The name Yukikaze is from a combination of Yuki and Kaze. Yuki, which is japanese for snow, is to represent my first Siberian Husky named Yuki that got me started on this journey. I chose her name purely for my love of anime and manga, nothing deeper than that. Then I added Kaze, which is japanese for wind, as it is extremely symbolic to me as a representation of freedom. To me, mushing is the closest thing to being free. When it is just me and my dogs enjoying the trail together, there is no better feeling. We are in our own world, where together we can go anywhere, where we are united and not bound by anything.
My First Dog
Back in 2012 I was fresh out of high school with no passions in life. At the time I knew nothing about Siberian Huskies nor had I met one. I didn't even know they lived in Ohio, I thought they only lived in Alaska as portrayed in the movie Snow Dogs. It was during this time I had been texting an acquaintance from high school, Abby. Neither of us had went away to college like most our friends so we kept in touch, and I became closer with her. One day after work Abby and I visited a pet store, where I saw Cloud. He was a clearance puppy for a couple hundreds bucks and I ended up impulse buying him. Note to readers, don't impulse buy dogs and especially not from a pet store, I was 18 and knew nothing of dogs or reputable breeders at the time. After I got Cloud, Abby was the only dog friend I knew and we started spending a lot more time together. The first time visiting her house I was met with two beautiful blue eyed red headed Siberian Huskies. I immediately fell in love. Maya was the sweetest girl with beautiful woos, and Sophie was amusing with her constant excited zoomies and spins. It was strange, but I felt a connection I had never felt before. It wasn't long after that when I sought out my own Siberian Husky.
My First Siberian Husky
A couple months after getting Cloud, Abby and I were at the dog park together one day. There was a gentleman there with a beautiful white Siberian Husky that I just adored. We got to talking about how I loved his dog and that I had been looking into getting my own Siberian Husky, when he mentioned the breeder he got his dog from currently had a litter and gave my the breeder's information. I was extremely excited as I had been overwhelmed with where to start, so I thought what luck I must have had that there was a breeder only an hour away with a litter that had just been born. I immediately contacted the breeder when I got home, and I visited them that weekend. Upon visiting the breeder I fell in love and put a deposit down on the first puppy I held, the very puppy who would be my beautiful Yuki. Looking back, I missed looking for important qualities in a breeder like confirming their dogs had sound temperament, health testing, and any accomplishments. It quickly came to light when Yuki was an extremely fearful puppy and that her temperament was genetic. In addition to that, since Yuki also has incipient cataracts and has to have yearly vet checks with an ophthalmologist. None of this implies I don't love Yuki of course, I love her so incredibly much. Yuki was the start of my journey into the world of Siberian Husky ownership. She definitely showed me the ropes on how destructive Siberian puppies can be, and how good of conversations they can hold. I couldn't have been happier with finally having my very own Siberian.
Our First Time Bikejoring
About 6 months after I got Yuki I got word from a friend of a Siberian that was headed to the shelter. I went and picked him up, originally taking him in as a foster, but he ended up fitting right in and he stayed for good. This foster fail was my late Link. Cloud, Yuki, and Link were best friends from the start. There was only one thing amiss. Link was not like my very laid back Yuki, he was a crazy, exuberant red head. I had never met a dog with so much energy! I got the idea to take him biking as I had a bike already equipped with a walky dog bike attachment. I had actually gotten it for Yuki but she was too young to use it yet. After fitting Link in a harness I hooked him up and it was immediate bliss. Link took off pulling, never once darting off to the side, just running to his heart's content. Those first runs were what sparked my passion for mushing. My dog having the time of his life, me getting to share that joy with him, neither of us bound by time and running free. I had never experienced such a thing, it felt other worldly. Bikejoring with Link was the start of an amazing journey I've been blessed to travel so far.
Diving Deeper Into The Sport
After I got hooked bikejoring with Link, I started learning and training traditional mushing commands. I added Yuki to my bikejoring team that fall of 2013 and trained her with Link, she had no problems catching on being by Link's side. We got extemely lucky that year with a huge snow storm, so I also got to do a lot of sledding with my little two dog team. It was the most fun I had ever had and the most incredible feeling. That winter I took my first trip to Baldwin, MI to camp out with the dogs. There is nothing quite like being on the trail with your dogs in the middle of winter, just hearing the sounds of your sled runners and the dog's breath surrounding by vast woodland.
Finding New Trails
The summer of 2014 I got Lyon and tried adding him to the team that fall. There was just one small problem: he would just plop down and refuse to run. I didn't realize it at first, but unlike Link and Yuki who would run on anything, Lyon was more sensitive. At the time I was not aware of the importance of running dogs on appropriate surfaces and had been using my neighborhood sidewalks and bike trails. So in a way, it was a blessing Lyon refused to run those first few runs as it prompted me to do some research. After doing some looking around I found a grass trail to take the dogs to and Lyon immediately found his groove and started pulling naturally.
