JULY

14/07

While I was busy judging elsewhere, Noah had a road trip with friends to support our breed classes at Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society Premier Open Show, where under judge Ed Forsey (Muzoku) he wins 1st Open & Best of Breed. Good lad!

 

13/07

A trip South to National Working & Pastoral Breeds Championship Show today, where despite the challenges of a limited classification we have 4 dogs competing under judge Angela Anderson (Cherubini). Coming out on top with 1st Open, Best Bitch & Best of Breed is Alice (who gained her first UK Champ Show Best of Breed here 3 years ago, so clearly her lucky show)! Her daughter Jess & son Ryan pick up the Reserve Best Bitch / Dog cards, the former with 2nd in Open and the latter winning his Junior class alongside Best Puppy in Breed. Last but not least, Noah is 3rd in Open behind the girls but still beats his kennelmate in the challenge to Best Dog & Best Opposite Sex.
 

07/07

Due to unforseen circumstances we unfortunately were unable to attend Boston Championship Show today as planned, however all was not lost as our kennel's flag was still being flown by Elska - Fenrirkin Out Of The Black, owned by Charlotte & Kurts - who not only won 1st Limit Bitch but went on to gain Best Bitch and then Best of Breed under judge John Purnell (Yikasown). Very proud!!
 

03/07

A quick trip to Boston & DCS Open Show in support of our breed classes today. Under judge Christine John (Cristakell), Jess wins 1st Open Bitch & Best of Breed, Noah wins 1st Open Dog & Ryan wins 1st Puppy & Best Puppy in Breed.

JUNE

28/06

An incredibly sad ending to the month as at the wonderful age of 14 we say goodbye to our oh so special Malamute, Lucie.

Lucie was not my first Malamute – Stan The Man will forever hold that claim – but she and I still shared so many firsts together and she is probably to blame for, in one way or another, introducing me to some of those human individuals I now hold dearest to my heart.

She was my everything happens for a reason puppy. I had not long moved from Cornwall to Yorkshire with Stan & Maya, and had been so nervous about whether I had done the right thing, so getting the message to say Kirei had pups and there would be one for me was like a sign we were on the right path and turning over a new chapter (little did I know)!
When I visited Jayne & Ian to view the litter they also had pups on the ground from their beautiful Nanuke Bitch, Patience, and I recall Jayne suggesting that perhaps a grey & white from there would bring me more show ring success but I already had my heart set on one of those little black and white bundles of mischief. I actually wanted a boy as Maya was such a cow with other dogs I figured a girl would inevitably result in separation (and I was right!!) but fates had other plans and though I briefly considered perhaps looking for a male from another litter I followed my heart and never regretted it.

She never made things easy. She was the first Malamute I’d owned that had a concept of personal space and took me by complete surprise when she actually objected to a stranger assessing her in the show ring. I still have mild PTSD from her first Championship Show at LKA 2010, where she had a super dramatic meltdown over being gone over, complete with trying to climb into the laps of people sat ringside to get away from such a traumatic event. I left the ring with tears in my eyes saying she obviously hated it, I hated it and we were never going in the show ring again (I know, LOL).
It was several months before a friend made the suggestion that me shaking at the end of the lead with nerves was a big part of the issue and suggested I contact Sarah Towers to see if she would be available to handle her. I reckon I am still the only person who has burst into tears of happiness over a VHC, having not even expected her to be gone over let alone placed at her and Sarah’s first time in the ring together at WELKS in 2011.
And that was the corner turned. I could spend so much time listing her achievements in the ring over the years – the adventures and memories we made moreso than the results – but fair to say it was as a Veteran she really shone both here in the UK and abroad, achieving more in her (apparently) senior years than I ever could have imagined including closing both her UK & Irish Champion titles – making her at the time only the third UK B&W champion following Avril Roper’s Rula & her father, Sharon Loades' Bullit - alongside 5 Veteran Champion titles and multiple Winners awards, and was also the first Malamute to complete the requirements for a UK Veteran Warrant title.

Of course it’s not just the show ring where she set me on a new path. Lucie was the first dog I had that actually had any working drive and was the reason I started more formally working my dogs. With Keith & Myra Butler’s Allerton events on our doorstep, where so many of us were able to start working towards AMCA titles in the UK, our early weight pull, trekking & backpacking adventures here were responsible for me realising this was where the dogs really did shine.
She was a good backpacking companion albeit regularly gave me heart failure eyeing up sheep from sheer drops – earning her WPD & WPDA titles and a leg towards her WPDX. She also gained her WTD title through 10+ mile treks with a variety of different canine friends (Kizzy, Womble, Leader, Bear, Falco, Harry) although after a couple of years quickly realised the boys could take all the weight and while I couldn’t fault her for generally listening to the directional commands & on-bys was an absolute shit for letting them do the hard work – until she saw a pheasant or a rabbit and suddenly went all brawn and no brains about proceedings!! She even did a couple of rallies with Dylan & Harry but speed was not her bag, and more often than not was the stake out line cheerleader at these events.
In weightpull she really shone, gaining her WWPD, WWPDA & WWPDX titles in her first few years competing but only getting better and better with time. She was my small but mighty, never pulling the highest weight on the day – and bombing out if there was a hint of rain after one slip in the chute early on in her career - but in maturity often claiming highest percentage of bodyweight pulled, coming home with Championship trophies from 2011 – 2019, including winning the 41-60lb class three years in a row, and culminating in her setting a new UK Breed record for a personal best of 33.96x her bodyweight that to this day remains. She left me with tears behind my eyes on more than one occasion with just how much heart and soul she would put into making those big pulls.

