! After that course I knew I wanted to work at VOBS. My time here has been great and I am excited to have it all come full circle and be able to serve the Winter Program.

The goals I have are:

get VOBS involved in the larger mushing community that exists in our area in order to learn from others and add consistency with best practices in our dog training module.
I will bring in new dogs and hearty lines that will be able add much needed diversity to our kennel.
Continue to run safe and adventurous programs while incorporating VOBS values in all that we do.
Strengthen an already solid Homeplace community by getting out in the Ely community this winter.

Thanks for your continued Love and Support! Don’t forget the Dog Yard come donation time! We need all the help we can get and you can donate to VOBS so the money goes specifically to the dog yard. It will help with replacing training equipment, get new dogs and get dogs spayed or neutered that need it.

Bud Ahrens
Winter Associate Program Director
bud.ahrens@vobs.org

Sponsor A Dog
A number of years ago we created the "Sponsor-a-Dog" program at Voyageur Outward Bound School. It is a way for alumni, dog lovers, and past staff to support the VOBS sled dog program and stay in touch with the school. Our dog sled program offers a one-of-a-kind winter wilderness experience.

While our winter program runs for just four months out of the year, we have to keep our dogs fed, happy and healthy all year round! It costs about $500 a year to care for each dog.

Our "Sponsor-a-Dog" donors mean so much to us because in the past they have helped us to cover the entire vet bill for the dogs! This outpouring of generosity means a great deal to VOBS staff (and needless to say to the dogs as well).

Thank you for considering a gift for the dogs! All dog donors will receive one of our brand-new "I support the dogs" stickers!