|
JUDY &
BILL MERRITT IN FRONT OF
THEIR HOME IN MOOSE PASS |
Update
on October 2006: Judy
continues to improve from her injuries she sustained while running
the Iditarod. She still is not up to 100% but she is getting back
out and training the team for some mid distance races this year.
Her main focus is the Klondike
300 and the Knik
200 "I'm just going to take it easy this season, enjoy
my team, Life is good".
We've had a good start of the season so far. The team is getting
streched out and new yearlings are learning their gee's & haws.
The rain has been our biggest pain. Lot's of wet muddy training
days. No matter how much gravel we bring into the dog lot we still
have mud puddles, "the gravel all must go to China, 'cause
it isn't staying in the dog lot" laughs Bill. At least we didn't
get the flooding that Seward did. So far the river next to us is
doing fine. It's high but not at any risk of flooding.
Their newest addition to the kennel is a young moose calf that has
taken up residence in their back yard, bedding down with the team
in the evening. The moose doesn't seem to mind all the dogs. "It's
pretty comical to see the interaction between dog & moose"
says Bill.
If you want to send
her a note via snail mail here is her address:
Judy Merritt
PO Box 172
Moose Pass, Alaska 99631
About the Judy Merritt
Judy Merritt, 46, was born in Colorado and was a landscape contractor
there when she met her husband in 1988. They moved to Moose Pass
in 1993 for a change of lifestyle and “to get back to basics.”
“That’s when we started our addiction to dog mushing.”
Judy says she’s
raised dogs all her life. She went from breeding, raising and showing
Pomeranians to breeding, raising and racing Alaskan Huskies. Presently,
she has 38 huskies in her kennel plus one sheltie
mix and, “ of course,” she says, “one Pomeranian.”
Judy’s dogs are her inspirations.
“They allow me to tag along
on their journeys. They teach me something new every day. The have
endless love and patience with me. My dog team will make it possible
for me to follow my dream and overcome
any obstacles that stand in our way.” Judy
says she’s followed the Iditarod for about 16
years and her dream and goal is to run her team to Nome for the
excitement, adventure, challenge
and most of all for the fun the dogs and she’ll have during
their journey together. Judy
owns and operates a small commercial cleaning service in Seward.
She is also a certified veterinary technician and has a degree in
Forestry and Wildlife. She and her husband have five adult children,
Mary, William, Tracy , Todd and Troy. In addition to working with
her dogs, Judy enjoys gardening, and veterinary medicine
Videos
Sled Ride
Long Version (20sec)
Food drops
(Judy cutting blocks of meat
for the dogs
and bagging it for the Iditarod food drops)
Sled
Ride
Real Audio Version put to music
|
| |
|
|