And she is still the only dog I have gotten beyond a KC GCDS Puppy Foundation – gaining her Bronze Award – and has been a breed representative at multiple seminars (even at the age of 13 being the female Malamute for the CEDCGB BAD’s breed comparison) & Discover Dogs – her legendary greediness helping balance her stubborn nature in training.
Her all round nature made her so special, and she became the first UK Owned / Bred AMCA BAM title holder for this reason, alongside gaining her VAM title, for good measure,

I so desperately wanted puppies from her and we tried multiple times without success, in the end concluding she felt herself entirely too unique to have the need to multiply. Really, she is to blame for me getting my first Greenland Dog, Dylan, as barely a week after an ultrasound scan confirmed she had once again failed to take – leaving me to make the heartbroken call that enough was enough and we wouldn’t try again – Nicola messaged to say their Norwegian girl Java had been confirmed as pregnant and the rest is history, with ‘Team B&W’ born as my monochromatic odd couple became constant companions, journeying far & wide together and partners in crime at home, literally until her last day when even just walking her away from Dylan knowing I might not be bringing her back to him shattered my heart into pieces.

As I said, she didn’t make things easy. She was loud (I think only Jess can claim to be worse in benching than she often was); she was greedy (her cupboard love was legendary and she was absolutely one track minded when it came to the opportunity for food); she was sassy (human or canine, everybody was very clear on where Lucie stood if you touched a foot she didn’t want you to or went too near the lady bits) but my God was she demandingly loving to those she held close – when she actually came to your for scrubs, not food, you felt very special.

A couple of years ago we found a lump on a mammary gland and had made the decision that, as she was already well into double figures and was showing no sign of discomfort, we would just keep an eye on it rather than put her through the stress of any invasive examination or treatment.
Thursday evening, I noticed Dylan was trying to fuss the area – something he never did – and the call was made to take her to the vets Friday morning. They confirmed our fears; the tumour had ruptured and a secondary infection had set in. At 14 years of age, we could have still tried aggressive antibiotics and seen how much longer she would last but I just couldn’t put her through it and so made the call to let her go in dignity, while she wasn’t showing any outward signs of pain. We sat on the floor together, her leaning against me for ear scrubs, and that’s how she fell asleep, resting on me as she went. I’ve never had something so peaceful feel so heart breaking.

I know she lived to an amazing age, that we made so many memories to treasure and that she completely changed my life in the most positive of ways (with the exception, perhaps of my bank balance). I just miss her so much.
Sweet dreams to the best Mini-Moot I ever could have asked for. Thank you for everything.

18/06

Another trip across the country for Royal Cheshire Agricultural Show's Dog Section Premier Open Show. I was not exhibiting – instead having the pleasure of judging – but our kennel was still being represented as, after their success on Sunday, Jo & the girls were back in the ring where they gained the following under judge Racheal Bailey:
Nuuka – 1st Post Graduate & Best of Breed
Kulu – 1st Junior, Reserve Best of Breed & Best Puppy in Breed!

Very proud of them all and great seeing the half-siblings in the challenge together!

16/06

Rather than heading back across the country after Saturday's show, we decided instead to driving an hour South and get a decent night’s sleep in the van, ready bright and early for Northwich And District Canine Society Premier Open Show, made all the more special by being joined by Jo & Carl with half-sisters Nuuka (Fenrirkin Catch Me If You Can) and Kulu (Fenrirkin Into The Freyja), the latter at her very first show!
Under judge Matt Garnham the team came away with the following:
Noah – 1st Open, Best of Breed & Working Group 2!!
Jess – 2nd Open & Reserve Best of Breed
Nuuka – 1st Post Graduate
Ryan – 1st Junior
Kulu – 1st Puppy, Best Puppy in Breed & Working Puppy Group 4! What a lovely start to her show career!

15/06

It was an early start to head to North Wales for Ruthin Canine Society Open Show today, where my trio had a good day under breed judge Drew Duff & group / stakes judge Del Richards:
Noah – 1st Open, Best of Breed, Working Group Shortlist & Res Open Stakes
Jess – 2nd Open, Reserve Best of Breed & 1st AV Rare Breed Stakes (winning some cash, too)! 
Ryan – 1st Puppy, Best Puppy in Breed & Working Puppy Group 4!

13/06

A weekday venture for us at Great Yarmouth Gorleston & District Canine Society Premier Open Show where, under breed judge Angie Johns, everybody seemed to be in a giddy mood on the sand in the outdoor arena rings and made me work pretty damn hard but still came away with the following:
Jess – 1st Open & Best of Breed
Noah – 2nd Open & Reserve Best of Breed 
Ryan – 1st Special Yearling & Best Puppy in Breed 
Even 11 year old Malamute Harry got a trip out for the day and while he decidedly did not act as sensibly as his age would suggest he should, still managed a 2nd in Open to the Best of Breed winner.