Mushing Demos
In the fall of 2014 I had decided to hold my first mushing demo. I had taught myself when I was first getting started, and seeing how much joy the dogs and I shared when mushing is what made me want to unlock that joy for others. My dogs surprised me with how well they did, Link and Lyon especially were incredible ambassadors. Between 2014 and 2018 I held six mushing demos, four in Ohio and two in Tennessee. Below are images of Link and Lyon warming up with me at one of my 2014 mushing demos, and Lyon showing a new dog the ropes for a lap around the trail.
My First Racing Season
After training my dogs for a couple years and holding mushing demos where they were surrounded by and paired with new dogs, I was confident enough to finally enter my first race. I entered the two dog scooter class for our first two races and the two dog bike class for our third race in the fall of 2015. My first race I tried Yuki and Lyon. We had a great race on a beautiful trail, and it was SO much fun! Yuki thought it was more of a joy ride though and trotted the latter half of the race, which is what prompted me to enter Link instead of Yuki for the future races. For our second race we had a very challenging and muddy course. We finished dead last, but I couldn't have been prouder for them giving me their all given the conditions. For our last race I switched to entering the bike class instead of scooter, figuring I could give my boys an extra boost if I encountered another muddy trail. Luckily for me the trail was hard and fast, and to my surprise my boys ran hard and took first place in the two dog purebred class. It still means a lot to me to this day even if it was a small dryland race, it was an incredible honor to achieve it with the dog who got me started in mushing.
My First Working Dog
It was just before I entered my first races that I was already looking to add my first working dog to add drive to my team. I had fallen completely in love with the sport and wanted to expand my team to include dogs that have that same drive and passion for it. I had been following Kelim Siberian Huskies. When the timing was right I had begun following their page for litters and in the summer of 2015 I saw an available puppy with the puppy name "Meg". I knew that was fate. I immediately contacted them that I was interested and the rest was history. Ame was an amazing dog to add to my team. I am pretty sure Link let her in on some secrets, I mean look at that wink. She was eager to learn as a pup and caught onto commands immediately. She quickly became my main bikejoring dog alongside Link and I had to alternate who I took to the singletrack trails.
A Sibersong Adventure
When I heard that Jaye with Sibersong Sleddogs would be repeating the litter I got Ame from, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Ame had shown me what an incredible dog she was already as a yearling so I just knew having a sibling of hers would be a dream come true. I didn't know back then that the trip to get Yona would also be for a lifelong friend and mentor. It was in September of 2016 that I started my road trip to New Hampshire to get Yona. The majority of the trip was uneventful, I had Ame along as my copilot and we were taking our time. The trouble started about an hour and a half away from our destination when suddenly my car won't accelerate any further. I honestly had no clue what to do so I contacted Jaye to let her know the situation after calling a tow truck. Jaye graciously agreed to let me and Ame stay at her place while my car was being fixed and rescued us in the pouring rain. It turned out my transmission had to be replaced so it took some time to repair, but those were the best two weeks of unexpected vacation I ever had. I spent time getting to know all the Sibersong dogs, played with puppies, helped out with kennel chores, and even helped harness up a couple teams! I also visited with the Bergs and let Ame play with her dad and brothers. It was an incredible experience I'll never forget and it wasn't long before I was back for more Sibersong dogs for my team in the years to come.
Other Dog Sports
I got involved in AKC sports with Ame. I had seen online dog friends doing CAT events with their dogs, and although the process was intimidating, with their help I finally got the courage to enter Ame in her first event. It was a brand new world to me, but also extemely exciting. That first Q ribbon was worth very little, but meant everything to me. Now I dabble in various sports with my team including CAT, fast CAT, rally, dock diving, barn hunt, trick dog, etc. Though these sports are not my main focus they are fun things I like to do with my dogs, especially in the off season when we can't be mushing anyway.
Pursuing Mid Distance
After visiting Sibersong in 2016, I fell in love with New Hampshire and the thought of racing 30-40 mile races vs sprint races. I made a plan to move from OH to NH ideally within five years from that first visit. In July of 2021 I had my opportunity when Jaye was going to Alaska for the season and we pitched me renting her house to watch her pups and retirees. I had been working from home due to covid for over a year already so I was able to get approved to be permanently virtual. Moving was a game changer for my team. The first 2021-2022 eason we found our bearings with ATV training and getting used to the elevation of New Hampshire trails, then the following season I competed my goal of 30 mile races with the Wilderness 35 and Can Am 30.