08/06

What a lovely day we ended up having at Ashfield (Notts) Canine Society Premier Open Show – always a show we look forward to for it's friendly, relaxed atmosphere and support of rare breed classes and this year didn’t disappoint.
Under breed judge Kat Copley-Holland, the Fenrirkin Greenland Dog Team had an awesome day (even with some serious nudity on Jess’s part and Noah not faring much better):
Jess – 1st Open & Best of Breed
Ryan – 1st Junior & Best Puppy In Breed
Noah – 2nd Open (handled by Andy)
Alice – 3rd Open  (handled by Racheal)
Not to forget Elska - Fenrirkin Out Of The Black (owned by Charlotte & Kurts) - who was 1st Post Graduate & Reserve Best of Breed! Her first show since winning RBB at Crufts, no less, and making me proud as always.

Nothing in the groups for Jess or Ryan but we actually remembered to put an entry into the AV Working Rare Breed classes scheduled here, where under Working Group judge Alan Mease we enjoyed competing against our CED, German Pinscher & Hovawart Non-CC fraternity, coming away with the following:
Ryan - 1st Puppy
Elska – 1st Post Graduate
Jess – 2nd Open (behind the eventual Reserve Best Rare Breed in show winner, no less).
Noah – Res Open (handled by Amie)

02/06

A girl's day out for me and Jess as we travel solo down to Southern Counties Championship Show. 
Under replacement judge Espen Engh she wins 1st Open Bitch, Best Bitch & Best Opposite Sex - good girl! And we even took a quick, celebratory vehicular selfie together for good measure

MAY

30/05

An enjoyable trip to Stafford County Show to attend their Canine Section Open Show. In AVNSC Working under judge Anna Ballington, Ryan had entirely too much fun and places 2nd in Puppy to a lovely Portuguese Water Dog (who went on to gain WPG3) whilst Jess not only places 1st Open and then gained Best AVNSC, but went one better and - even after having to be emergency-regroomed after rolling in the mud - placed a fabulous Working Group 4 in nice company!

24/05

Today was the the long trip South West to Bath Championship Showwhere we had a fabulous day supporting our Greenland Dog classes under judge Allyson King. 
Jess – 1st Open, Best Bitch & Best of Breed
Noah – 2nd Open, Best Dog & Best Opposite Sex (handled fabulously by friend Amie throughout).
Alice – 3rd Open & Reserve Best Bitch (with friend Brooke doing a wonderful job handling her for the first time)
Ryan – 1st Puppy, Reserve Best Dog & Best Puppy (handled by myself in his class and then by Mark in the challenges). 

17/05

This weekend's trip North to Scottish Kennel Club's double championship show event had a bit of a return to the ring theme, with it being my first time back at SKC since 2022 (missing the opportunity to support their re-scheduling of our breed classes last year due to it clashing with the EDS in Denmark), Noah’s first UK Champ Show since Crufts in March, Jess’s first UK Champ Show since Darlington September 2023, Alice’s first UK Champ Show since Bath (May 2023) and of course Ryan’s first UK Champ Show full stop! So it seemed a good thing we were able to make the most of it by squeezing two shows into one day! 

Starting with the All Breed show, where breed classes were being officiated by Tate Forsey, and what a way to start our day and all round return to the ring!
Jess - 1st Open Bitch, Best Bitch & Best of Breed
Noah - 1st Open Dog, Best Dog & Best Opposite Sex
Ryan - 1st Puppy Dog, Reserve Best Dog & Best Puppy in Breed
Alice - 2nd Open Bitch & Reserve Best Bitch

After a bit of a wait - and with many treks back and forth between the halls checking on the ring - it was onto the second General Championship show, where it was AVNSC Working rather than breed classes, giving us some lovely German Pinschers, CEDs & Greater Swiss’ for company / competition. Alice sat this one out, so just the three dogs under judge Liz Stannard, but once again, they didn’t disappoint!
Noah - 1st Open Dog, Best Dog & Best AVNSC (handled by friend Rebecca Cunningham to all of these awards).
Jess - 1st Open Bitch & Best Bitch 
Ryan - 1st Puppy Dog & BPD 

Of course nothing was quite straightforward, with the Working Group for the earlier show being called before we actually made it in the ring, resulting in me managing to show Ryan in his class before having to give my excuses, hand the boys off to friends and run down to the group with Jess, doing our bit there and then running back just in time to make it into her Open Bitch class. This unfortunately meant Ryan missing the Working Puppy Group for the first show which was of course a little disappointing, but with him being just 6 months, getting some extra practice in AVNSC was just as meaningful. And of course I was completely delighted with our results and how the dogs performed, either way.

06/05

Today marked our annual Bank Holiday Monday road trip to Wales in support of the Greenland Dog breed classes at Aberystwyth & DCS Premier Open Show, being made extra special this time as at the age of 6 months and 3 days it was also Ryan’s first UK show! Under Working Group / Breed judge Andrea Maltas, our results were as follows.
Noah - 1st Open Dog, Best of Breed & a fab Working Group shortlist in good company!
Ryan – 2nd Open Dog & Best Puppy in Breed 
Jess - 1st Open Bitch & Reserve Best of Breed 
Alice - 2nd Open Bitch 

Obviously a long day - especially as competing at the weightpull the day prior meant I didn’t travel down the night before as I have previously - but completely worth it to give Ryan a really pleasant early show experience and of course always a pleasure to catch up with my Welsh friends. Some photos of Ryan in the puppy group courtesy of friend Lydia.

05/05

Today was the final weightpull of the season at Kane Farm, seeing both the 2023-24 Championship results announced and a final competitive pull - and the guys certainly made it a fab one

Starting with the competition on the day, which turned out to be a bit special for Alice, as she ended the day winning not only 1st in the 41-60lb class (and a good size class this day too, with 8 competing dogs across 4 breeds) but also Highest Weight Pulled By Opposite Sex and, most excitingly of all, setting  TWO NEW UK BREED RECORDS!!
With a final pull of 1600lb / 26.67x Bodyweight she can now claim:
Highest weight pulled by a female Greenland Dog (This previously being held by her daughter Elska with a pull of 1400lb).
Highest ratio of bodyweight pulled by a Greenland Dog (This also previously being held by daughter Elska with a pull of 25x her bodyweight).

She has always been such a good girl to run in harness, but between Covid and then missing a majority of the championship season due to her litter in November she hasn’t spent as much time competing in the chute as some of my other dogs, and it was such an awesome surprise to see her do so well - proud is an understatement. She even got the 1700lb rolling (!!) before she went back to business as usual and went to say hi to the trolley handler twice in a row!

Onto the rest of the results on the day then:
Elska was 3rd in the 41-60lb class with Kurts, ending on a respectable pull of 1300lb / 23.21x her bodyweight (and I am sure will already be making plans to claim the record back off her mums next season)!! 
Harry had lost some weight following seasons at home and dropped into the 61-80lb class, where he came away with a fabulous class win and a final pull of 1500lb / 19.74x his bodyweight (although ridiculously he actually did pull the 1700lb after the 60 seconds had elapsed and he heard the chute timer call “time” – prior to that it was much more fun just to yell at me again)!
Noah was 2nd in the 101lb+ class with a final weight of 1900lb / 18.1x his bodyweight (we skipped to 2100lb and it was just a bit much as the day was warming, but he was a good boy)! 
And my final success of the day was with Jess, who once again teamed up with Jo in novice class (thank you so much again!) and showed such an improvement in her attitude towards it all, even giving some tail wags!! We pulled her out after she did the 900lb, as it was the first time she had shown more than a couple of seconds hesitation and at this stage it is all about the fun, not the graft, but I feel like we may have turned a corner and there may be hope for her returning to the chute with a smile on her face next season!

And as if all that wasn’t enough, we also had three Fenrirkin Dogs placing in the Top 3 of their classes in the overall Championship!
Noah – 2nd 101lb+ class
Harry: 1st 81-100lb class
Elska: 1st 41-60lb class

Very proud of the gang, to say the least and already looking forward to next Autumn!

APRIL

30/04

A heartbreaking end to the month as we receive news from Mark & Kim that they had to say goodbye to our Dylan x Alice daughter Zippy (Fenrirkin Gives You Wings With Austmans) after a routine spay revealed a serious kidney condition and the kindest decision was to let her go peacefully. 

Zippy was third born of six from our first Greenland litter (following sister Jess and brother Nours) and her strong personality shone through very quickly. She was always a confident, cheeky, stubborn and intensely affectionate girl, ready to rule the roost and demanding she be the centre of attention. I was so delighted when I heard from friends Kim & Mark that they not only were ready to bring a second Greenland into their life but that Kim was most taken with Shiraz, as she referred to at the time (although at home was more commonly called ‘short-socks’ and ‘sass-pants’). I had every confidence that they would be able to get the best out of her without letting her get too big for her boots, and of course they didn’t let me (or her) down.

Only shown lightly but with great success, Zippy was an awesome representative for Fenrirkin and the breed in the show ring, with multiple Open Show Best of Breeds, Champ Show Best Bitch and Reserve Best Bitch awards (including Crufts) to boast. She was so much more than that though, showing great promise in weight pull - pulling the maximum 1000lb in novice class with ease on her first attempt - was a canine representative at the GDCGB's first Breed Appreciation Day and was just being all round fabulous breed ambassador for the Greenland Dog here in the UK with her cheeky but sweet nature.

I cannot thank Kimberly, Mark and the boys – and of course her Cattle Dog & Malamute friends at Austmans HQ - enough for making the three years she had on this earth as good as they did, right until the hardest decision at the very end, and felt so fortunate that as her breeder I still got to be part of her life and get my regular fix of cuddles and kisses (and a bit of backchat, too, when I wasn't paying her enough attention).

It wasn’t long enough, she still had so many memories to make but we will just have to treasure the ones she left us with instead

21/04

It was a trip from one end of the country to the other, today, supporting two Open Shows scheduling Greenland breed classes with first time, sled dog specialist breed judges.

Yesterday started in the North West on Saturday at Carlisle & DCS Premier Open Show, where our breed judge was Alaskan Malamute specialist Louise Forster (Kachemak).
Our Daughter / Mother / Cousin trio of Jess, Alice & Noah were our kennel representatives, all in Open together, and did me proud with Jess taking 1st & Best of Breed, Noah 2nd & Reserve Best of Breed and Alice 3rd (and biggest smile in lieu of a rosette)!

Onto today and this time it was a drive South East to Hitchin & DCS Open Show, with Samoyed specialist Liz Ballantine (Whitespirit) officiating.
Our entry of dogs remained the same, as did the results, with Jess once again topping the Open class with Best of Breed, Noah 2nd & Alice 3rd. Good pups!

20/04

A very special day here at Fenrirkin HQ because it marked the birthday of our Lucie, who has reached an awesome 14 years of age!
I cannot express how much this girly means to me, cannot begin to summarise all the memories we have made, adventures we have shared or each way she has changed my life for the better. But I simply wouldn't be where I am today without her having been by my side. For sure, she is showing her years now, but still as gobby, food orientated, sassy, independent and somehow still loving as always. Happy birthday Mini-Moot!!

14/04

Although we had entered dogs at Saltburn & DCS Open Show to support the breed classes today we opted to go weight pulling instead given it was the final Championship pull of the season. It turned out to be another warm but enjoyable day and, while still fairly cool in the chute, the results were certainly a bit more varied for our team (whether resultant of the temps or otherwise).

Starting with our veteran Malamute representative Harry who, having had a fairly consistent competitive season of being in the top half of the 81-100lb class, decided this was not one of those days, breaking the trend on his 1500lb pull (having passed the 1400lb) by deciding it would be much more fun to yell at me and bounce on the spot than it would be to actually move forward. But he still had a fun day, even if not his most successful results wise.

Noah was much more consistent in his performance in the 101lb+ class, coming 2nd with a decent pull of 2000lb, which at 19.61x his bodyweight would have earned him a WWPDA leg were he a different breed – good lad!

Alice was our first surprise of the day, having missed a majority of the season due to her pups and so not being too well practiced. Not only did she actually win 1st in the 41-60lb class with a pull of 1200lb (beating her daughter Elska, owned by Kurts & Charlotte for the first time, who was hot on her heels in 2nd place with a pull of 1100lb) but at 20.69x her bodyweight Alice actually claimed the award for highest percentage of weight pulled on the day. She did, however, still manage to eliminate herself by escaping her harness twice in a row even with a neckline attached like a bellyband, so still not an entirely good girl (but very typically Alice)!

And our second surprise was with Jess. After she actually showed some inclination to pull for me on the first 400lb round in novice (albeit still without much enthusiasm), we decided to see if a previously discussed change of handler would assist in helping her progress and friend Jo kindly decided to team up with her – and it really did make a difference, with Jess actually pulling up to 900lb without any physical assistance (just lots of treats!!) and even though the 1000lb needed a bit more cajoling / bribery she still made it to the end of the chute! It might not sound like much, but seeing her actually show some engagement in the chute was the most progress she has demonstrated since her scare and to be honest was the highlight of the day.

15/04

A short but successful trip North to Birtley & DCS Premier Open Show to support the Greenland breed classes with two dogs. Our judge Cath Moffatt awarded Jess 1st Open & Best of Breed, with Noah in 2nd place handled wonderfully by friend Lauren.

MARCH

31/03

While the rest of us stayed home in the UK due to other commitments, this didn't stop Jess having a fantastic trip across the water to Ireland for the IKC Combined Canine International / National Championship Shows.

On Saturday at the International Show under judge Zorica Blomqvist (SE) she wins 1st / Excellent Champion Bitch, Green Star / Best Bitch, CACIB and Best of Breed.

Onto Sunday at the National Show where under judge Francisco Salvador Janeiro (PT) she once again claims 1st / Excellent Champion Bitch, with a further Green Star / Best Bitch and Best of Breed in the Challenge.

My sincere thanks to Scarlett Burnside & Rachel Kenna for handling her across the two days in my absence.

29/03

Today we compete at Edwinstowe & DCS Premier Open Show, with all three dogs from my kennel in Open together under judge Adrian Bicknell.
Coming out on top with 1st place & Best of Breed was Jess, with Noah 2nd & Reserve Best of Breed and Alice conceding to 3rd. Not a bad days work!

24/03

A warm but enjoyable day weightpulling.

Starting with Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black) who had a happy day with owner Kurts, not only winning the 41-60lb class with a pull of 1200lb (21.05x her bodyweight), but also claiming highest weight pulled by opposite sex and highest percentage of bodyweight pulled on the day. So awesome to have this girly flying the flag for our kennel!

Next up was my Malamute representative Harry who at 11 years old continues to make me proud, and actually ended up winning the 81-100lb class with a pull of 1500lb (18.29x his bodyweight) – got to love the veterans!

Dylan was also in the 81-100lb class where he placed 4th after making it clear he was not in the competitive spirit, refusing to even try pulling the 1200lb – but he of course enjoyed getting to do his social bit!

Noah on the other hand was a much more willing competitor and ended up 2nd place in 101lb+ class with a cracking pull of 2000lb (18.52x his bodyweight) – we skipped the 2100lb to try for a new PB of 2200lb but it wasn’t to be, however I couldn’t have asked for any more for him and was happy to see him pushed through and end on agood note

Not to be forgotten, while we were busy in Lincolnshire Alice had a road trip South to attends Herts & Essex CS Premier Open Show where under judge Elizabeth Ashcroft she wins 1st Open & Best of Breed! And by all reports thoroughly enjoyed her first show in nine months!

17/03

We had decided at the start of the year to earmark this weekend for a trip across the water for the IKC Celtic Winners International / St Patricks Day National Championship Shows, although with Jess till in season (her timing in missing Crufts and this trip really was impeccable) it ended up as a bit of a boy’s road trip, seeing Ryan entered his first show experience in Baby Puppy class joined by his Uncle(ish) Noah for company. And what great results we had!

Day 1 at the Celtic Winners International Show under Breed Judge Sean Knight:
Noah: 1st / Excellent Champion Dog, CACIB, Green Star Dog, Best of Breed & Celtic Winner 2024!
Ryan: 1st Baby Puppy Dog & Best Baby Puppy in Breed!

Onto Day 2 for the St Patricks National Show under Breed Judge Marie Thorpe:
Noah: 1st / Excellent Champion Dog, Green Star Dog & Best of Breed! 
Ryan: 1st Baby Puppy Dog & Best Baby Puppy in Breed!

It was wonderful to see Ryan have such a positive first experience in the ring (even if staying on four feet still needs a bit more practice) and was super proud of how he coped with the busy venue and his longest journey to date.
But Noah’s weekend was also pretty special, as these 2 Green Stars means he returned home as a NEW IRISH CHAMPION !!

So of course I couldn’t resist getting few photos of my boys from Visions / Photography and Graphic design studio to commemorate this title and Ryan's first show. 

Meanwhile back in England, Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black) & Kurts were busy representing our kennel at AMWA's end of season Haughley Park rally, where over the 2 days they earned an awesome 3rd place in their Bikejore class against largely Sibe competition. So super proud of this girl and her human team who give her the opportunity to shine!

10/03

Still on cloud nine for Nuuka's wins yesterday - but absolutely shattered - it was back to the NEC for our final day on Discover Dogs with Noah being accompanied by cousin Alice. Even with us all being pretty knackered after a long few days my Norwegian cousins didn’t let me down, happy to have fusses from the general public, with Noah being a particular hit with the younger fans and Alice assuming the standard flop position for a majority of the day (I am beginning to think she is fuelled by tummy rubs)! 
Our last day at Crufts also meant the chance to collect our 2023 awards for Top Breeder, Top Dog (Jess), Top Stud Dog (Dylan, bred by Nicola Singh & Stuart Winterton) and Top Brood Bitch (Alice, bred by Marit Anes). Good Greenlands!

09/03

It's Working & Pastoral Group breeds day for showing at Crufts today and my original plans had all gone a bit sideways, with my entry of three dogs reduced to just one present on the day thanks to Jess being in the middle of her season which in turn meant Alice was needed to fill her place at the DD booth on Sunday and thus the decision was made to leave her at home with her daughter, also, rather than making her do full three days at the NEC (it’s tiring enough for me)! Nothing like throwing away £70+ of entry fees, eh? 

So, with my first one dog Crufts in over a decade (a strange feeling indeed), and after the usual fairly long wait to get in the ring, onto the breed results under judge Espen Engh.

Admittedly, not the best start to proceedings for me, as our judge made it very clear he was not a fan of Noah but I was still super happy with how he performed and we did still manage to come away with a rosette for 2nd Open Dog.

But things only improved from there, as while fair to say it was not my day as an exhibitor it really was my day as a breeder with my Dylan x Alice girlies flying the flag:
3rd Open Bitch – a very naked Zippy (Fenrirkin Gives You Wings With Austmans, owned by Kimberly and handled by Mark)
2nd Open Bitch & Reserve Best Bitch – Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black, with co-owner Charlotte doing a wonderful job at the end of the lead)
And…. ** drum roll please ** ….
1st Open Bitch, Best Bitch & Best of Breed – Nuuka (Fenrirkin Catch Me If You Can, handled by friend Lisa)!!

I really cannot begin to say how proud I am of this girly and her human team at only her second ever Championship Show, having qualified at Manchester Championship Show just over a month ago. To have a puppy that came back to you at 11 months of age not just land on their feet with a wonderful new home but to then be there in person to see her go on to such an amazing achievement is like a dream come true. As much as I would love to take credit as her breeder, it is a testament to the work put in by Jo & Carl, not to mention Lisa for getting the best out of her and ensuring she enjoys her time in the ring. I think getting to watch the girls in that big ring together backstage with Jo was an even more wonderful experience than being on the green carpet myself, and is certainly a memory I will treasure.

08/03

Today was my one day off in four but the Discover Dog booth was again being manned by representatives from our kennel, this time with half sisters Nuuka & Kulu.

Like their siblings the day before, by all reports they did the breed and owner’s Jo & Carl proud with their friendly, cuddly natures and ensured all visitors to the stand got their fill of happy Greenland cuddles.

07/03

Four days of Crufts chaos kicks off today, and it was a family trio of Mum Alice, daughter Elska and half-brother Ryan representing the breed on the Discover Dogs stand. 
Alice & Elska were in their element as always, and very much enjoyed their day of showing the general public how affectionate Greenland Dogs are (even if it then took some persuading for people to believe that they are in fact a high energy breed, not sled dog rugs) – and fair to say Ryan also thoroughly enjoyed his first experience and made me very proud with how he took meeting lots of new folk in his stride (with plenty of nap breaks between cuddles, of course)!

04/03

Today we say happy birthday to our oh so special Malamute Harry who along with his littermates turns 11 years old - still our chief puppy sitter at home, a star in the weightpull chute and all round good boy.

03/03

Day 2 of the Thetford Forest Group Cranwich race and we decided to mix things up and swapped mother and daughter to put Alice in single wheel & Jess in lead with Wolvey which seemed to work a treat, with the team actually coming in quicker than the previous day even with a turning disagreement when they spotted my van on the other side of the ski-netting (note to self, close van door next time so they don’t hear their kennelmates complaining at their abandonment)! And another 1st place claimed for their efforts too - well done to Kim & the woos!

02/03

Another race weekend, this time for Thetford Forest Group's Cranwich race, with Kim once again running our combined All-Greenland team. Typically, the heavens opened just as Wolvey, Alice & Jess got into the start chute (and pretty much lasted the entirety of their run) but that certainly didn’t dampen spirits as they hit the trail with great enthusiasm, coming 1st in their class and arriving back with big smiles all round!

Highlight of the day, however, may have been our four dog recreational run in the courtesy class, which I think won the award for most novel team with little-n-large Greenland duo Strike & Noah in wheel and Kim’s two Team Collie brothers Harvey & Nero in lead. What a blast they had on their leg stretch, completing the two mile trail in around circa six minutes (glad it wasn’t me on the rig!
Not to mention Ryan enjoying his second full weekend away in the van and making lots of new friends as we pottered around – I think he quite likes this race malarkey!

FEBRUARY

26/02

After a last minute change of race plans due to a cancelled event at Dalby, for the first time we found ourselves en route to Northumberland for the SDAS Ford three-stage event.

No freight classes here – in fact, I think we may have been the only freight team competing – which meant friend Kim and our combined Greenland team of her own Wolvey and my mother-daughter duo Alice & Jess were running in Nordic with the Siberian Husky teams, so clearly our goal was less about our placing but rather to give the dogs happy runs and the fun of a second time running this particular three dog formation.

And fair to say we succeeded, despite some over-enthusiastic starts (Jess has apparently now extended her signature gobbiness to include a deafening “I want to run!!” scream in the chute!) with the trio coming away with some respectable times on all three stages, generally within a couple of minutes of the Sibe Teams they followed in the rankings and, more importantly, crossing the finish line with big smiles all round.

We even decided to chuck Noah & her young girl Strike into the Rec class for a leg stretch where Noah of course decided to live up to his reputation of not being trusted to be trusted to navigate but being directionally-challenged didn’t stop them having a fun time. Thank you Horses For Courses for these fabulous photos!

18/02

A very rainy but enjoyable day at the Lincolnshire weightpull championship today. 
 

First up, a bit of a surprise with Jess who after actually managed one pull of 400lb in competitive circumstances (!!) After which she promptly reverted back to her ongoing insistence that it is impossible to move from the spot unless I am by her side. But she did still show more inclination to move in her novice pulls and progress is progress - we may get her back from her scare yet!

Onto Alice who showed great enthusiasm up to her final weight of 1100lb (18.64x her bodyweight) to come 2nd to daughter Elska in the 41-60lb class. I skipped the 1200lb pull to go straight to 1300lb where she decided it would be much easier to slip her harness off like a sweater two times in a row (doh)! Nice to know she hasn’t forgotten that particular party trick!!

Harry was the oldest dog competing on the day but was a very good boy and pulled 1700lb (20.73x his bodyweight) to come 2nd in the 81-100lb class (and tortured me once more by pulling that 1800lb more than two thirds of the way before running out of steam).

Noah also had a good day with a final pull of 2100lb (19.81x his bodyweight) to come 2nd in the 101lb+ class, an equal PB and, if he were a different breed, this would be his second WWPDA leg. 

And last but by no means least, another proud breeder call out to Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black) who won the 41-60lb class with a pull of 1300lb (22.81x her bodyweight), also the highest weight pulled by a female dog on the day. Good girl!

17/02

Today Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black) attended FDCUK's Dalby rally where by all accounts she and owner Kurts had a good day, teaming up in Bikejore class where they came away with a respectble time. Only attending one day of this two day race meant they weren't in the final podium places but based on Saturday only their time made them the fastest freight dog team and would have put them 2nd in the Adult Male category - very proud of them both!

11/02

Another Open Show with breed classes, this time North East to Ashington & DCS. Just Noah showing from our team but he doesn't let the side down, winning 1st Open & Best of Breed under judge Jane Hill (Molson)

10/02

An enjoyable day out at National Working & Pastoral Breeds Society Premier Open Show, which see's judge Dolores Montgomery (Gatti) officiating. Coming out on top is Noah, who wins 1st Open & Best of Breed, with Jess conceding to 2nd in the same class but claiming Reserve Best of Breed in the challenge.

03/02

A very enjoyable day out at Isle of Ely CS Premier Open Show today, which has scheduled Greenland Dog breed classes for a number of years now. Under judge Helen Taylor-Morris (Pelenrise) Jess wins 1st Open & Best of Breed, with Noah hot on her heels claiming 2nd & Reserve Best of Breed. Not done there, under Working Group judge Tim Ball Jess not only makes the final shortlist in good company from 17 dogs present, but goes on take a fantastic Working Group 2 - a good first show of 2024 for the Ginger one!

JANUARY

21/01

Today was the first weightpull competition of 2024, drawing an entry of 20+ Malamutes, CEDs, Greenlands & Sibes across the competitive / novice classes - it certainly proved a fun one and a particularly good day for Team Greenland!

Noah’s successful week continued, coming out on top by not only winning the 100lb+ class with a pull of 2000lb (17.9x his bodyweight) but also claiming the prize for Highest Weight Pulled overall on the day – good lad!! 

Getting to do my proud breeder bit once more, at the other end of the size-scale Elska (Fenrirkin Out Of The Black, owned by Kurts & Charlotte) not only won her 41-60lb class but also claimed Highest Percentage of Bodyweight pulled with a final weight of 1400lb / 25x her bodyweight – clever girl!

On a whim I decided to chuck Alice into her first competition post maternity leave, and although still carrying a bit more weight than she should, resultantly tipping into the 61-80lb class, she surprised me with by how well she did, coming 2nd in the class with a final pull of 1300lb / 19.1x her bodyweight Although she still decided to tangle her way out of a higher weight with her insistent socialising 

On the Malamute front, Harry didn’t seem to be feeling in the pulling mood on the day, although still placed 4th from 8 competing dogs in the 81-100lb class, ending on 1400lb (16.9x his bodyweight) after I skipped the 1500lb and he decided it was a no-go on pulling 1600lb. Hopefully he’ll be back on form for the February pull.

And last but by no means least, half-siblings Jess & Ryan came along to socialise (the former still resting after the previous weeks injury and the latter now fully vaccinated and having his longest van journey to date); I was super proud of how my little man took to meeting lots of new human & canine faces.

18/01

The first Championship show of the year for us at Manchester today – and it turned out to be a bit of a special one with two stars of the day!

First up is Noah who under breed judge Marion Hodgson wins 1st Open Dog, Best Dog and Best of Breed. Not done there, however, from 24 breeds present in the Working Group under John Ritchie he only went and made it into the shortlist – the first Greenland Dog to be part of a UK Championship Show Working Group shortlist in almost nine years!!! 
I am sure many understand just how much this means not just to me but to the breed, as with no Greenland Dog having ever been placed in a UK Championship Working Group (only Puppy, Veteran & SB group placings at this level) this now makes him one of only four Greenlands to have had the honour of this final consideration, the first being Chaos (Seacourt Stormy Sky) over 20 years ago, the second, and first male, being Cosmo (Sledog Howling Blizzard) in 2013 and the third Cosmo’s littermate Osca (Sledog Winter Blizzard ShCM) in 2015. How awesome to have my Norwegian powerhouse join this list of special dogs!

As if that wasn't enough, I also get to share a proud breeder boast as Nuuka – Fenrirkin Catch Me If You Can – owned by Jo & Carl came out for her first ever Championship Show, winning 1st Post Gradate Bitch (giving her the Crufts qualification they were hoping for) and then going on to take Best Bitch & Best Opposite Sex in the challenge – what a star! 

14/01

Today was a venture to Redditch & DCS Open Show (always a calendar favourite for their much appreciated support of rare & import breeds). Only Noah able to show on the day, but he didn't let the side down coming away with 1st Greenland Dog Open & Best of Breed under judge Jane Paradise (Shardlow).

01/01

A happy new year to all our friends and supporters and - as is tradition - we start by rounding up the Our Dogs 2023 Top Dog Awards which saw some fantastic wins for the Fenrirkin Team.

Top Dog in Breed - Jess

Top Stud Dog - Dylan

Top Brood Bitch - Alice

Top Breeder - Fenrirkin

Very proud of the full team and all they have achieved, and especially so as this is our first time with a homebred dog claiming Top Dog and also our first time as top breeder outright (having previously shared this accolade with Kennel Suna-Sanik, breeder of Noah & Alice).